Why does Apple have less than 3% market share? They refuse to license the “most advanced operating system” to other vendors. Their ecosystem is profitable, but that is because they enjoy a monopoly whereby they can charge whatever they want for hardware since you need their machines to run their software.
I was close, really close, to actually being excited about the iPhone after yesterdays SDK announcement, but then it hit me like a ton of bricks: Apple makes only one phone.
Why does Nokia have 40% market share? They released over 30 models last year, each tailored for a specific type of customer, most running an operating system, whether it be S40 or S60, that can be expanded with third party software. Does Apple really think that their one size fits all device will get today’s mobile developers to jump ship?
Yes I know what Fake Steve Jobs said, and Michael Mace couldn’t be more right in his analysis that the iPhone model of software distribution is the best the mobile ecosystem has seen, but volume trumps quality in today’s economies of scale. The million dollar question, will Apple let other people create an iPhone based on Mac OS X Mobile?
Granted I would like nothing more than to see June roll around and Apple expand the iPhone lineup similar to what they’ve done with the iPod family, but that brings about new questions such as how exactly will Apple handle different specifications among products if they do indeed choose to deviate from the multitouch 480×320 display?
Some people really want a keypad, some people want the best multimedia capabilities which includes a high megapixel count and video recording, some people want that basic barebone device aka iPhone 1.0, will Apple let others step to the plate or will they control their ecosystem and sit happily with their single digit marketshare?
I can already tell the answer is to keep the crown jewel within the company, but I want to know why? If Apple wanted to change things, really shake things up, they would at least attempt to put their “most advanced operating system in the world” out on more devices than their handful of laptops, desktops and music players.
One more thing … The SDK runs on a Mac and only on a Mac, will development houses want to equip their employees with new machines that can only be serviced by one company? Apple changes things, they’re bold and some may say they’re leaders of the industry, to that I say when they take a big step everyone else makes a big step, but just that tiny bit extra to be better.
Nothing is going to stop Nokia or Microsoft to make an App Store and build it into their 2009 models. Nothing is going to stop Nokia or Microsoft from making a UI that is on par with the iPhone today. What is stopping Apple from licensing their software?