The rumor mill grinds on. This weekend, gossipers had it that Google's
Rubin's exit from the Android project would be big news indeed. The mobile computing platform he started building way back in 2003 has become the biggest and fastest-growing product of its kind, outpacing even Apple
Rubin stepped up to the plate with a pair of Twitter and Google+ updates. As it turns out, he's providing free office space for Cloudcar and other startups but has no plans to leave Google or Android. So let's put that rumor to bed.
He also took the opportunity to update us on the speed of Android sales: More than 900,000 Android devices are now activated daily. That's up from 850,000 at the end of February, or 300,000 in December 2010. The growth trajectory seems to have slowed down a bit, but I'm guessing seasonal factors are holding it back. Given the lack of gift-giving holidays and new school years in the spring months, that's hardly the most obvious season for buying or gifting a new phone.
That update might be designed to steal some thunder from Apple's ongoing developer event and announcements of new products. But I don't think it worked. For one, the activation boost is too small to make a serious splash today; For another, the Apple event hardly impressed investors anyway. Cupertino is still not making TV sets, you know. So there just wasn't much thunder to steal.
Not that either Android or Apple iOS needs any extra buzz -- both platforms have established themselves as powerhouses of mobile computing. That's one reason our senior tech thinks the opportunity for Apple investors isn't over, an argument he explains in more detail in our brand-new premium report on Apple. If you'd rather look at broader picture of the smartphone revolution, take a free glimpse at one of our most popular special reports, "The Next Trillion-Dollar Revolution," and see why this trend is indeed revolutionary.