Yesterday, February 2nd, there were two events and some news that came out that illustrated the very different paths that two major Smartphone/Tablet OSes are taking. One has apparently chosen openness and agnosticism in content creation, purchasing and consumption, and the other seems to be getting even more locked down in these respects.

Apple unveiled The Daily, a curated news publication from News Corp. Apple endorsing this “old world” news approach lies in stark contrast to the CNN iReport features demoed by Google in their event, or even the self curated approach that the popular iPad app, FlipBoard, takes. Besides that major difference, they also are making waves with eBook publishers because of this announcement, which could substantially change and limit the way subscriptions and buying content for apps works on iOS. Meanwhile, Google’s Honeycomb event highlighted improvements to the marketplace including more flexible currency choices for developers, the addition of in app purchases and much more. This comes just a couple weeks after the announcement that Amazon’s Android marketplace will increase the amount of choice users have in their mobile purchases. As you can see, these two paths are nearly polar opposites of each other.

Don’t get us wrong, we like iOS, the experience is great; the devices are extremely easy to use. It remains to be seen if the consumer market is going to pick user experience and hardware design over cost and choice though. Based on our recent post here, it appears the tide may be shifting.

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Chad Udell

Chad Udell is the Managing Partner, strategy and new product development, at Float. There he leads his design and development teams to successful outcomes and award-winning work via a strong background in both disciplines and a singular focus on quality. He has worked with industry-leading Fortune 500 companies and government agencies to design and develop experiences for 20 years. Chad is recognized as an expert in mobile design and development, and he speaks regularly at national and international events and conferences on related topics. Chad is author of Learning Everywhere: How Mobile Content Strategies Are Transforming Training and co-editor and chapter author, with Gary Woodill, of Mastering Mobile Learning: Tips and Techniques for Success. His newest book, Shock of the New, co-authored with Gary Woodill was released in April of 2019.

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