Google and Apple, The Beginning – Asymco:

Android was built to counter a Microsoft mobile OS monopoly with a “zero cost” option vs. Microsoft’s end-user-license model. Microsoft made money selling software. Both system software (Windows) and application software (Office.) Google would give away system software (Android) and services (Gmail and Docs) but make money on advertising.

Interesting, and something I had not thought about before… Android was a strategy to compete with Microsoft, not Apple.

In that sense, it was quite effective, but it was aimed at the wrong target.