Frank Early's List: Mobile Platforms

• Former Apple executive and Be-OS founder Jean-Louis Gassée recently opined that the OS doesn’t matter any more. Gassée argued that the operating system is less about underlying structure and more about the user experience and development tools. In other words, what we once described as an operating system is now really more of a platform.
• Gassée’s theory extends to all areas of computing, but where we think he really hits the mark is in the area of mobile devices. As mobile development and adoption continue to surge and the capabilities of these devices grow as their component prices fall, the platform becomes the piece that drives innovation, adoption and use further.
• The iPhone dominated technology news in 2007, 2008 and 2009. It’s hard to argue that any other device, software program or piece of technology had more of an impact on a culture and an industry as each version launched through the years.
• The iPad is helping transform the publishing industry, is being used in education, and is appealing to users and buyers of all stripes.

2 more annotations...