The Walled Ecosystem

For the uninitiated to the “walled garden” metaphor, commonly used to refer to Apple’s App Store model, the idea is that a vendor creates only one channel for their service, effectively “fencing you in”. It’s not something sinister, but when Apple first floated it, the walled garden was a genuinely new paradigm. Prior to that, mobile users got their apps via any website and loaded as they pleased.

Despite some early misgivings, the App Store model has proven wildly successful. Every other vendor from Google to RIM has introduced a central channel for applications. While there are indeed third party app channels for Android, they tend to be tied to a specific device, manufacturer, or career, so the metaphor stands. Indeed, with the popularity of Cydia, Prepared and DoubleTwist we see that even iconoclastic jailbreakers, homebrewers, and rooters desire a primary source to deal with.

There is a noticeable shift now to see what else vendors can put behind that wall. Apple recently brought the App Store model to the desktop and, with the latest version of Final Cut, is aggressively positioning it as their prime distribution channel. The next version of MacOS is going to be App Store Exclusive as well. Smartphone features like handset-specific message protocols (iMessage/BBM) are another way of keeping you in the garden. Microsoft is so in love with WindowsPhone7’s Metro interface that they’re bringing it to the desktop with the next version of Windows.

Even things that feel open, like integration of third party services like Twitter and Facebook, are actually a way of making sure you stay in your provider’s “garden”. Integration of Facebook, Twitter, etc. into Android on a system level hasn’t prevented handset makers from bundling their own solutions into their skins as well (see: Motorola’s BLUR, HTC’s Footprints).

On the subject of Android skins, they’re actually another symptom. HTC’s Sense is such a full-featured skin that they’ve even made it an OS for a dumbphone. Samsung’s Touchwiz is there across carriers so you are getting the same feel no matter what. Google really doesn’t care, you see, because at the end of the day that’s just paint on the fence, and they’re still the ones with the keys. HTC, Samsung, LG Motorola, and Sony sure care:  they want you to get used to their particular  interface, so that you associate them with Android.

Some companies go further, like HP with their upcoming “touch to share” feature that lets you transfer to or from a  Pre3 or Veer to a TouchPad via physical contact. I can’t say much about actual implementation just yet, but the very concept assumes that of course you’d have both. I actually think this may be a mistake. I commented earlier about how RIM’s locking the Playbook’s e-mail app to only work in tandem with a Blackberry was considered a mistake by many and is thought to have hurt their sales.  This may show that your garden can be walled, but you want to avoid anything that smacks of barbed wire.

Indeed, we see where paradigm originator Apple has made compromises in that regard. Imagine if Apple hadn’t released iTunes for Windows. Now, iTunes is more than just a digital jukebox and is essentially the desktop manager for all iOS devices. By not expanding it to the Windows platform, Apple would be locking an entire subset of users out. Instead, wisely, they opened the gate just a bit, and that actually has led to the halo effect of more Mac sales.

Not to sound too sinister, but at the end of the day, companies want to control your eyeballs. It’s like a website that launches links in an I frame – they don’t mind if you “see other people” as long as it’s on their terms.