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China Expresses Concern Over Android Dominance
Tue, 03/05/2013 - 9:55am
Ben Munson

China has become “too dependent” on Google’s Android mobile operating system according to a white paper from the country’s Ministry of Industry.

Reuters translated the report and found that even though Android is open source, the paper asserts that Google strictly controls the core technology and technology roadmap. The report accuses Google of discriminating against Chinese developers by delaying the sharing of code and by using commercial agreements to stymie those companies’ attempts at mobile device development.

The paper does not suggest a course of action against Google.

Last year, estimates put Android on more than 90 percent of smartphones in China, while the same report put iOS on less than five percent.

A new annual report from IDC predicts that China will take in 32.8 percent of the 919 million smartphones expected to ship this year. The next closest rival for receiving smartphones is the U.S., which it forecasts will account for 15 percent, making China the most valuable smartphone market in terms of volume by a long shot.

Google has faced scrutiny for its ubiquitous nature in the form of an antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and from European regulators.

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