The breakthrough of the mobile internet completely rewrites the rules for the mobile industry. I’d like to compare this revolutionary change to what has happened, and is continuing to happen, to traditional media like newspapers and television. The business models of the old players on that market are failing, despite desperate attempts to prevent this. There are many reasons, but the main one is that it is no longer enough with a uni-directional flow from the media to the customer. To succeed today that flow must go in both directions. The customers expect to be involved in the process of creating news. The explosion of blogging and social media like Facebook and Twitter has proven this without a doubt.
If a manufacturer like Sony Ericsson were to produce a mobile device intended to access the web, but put only a number of pre-installed applications for doing this without possibility to replace them or add new, the device would probably be obsolete before it hit the shops. The growth of development is exponential, and the only way to keep up is by opening up the mobile platform, and to make sure it’s future proofed with downloadable upgrades. Closed source platforms like the iPhone will eventually fail unless opened up, simply because no company alone can keep up with the power of community contribution.
To be successful in this new mobile market, it’s vital not to just make products for the customers, but to make products with the customers. Even Microsoft has realized that it’s no longer possible to just continue releasing new Windows versions thinking they are the ones that know best how it should work. Windows 7 had one of the largest beta tests in the world before its release, and Microsoft has learned their lesson from Vista well and listened to what their customers actually thought about it, which they are not shy to admit themselves either.
The end users want to be involved in creating new products, to be able to contribute, have opinions and to feel like they are part of the process. The Android platform fulfills all this, and also has a very strong backing in the industry. The ability to contribute platform code that eventually will run in millions of devices around the world is a magnet for creative developers. It also has the beneficial effect that higher quality applications are created for the platform, as the application developers both have an unprecedented insight in the inner workings of Android as well as real power to correct bugs and add needed features for their work.
What made iPhone such a huge success was its stylish design and slick user interface. Eventually, this is not enough. What makes Android such a worthy successor to the iPhone on the internet phone throne is its openness and contribution-friendliness. Everyone using the web regularly will eventually want to be part of the Android eco-system. It’s in the air – open is the new black!