Comments on: Still not open… Kindling without fire… http://blog.nicholasnapp.com/2008/11/21/still-not-open%e2%80%a6-kindling-without-fire%e2%80%a6/ Life, the Entrepreneurship & Everything... Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:23:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Taylor Davidson http://blog.nicholasnapp.com/2008/11/21/still-not-open%e2%80%a6-kindling-without-fire%e2%80%a6/comment-page-1/#comment-1965 Taylor Davidson Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:14:43 +0000 http://blog.nicholasnapp.com/?p=218#comment-1965 Great point on the last two posts about the disconnect between the ideals of "openness" and the reality of the the power of closed. In a market or industry where carriers and vendors create a closed system for service, devices and applications, a closed system is the only way to create a powerful, seamless experience. In the US, application developers and mobile websites have tried for year to promote "off-deck" applications, but have been blocked by the carriers' refusal to open up access, citing the need to "guarantee a consistent experience" under the guise of controlling access and additional data revenues. Apple and Google are each just beginning to pry open the wireless industry their own ways: Apple most notably by changing the relationship between carriers and device manufacturers, and Google most notably by pushing open access and lowering the barriers for device verification. It's not just about the App Stores... DoCoMo, of course, created an open access and distribution model for mobile applications and data services over iMode years ago (nearly a decade?), and deployed a standard payment model that made sense for consumers and independent developers, and we can see the results today: Japan is way ahead in mobile services. It's not just about culture. Great point on the last two posts about the disconnect between the ideals of “openness” and the reality of the the power of closed. In a market or industry where carriers and vendors create a closed system for service, devices and applications, a closed system is the only way to create a powerful, seamless experience.

In the US, application developers and mobile websites have tried for year to promote “off-deck” applications, but have been blocked by the carriers’ refusal to open up access, citing the need to “guarantee a consistent experience” under the guise of controlling access and additional data revenues. Apple and Google are each just beginning to pry open the wireless industry their own ways: Apple most notably by changing the relationship between carriers and device manufacturers, and Google most notably by pushing open access and lowering the barriers for device verification. It’s not just about the App Stores…

DoCoMo, of course, created an open access and distribution model for mobile applications and data services over iMode years ago (nearly a decade?), and deployed a standard payment model that made sense for consumers and independent developers, and we can see the results today: Japan is way ahead in mobile services. It’s not just about culture.

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