tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post6848692363267558427..comments2024-03-25T21:41:06.801-07:00Comments on Mobile Opportunity: Why is Apple porting its browser to Windows? To take over the world, of course.Michael Macehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-13184531829044250702007-07-15T12:52:00.000-07:002007-07-15T12:52:00.000-07:00Thanks for the comment, anonymous.I'm fascinated b...Thanks for the comment, anonymous.<BR/><BR/>I'm fascinated by the diversity of the responses to this post. Some folks are saying, "no, there's no big master plan here, it's just a tactical move to support the iPhone." Others are saying, "Yeah, it's a strategic move to set a programming standard on the web, but that's not news."<BR/><BR/>Wow. It's interesting that we can look at the same information and reach such different conclusions.<BR/><BR/>Anonymous, in response to your question, I'm not saying that Apple is trying to create something exactly like Java. But the spirit is similar.<BR/><BR/>My basic view, which I've explained in other posts, is that the center of innovation in applications development is moving from the PC to the Web. The big innovation is happening now in Web 2.0 apps that run through the browser rather than native apps that run on the desktop OS.<BR/><BR/>A lot of companies in Silicon Valley are still in denial about this, especially the ones that have big applications franchises built on old-style program development. They look at web apps and say, "they're not as powerful or fast as our applications." That's what you hear all the time from Microsoft about online competitors to Office, for example.<BR/><BR/>But if you look at the rate of innovation of web apps and compare that to the rate of innovation of the Web 2 crowd, I think it's clear that the Web 2 folks will be ahead in the future. The only hard part is picking which year the crossover will occur in.<BR/><BR/>This shift in power has a huge effect on the companies that make operating systems. The Windows monopoly is built mostly on the fact that you have to buy Windows in order to run Windows apps. Same thing, frankly, for Macintosh.<BR/><BR/>If in the future we're in a situation where the apps can run on any device via the browser, the traditional OS companies lose most of their power. This cuts the heart out of Microsoft -- and it does something similar to Apple as well.<BR/><BR/>I think Apple's action is an example of a company that depends on the OS-centric model trying to prepare itself for the Web-centric world. The other competitors working this issue include:<BR/><BR/>--Microsoft Silverlight<BR/>--Adobe Apollo (or whatever they call it these days)<BR/>--What Sun is trying to do with Java<BR/>--Firefox 3's offline apps support<BR/>--Maybe Google Gears (although it's pretty rudimentary at the moment)<BR/>--And now maybe Apple with Safari<BR/><BR/>Will we end up with one Web OS standard? Several? What will that do to the existing large players? What will it do to small developers? Every tech company is going to be heavily affected by the outcome. I think this is shaping up to be the most important competitive battle in the tech industry in this decade, and it'll do a lot to determine what computing looks like through 2020 -- just as the Windows vs. Mac battle in the 1980s shaped computing in the 1990s and beyond.<BR/><BR/>Given the importance of this battle, it hasn't gotten nearly the amount of coverage it should have in the business and mainstream media. I know it may be old hat to some of you reading this note, but I can tell you it's still very new news to a lot of the people I consult with, both inside and outside the tech industry.Michael Macehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-17196051532013923362007-07-14T01:44:00.000-07:002007-07-14T01:44:00.000-07:00Are you suggesting Apple will develop a sort of in...Are you suggesting Apple will develop a sort of interpretative platform like "Java"? If so, web apps can run on any "platform", as java code does. <BR/><BR/>Honestly, if this is the plan I don't see anything revolutionary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-45882168850011477392007-07-09T22:14:00.000-07:002007-07-09T22:14:00.000-07:00Ahhh, now that's more like the sort of comment I w...Ahhh, now that's more like the sort of comment I was expecting. You may be right, Avi, but my take is that the expense involved in porting the browser is too great for that to be the only motivation.Michael Macehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-4431679002085431412007-07-06T16:02:00.000-07:002007-07-06T16:02:00.000-07:00Wow, that's certainly interesting and assumes ther...Wow, that's certainly interesting and assumes there's a big, long term strategy at play here. You may be right, but my notion is much simpler: Apple did it to sell iPhones. There are three things Apple claims the iPhone does better than any other mobile device: make phone calls, play music, and surf the web. iTunes on the PC drove sales of the iPod, so it stands to reason that if you can get Windows users to come to depend on Safari, they'll want the mobile version of that, too. Why else would they launch it in the middle of the iPhone countdown sequence?<BR/><BR/>-aviAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-85021448731355984382007-07-05T22:59:00.000-07:002007-07-05T22:59:00.000-07:00php programmers wrote:>>It is good to have choices...<B>php programmers wrote:</B><BR/><BR/><I>>>It is good to have choices but earlier we had to code for IE and firefox now it is going to be for safari too !</I><BR/><BR/>Yeah, I'm worried that we're going to end up with a series of incompatible web software layers. That would be a big pain in the neck for developers. Just getting my blog template to (mostly) work on both Firefox and IE was hard enough, and that's baby stuff compared to writing a web app.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, I strongly believe the Windows monopoly stifled innovation. So maybe it's time to weight things more toward diversity.<BR/><BR/><BR/><B>Doug wrote:</B><BR/><BR/><I>>>I don't think Google has any great desire to be in the mobile device software business</I><BR/><BR/>Then help me understand why they bought Android.<BR/><BR/><BR/><I>>>I have been using the service for the past few months</I><BR/><BR/>Ahhh, okay. You're ahead of me then.<BR/><BR/><BR/><I>>>I find that it makes my various phones truly interchangeable devices that I pick up based on my plans for the day. If I just want to make sure I have voice service I pick the smallest, most convenient pocket sized device. If I want data service I pick up the one with the best and biggest screen (soon to be an iPhone, I hope :).</I><BR/><BR/>Cool. I'm not sure how many people want to have several phones, although in Europe it's not uncommon. Anyway, that's an interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing it.<BR/><BR/><BR/><B>Anonymous wrote:</B><BR/><BR/><I>>>this one is a big DUUUHHHH!! Come on, none of this is revolutionary. We've known this was coming for sometime now.</I><BR/><BR/>Okay, thanks for the feedback, and actually I'm kind of relieved to hear you say that. I had been worried that people were going to tell me I was reading too much into Apple's announcement.<BR/><BR/>Or maybe Apple has just brainwashed all of us into believing that everything they do is driven by a devious master plan.Michael Macehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-63557872720044835122007-07-05T09:15:00.000-07:002007-07-05T09:15:00.000-07:00Ok, I like most of your articles, but this one is ...Ok, I like most of your articles, but this one is a big DUUUHHHH!!<BR/>Come on, none of this is revolutionary. We've known this was coming for sometime now.<BR/>Also we've always known it would take a big player such as Apple or MS to REALLy get the ball rolling on this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-33197640667588088672007-07-05T08:09:00.000-07:002007-07-05T08:09:00.000-07:00Interesting perspective on Apple. I disagree, howe...Interesting perspective on Apple. I disagree, however, with your Google/Grand Central comment. I don't think Google has any great desire to be in the mobile device software business (although they will be since they like to spend lots of money - which they have :) - and have a large team doing so now). They do, however, want to be your 'home base' on all devices that attach to the net, since that's the starting point for their real business of advertising. The significance of owning GC is the phone number. Think about the way people attach their identity to their phone number (remember the battle to give the consumer ownership of their number for switching a few years back?). With GC, you have taken the next logical step in owning your own number, completely independent of the carrier. <BR/><BR/>I have been using the service for the past few months and while it definitely has a lot of room for improvement, I find that it makes my various phones truly interchangeable devices that I pick up based on my plans for the day. If I just want to make sure I have voice service I pick the smallest, most convenient pocket sized device. If I want data service I pick up the one with the best and biggest screen (soon to be an iPhone, I hope :). <BR/><BR/>By owning GC, the g-boys become my home base for all my mobile activity. This is the real key to the acquisition (IMHO).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-82940140754121738592007-07-05T01:25:00.000-07:002007-07-05T01:25:00.000-07:00I totally agree with your point of view. More over...I totally agree with your point of view. More over what I believe supports your assumption is the .mac thing Apple has been patiently supporting for years now and their iLife family of products that all end up with a way or another on the Internet with a .mac accountA. Tawakkolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12653906537522905415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-77479062073641601322007-07-05T00:50:00.000-07:002007-07-05T00:50:00.000-07:00It is good to have choices but earlier we had to c...It is good to have choices but earlier we had to code for IE and firefox now it is going to be for safari too !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com