Former Apple executive and Be-OS founder Jean-Louis Gassée recently opined that the OS doesn’t matter any more. Gassée argued that the operating system is less about underlying structure and more about the user experience and development tools. In other words, what we once described as an operating system is now really more of a platform.
Gassée’s theory extends to all areas of computing, but where we think he really hits the mark is in the area of mobile devices. As mobile development and adoption continue to surge and the capabilities of these devices grow as their component prices fall, the platform becomes the piece that drives innovation, adoption and use further.
Take a look through my list of five mobile platforms that changed the mobile industry in the past year.