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We Need to Break the Mobile Duopoly

a16z.com

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Re: We Need to Break the Mobile Duopoly

#91

Post by amirmc »

morenoh149 wrote: post #71
amirmc wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not the way the current evidence is pointing. People do like apps and so far the pendulum doesn't seem to be swinging back to the web. See slides 11 & 30 at http://a16z.com/2014/10/28/mobile-is-eating-the-world/

it's more nuanced than that. The web is now also reponsive websites. I'm bullish on mobile mostly due to that very presentation. I'm counting the web under mobile.

The graph on slide 11 is pretty clear that the trend is for more time being spent in mobile apps than on the web. Unless you want to take issue with the data, there isn't much nuance there.

To whoever downvoted my earlier comment (if it wasn't the parent), please explain why. I don't have a strong opinion on app vs web so I'm keen to see data.

Re: We Need to Break the Mobile Duopoly

#92

Post by asyncwords »

throwawaymsft wrote: post #30
franciscop wrote: post #18

> "For OEMs/handset makers, choice means the ability to do more with software" Please no, this would only yield to more bloatware. The move of Google is smart, moving the OS away from OEMs. [Most] manufacturers have demonstrated again and again that they cannot be trusted with software, since they only care about profit and putting more and more useless apps into the OS. We might need more mobile OS, but not for this…

Yep. The thesis of this essay is that choice is unequivocally good for users, handset makers, everyone. Experience doesn't play that out. The experience of a curated, pruned garden vs. a wild west scammy bazaar isn't a good one for users. Here's what happens when you search facebook on Windows Store: http://imgur.com/QDHcpG0 Choice is great! You can "choose" to install a scam app or the official one. Incompetent OEMs…

Your screenshot is out of date. Here's what actually happens when you search Facebook on Windows Store:

http://i.imgur.com/crP7LDd.png

Re: We Need to Break the Mobile Duopoly

#93

Post by squeaky-clean »

jankeromnes wrote: post #68

Call me biased, but Firefox OS makes the web run on 25$ smartphones, is fully open and customizable because it's the web, has the biggest "app store" of the world because it runs any web app, is totally royalty-free (just like the other Mozilla projects), and is already being shipped on lots of devices all around the globe. How's that for an open, unlocked and innovation-friendly alternative?

Is there anywhere to buy a $25 Firefox phone? I'd like to get one to try developing on, but can't find any info about purchasing any Firefox phone in the USA.

Re: We Need to Break the Mobile Duopoly

#94

Post by dublinben »

aceperry wrote: post #56
nateguchi wrote: post #7

It's a shame Blackberry's new OS didn't take off...

Really. I liked the hardware and BB10 very much. They had lots of unique and innovative features which would've made Blackberrys a viable 3rd OS.

The Blackberry Classic would have been an excellent phone five years ago. Unfortunately, they've been playing catch up to Apple and Android OEMs for almost a decade.

Re: We Need to Break the Mobile Duopoly

#95

Post by bcoughlan »

amirmc wrote: post #61

He's asking for innovation in the wrong place. The OP conveniently ignores all the other mobile OSs out there such as Windows, Firefox, Ubuntu and also people like Fairphone. It's pretty lazy to just claim we need more, when what he really wants is one more (open) winner . I say that he's looking in the wrong place because to "democratize the mobile operating system" is to ignore a critical part of what makes mobile…

Are you talking about having a thin client that talks to a private cloud instead of each client's data residing on the vendor's server? One of the hurdles is that the server side of apps require more than reading and writing files. Full text search, recommender/ml jobs etc. Apps don't just need file systems, they need CPUs.

If an app could be installed on a server and sandboxed (so for example multiple apps could share an ElasticSearch instance without being aware of each other) this would be a big step forward.

Re: We Need to Break the Mobile Duopoly

#97

Post by rokhayakebe »

amirmc wrote: post #63
asdkl234890 wrote: post #45

The web is your 3rd mobile OS. Sure the developing world still needs very cheap phones, and they require software close to the hardware. But in the developed world phones and tables get closer to a full PC every day. They basically are tiny PCs. And exactly how the web made Windows and OSX, and Linux less interesting, so it will make the mobile OSs less interesting. Because even if you can't get close to the hardware…

That's not the way the current evidence is pointing. People do like apps and so far the pendulum doesn't seem to be swinging back to the web. See slides 11 & 30 at http://a16z.com/2014/10/28/mobile-is-eating-the-world/

People do like apps

I do not agree entirely.

Do you people like apps? Or do people like these bookmarks* to things they can get to easily? May even be a web app for all they care, can they just click and get to it.

Re: We Need to Break the Mobile Duopoly

#98

Post by knd775 »

jarcane wrote: post #16
msturgill wrote: post #4

Windows Phone is not that bad. Google has done a good job trying to starve WP users of their services, but I think we can all survive without Hangouts (Telegram, etc) and Google Voice (who cares anymore) at this point.

WinPhone8.x is a fantastic mobile OS. The interface is great. I've dealt with some bugs since switching to the developer preview, but that's to be expected, and my experience running production code was always rock solid. But the app situation is abominable, and getting worse. The Xbox program seems to have been all but abandoned. Microsoft seems to have largely given up even monitoring the app store; half the top/ne…

It should get better after Windows 10 comes out. First party applications, including xbox, are getting revamped and third party apps should be even easier to make. Hopefully it will turn out that way.

Re: We Need to Break the Mobile Duopoly

#99

Post by reiichiroh »

msturgill wrote: post #4

Windows Phone is not that bad. Google has done a good job trying to starve WP users of their services, but I think we can all survive without Hangouts (Telegram, etc) and Google Voice (who cares anymore) at this point.

I have a Lumia 830 and Windows Phone has some unconventional NFC implementation so it won't (ever?) work with the YubiKey.

Apple can get away with this, but Windows Phone certainly can't.

Re: We Need to Break the Mobile Duopoly

#100

Post by bonn1 »

jankeromnes wrote: post #68

Call me biased, but Firefox OS makes the web run on 25$ smartphones, is fully open and customizable because it's the web, has the biggest "app store" of the world because it runs any web app, is totally royalty-free (just like the other Mozilla projects), and is already being shipped on lots of devices all around the globe. How's that for an open, unlocked and innovation-friendly alternative?

> 25$ smartphones

Where do I get a 25$ Firfox smartphone?

> has the biggest "app store" of the world because it runs any web app

How many web apps are ready to run offline, e.g. in the subway?

> is totally royalty-free

yes of course and not any patents from Apple, Google, Lenovo/Motorola will be used

> is already being shipped on lots of devices all around the globe

again where?

I like the Firefox very very much but we need someone with money and power to push and even then I doubt that it will be a succes, just look at Microsoft, they have an excellent product but they can't get a foot into the door and again on Firefox OS you need dedicated apps too even if they are web apps.

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