The ecosystem. That’s what does and will make your life easier, richer and your business more profitable. As the treadmill of business continues apace staying in one place means you are falling behind. The shiniest phone with fastest processor or the sleekest laptop doesn’t keep you ahead or in the crowd. These emerging ecosystems do. The only choices now are iOS and Android/Chrome (sorry Microsoft but you are relegated to a single channel now. keep working hard on Windows Phone and stay with Windows 8.)
Good Ecosystems Don’t Try To Do It All
The thing that makes these ecosystems valuable is that you can use them from every place. By ‘place’ I mean not only physical location but also online locations. From within your accounting software and coordinated across your phone, tablet, laptop. Within all your email accounts and any other account or secure place you are at the moment.
Apple was the first ecosystem that began delivering a lot of function across many places. But they closed it, by which that means they require everything to go through their applications, their store, their merchant application meaning they always take a cut and given Apple is a premium priced place it puts it out of reach for most people.
Microsoft Is Beginning To Embrace Open Systems
Historically Microsoft had been the closed system leader. They would reformat their Office documents to a new proprietary format every release to make it difficult for others to offer applications and if they did they were always at a disadvantage technically. They owned 90% of the computer market and they did not need to care about the customer and access. They charged fees greater than the entire hardware platform and forced not only the OS but their Office applications onto almost every computer sold.
Then the world changed under Microsoft. Laptops will shortly be relegated to the office while the consumer will have full access to their needs on tablet-like devices and phones(weird to call them phones because they are less phone than mini-computers).
After 15 years of trying to keep their ecosystem model and attempts at change they are no longer the biggest baddest tech provider. They are relegated to a sinking status in 2nd or 3rd place. Still having a lot of money but the parallels to the British Empire are there.
In an attempt at catch-up they have now integrated Google Chat into their premier email service at Outlook.com. I think this is the day and the event that signals their acceptance of the loss of their hegemony. What a day this is, one that I have looked forward to since 1985. I tip my hat at their attempt but it remains to be seen if they will innovate sufficiently to grow.
What Should I Do For My Business?
Two things will help set you up for a good ride. Establish your ecosystem at either iOS or Android/Google and be prepared to switch. I’ll share articles for switching from Android to iOS and from iOS to Android. Read and pay attention to the world and don’t be the first to jump on the newest tech.