Here comes the apperating system

Apple has iOS. Google has their Android platform. While these two operating systems rule the mobile device world, there is something coming down the pipeline that could the balance. Apperating Systems for mobile devices.

The iOS system, while not as lucrative as the iPhone itself, still yields a significant amount of revenue for Apple. Google fairs well also as their app store and advertising revenue continues to grow. Apps on the other hand, are actually poor investments. According to a recent survey by tech site GigaOm, the average app developer only takes in $45,000 per year.  Now, something new is happening. Operating systems and apps are essentially being combined to give the mobile device user and interface that combines the two. Facebook’s Home is a great example. Dropbox and Amazon have also joined the fray. The result: an apperating system.

Apperating systems like Facebook’s Home is an app that runs on top of the Android operating system. A constant stream of Facebook updates appears on the lock screen and instant messaging occurs while you are interfacing with other apps in a seamless progression of never-ending Facebook programming. What this does for Facebook is keep them front and center while pushing Google based content in the background. Think Google cares? Ask the software teams who run Google+.

Dropbox is another great example. Apple’s iOS system is not as open as Android and sharing data across multiple devices can be cumbersome. Enter the Dropbox apperating system. It allows you to sync data across multiple devices or apps. What does this mean? I could have started writing this post on my laptop, added to it while sitting in the airline terminal on my iPhone, and then finish and edit the post on the plane on my iPad without missing a beat. In other words, it speeds up your interaction with multiple files and multiple devices.

Where the apperating system will head is questionable. Typically Apple and Android are quick to adopt any kind of technology that threatens their business model. I could picture iOS relegating Dropbox to nothingness in the future and Android could push the Facebook Home app into the background as well. For now, these two examples are giving the big boys a run for their money.

Source: Wired. July 2013. Stealing Home. The Rise of the Apperating System. Pg 25-30