Google and its Motorola division are announcing the Moto X on August 1st, which is Motorola’s first smartphone developed entirely since Google’s purchase of Motorola in 2011. Unlike many typical announcements, the phone has been prone to seemingly intentional leaks, as it features prominently in invitations for the event. Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has also been seen in public holding what appears to be the Moto X. As long rumoured, the phone is expected to use a near-stock version of Android 4.2.2, satisfying many Android users that prefer the version Google prepares without the cruft added by other manufacturers.
One of the most interesting features expected in the phone is its level of customizability. Android is well-known and liked by those who enjoy changing the features of their phone software, but this model is rarely applied to smartphone hardware. The Moto X is expected to move past allowing people to just choose a storage size, opting to also allow for customization of the trim and backplate colours. Colours in general are not much of a new thing, as you can get other devices in multiple colours, but the options theoretically offered by Motorola will allow more customization than other options currently available. The backplates would be swappable as well by nature, so colours could change whenever a user feels they want a new colour for their phone. Users are potentially going to be able to upload their default wallpaper when ordering so the phone comes preinstalled with their preferred defaults.
For iPhones, by the nature of the software and model, it makes more sense to offer a prefabricated phone with preset options that a user can easily jump into and use. For Android phones, an extended Moto X model could work well. Android users like custom features in their software, and would likely appreciate a well-made, reputable, build-yourself kind of phone that comes with customizable parts. RAM, storage space, camera quality, colour and screen size could all be parts that are upgradable for a user should they desire different features. This model would follow how computers work now, where a laptop or desktop can be ordered with particular displays, processors, memory and accessories that match the user’s taste.
The ideal version of this model, given the restriction imposed by the form factor of a smartphone, would allow for a single overall layout with changeable features that conform to defined specifications. Much like the iPhone case industry thrives off a standard form factor for each phone model, this potential Android phone could have defined component sizes that the manufacturer or third-parties could abide by for upgrades. Many of the components inside the device, such as memory and storage, likely follow predefined sizes already, which would make this model easier to implement. The user would then be free to pick whether they want the nicer camera or the cheaper one, if looking at monetary differences as a primary factor in their options, or whether they want one that does better video or takes nicer photos, if functionality is their primary differentiator. The phone would then be a platform for these changes in their phones, allowing for a large support community for the device that offers technical help as well as functional offerings for those who want to make changes to how their phone works.
Many may cry foul at an attempt to make customized phone parts, claiming it destroys the simplicity of marketing smartphones today, since everyone rallies behind discrete phone models, yet for the dedicated Android segment of the market that prefers to have customized devices, this could be a viable model for future smartphones. The rumoured Moto X is by no means as customizable, but it presents an interesting possibility for a device that carries features that are rare in the current smartphone industry.
Another argument against the model could be fragmentation, as one of the aspects of iPhone development that numerous developers find attractive is the ability to test on only a few devices to reach a desirable number of potential users. In Android, much effort is already being made to reduce developer dependency on testing every potential device by having developers prepare multiple scenarios and responsive layouts when building their apps. Offering multiple speeds, cameras or other potential options is something developers often have to consider for Android as it is, since not everyone uses the same phone, so offering multiple configurations of the same phone would likely not be the greatest concern.
Looking at desktop computers especially, it’s clear that there is a market for people who desire complete control over every aspect of their device. Part of the appeal for custom-built machines is that the user can build their own configuration of what they desire, and it is theoretically cheaper because they can buy the parts without having to pay for the service. There comes an inherent risk involved that if you build it yourself, you are your own customer service, but for some people that is an encouraging proposition. The people who like their custom desktops likely wouldn’t mind having something handheld that’s custom in the same fashion. This desire to unlock the capabilities of one’s device and their potential is something that drives many people to install various distributions of Linux on their computers or to host home servers. As the oft-quoted book Drive by Daniel Pink suggests, mastery is one of the key aspects of motivation for people, and an enthusiasts ability to master their ability to build a computer that does what they want is an objective that likely motivates them to continue doing it.
It may not be for everyone, and it may not even be that viable as a business model, but it’s hard to imagine that there is not a way to successfully sell a device as a platform as opposed to a unit, particularly towards the market segment that prefers paving their own road when it comes to technology. If the Moto X does what it is rumoured to and more phones and tablets follow that route, there will assuredly be a niche carved for those enthusiasts to continue following their passion.
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