Ecosystem, noun – a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment. In the case of this entry, though, let’s ditch the ecological definition, and focus on its application in the world of cloud computing. A cloud ecosystem is simply the aggregate of all services offered by one provider, such as Apple and used by a community of organisms – in this case Apple fans.
Some examples of what cloud services entail:
- Calendar – you update your calendar on your laptop, and then can check it on your phone. Perhaps you set it to ring a reminder tone at a certain time, because you know you will have your phone with you.
- Mail – your mail is stored on the cloud, so even if you check it on your laptop, it will be available on your phone as well.
- Maps – you create a map of a trip on your home computer, but then use your phone along with a maps application to act as a GPS when you go on the road
In the case of Apple, its ecosystem is somewhat lacking comparatively to its competitors, though apparently not for long. Apple’s iCloud service is arriving soon along with the new iOS5 devices. Although a tad late to the cloud party, Apple’s strong host of hardware devices out on the market and its rabid fanbase spells competition to Google and Microsoft. A quick look at what Apple currently offers reveals the standard Calendar, Address Book, Mail and some other stuff. The iCloud is supposed to offer access to music you purchase from iTunes and give you the ability to store documents (probably from Pages etc.) The problem here is, obviously, that you have to use iTunes to buy the music in order to be able to store it on their cloud. Now, that’s alright if you use iTunes to purchase music exclusively – but what if you just went to a Broadway show, bought the OST CD and want to listen to it on your phone? Sure, you can rip it to MP3 and put it on your phone’s internal storage, but then you have less space on your phone for other stuff! Apple’s handling of its ecosystem is somewhat draconian, and I’m afraid (read: hopeful) it eventually will be their downfall.
Microsoft also has a cloud service, Windows Live. Hilariously enough, I don’t know much about it. I used it a while ago to store documents for school, but I don’t use it anymore. I know that it is possible to sync stuff you write in Word on your PC to online storage, and then open it from the web as well and edit it there. I know that Hotmail syncs with Windows Phones, as does their Xbox service. Microsoft is pretty smart though, I don’t doubt that if they are a bit behind Google, they are on their way to catching up.
Alright, so now that you hopefully know what an ecosystem is, I want to throw an opinion at you.
In this article by Miguel Helft of New York Times, we learn a bit about Apple’s culture. Disregard the fact that this article is roughly a year old and that Android has already annihilated what lead iPhone had in America over the past year (and overtook it, too). For those of you who are lazy, here are the key points the article makes:
- Android OS is available on (now) over a hundred devices from a dozen of different manufacturers.
- iOS is available on… the iPhone.
- People all over the world (article says Americans, but that’s a year old statistic) are buying up Androids like hotcakes, resulting in the platform literally surging forward ahead of competition.
- Apple has faced near extinction before due to their closed business practices before in early 1980s when Microsoft Windows did to Macs essentially what Google Android is doing to iOS.
- The mobile market is not just a clash of titans as Apple vs Microsoft was. There are other platforms on the market taking chunks out iPhone (and Android).
If you keep reading through the article, a fellow named Mitchell Kapor says: “Having a tightly controlled ecosystem, which is what Apple has, is a large short-term advantage and a large long-term disadvantage.” What he means by this is that by controlling the content within its ecosystem, such as custom apps, it creates an amazing user experience. Apple’s ecosystem is huge and clean. Let’s draw a few metaphors!
Imagine Apple’s ecosystem is a lake. This lake is somewhere up in the mountains, so the water is relatively clean. There are lots of fish in the lake and the scenery around it is beautiful. There is only one inlet into the lake and it is controlled by the state government so as to keep the lake clean and pretty. Before you can take your family to the lake, you need to pay a $15 entry fee, but the experience is guaranteed to be first-class.
Now, Google’s ecosystem is also a lake. It’s a huge lake with several islands, a near infinite amount of species of wildlife and fish, but its inlets are not controlled. The scenery is still beautiful and the lake is high up in the mountains, but there is a possibility of pollution. It charges no fee per entry, but your experience is not guaranteed to be first-class, and you may sometimes find it tough to find a picnic spot.
For comparison’s sake, Microsoft’s ecosystem is a pond. It is similar to Apple in that it is controlled, but the entry fee is only about $3. It’s also similar to Google in that its wildlife is diverse, but not as plentiful. It is however very healthy and high quality. You can catch some of the best fish in the world in that pond.
Which of these ecosystems would you most likely make your regular visit?
Lastly, in the vein of opinion, I want to link to a couple more articles and briefly talk about them. This one is a blog entry by an Adobe developer (creators of Photoshop, Premiere, etc…) in which we learn that Apple’s App Store discriminates against applications which feature technology which Apple delivers in their own products. When you think about it first, it makes sense, ya? John Nack, the author of the post, says this: “Apple refuses to carry Lightroom (Adobe) in Apple retail stores. That’s okay; Lightroom is doing just fine against Aperture (Apple). But what if the Apple store were the only store? How would Apple customers get the benefits of the competition?” Nack basically says what we already knew; Apple’s stranglehold on the App Store prevents competition from innovating on its own platform, resulting in more and more developers hopping to Apple’s competitors’ open platforms to sell their wares.
Another great article featured on Wired.com talks about Android’s beginnings and its ascent and eventual domination over the iPhone. It is a lengthy article but well worth the read if you’re interested in the shifting world of mobile devices. If anything, the last paragraph of that article is worth reading. Choose a wagon and jump on it, because eventually only one of them will make it through the Oregon Trail.
Last article I want to point your attention to, is this one. Although Apple and Google are the two behemoths in the mobile fight right now, Microsoft is not one to be underestimated. Windows 8 is coming and with it is Microsoft’s vision of the cloud. From what I’ve seen (and trust me, I’ve seen a bit more than you) it’s going to make Apple’s iCloud offering look like riding a Honda compared to a Microsoft’s Windows 8 Lexus. And then there is still Google with a Hummer.
In conclusion, regardless of what ecosystem you choose to go with, if you plan to stay in touch with the rest of the world, increase your productivity and yes, even feel better about yourself, you are in good hands whether you go with Apple, Google or Microsoft. You may not get as many features with Apple or Microsoft as you do with Google, and your experience may end up being more limited too, but if you don’t need those extra features, then both Apple and Microsoft are very strong platforms to bet on. Apple’s dirty business practices, lack of investor love and draconian App Store/Manufacturer handling will eventually end up hurting the company. Microsoft’s small, but growing market share limits the amount of apps and features its users have access to. Google’s open system, while a blessing to both investors, developers and manufacturers, has other ramifications, such as malware apps and OS instability (although Android 2.3 has been super-stable IME).
I use Android. Thanks for reading!
