Revenue generation is just one measure or worth, though. Not every good idea makes money or should. Android is brilliant for being exactly what it is: an affordable, ubiquitous and highly adaptable open source operating system for mobile devices. It fills a useful niche that iOS cannot.

I also disagree with the notion that Google's non-search related endeavors are not remarkable. Their work with Gmail, YouTube, eBooks and maps/navigation are much more far-reaching than any of the closed services available on iOS. Siri and iBooks are neat, but I can only use them on iDevices which is severely limiting.