

The Apple paradox -- how a fanatically secretive company fosters open innovation - waderoush
http://www.xconomy.com/national/2010/01/25/the-apple-paradox-how-a-company-thats-so-closed-can-foster-so-much-open-innovation/

======
dgreensp
The author bungles the significance of the iPhone app platform, which is an
obvious example of device lock-down and control, not any kind of departure in
the direction of openness. And obviously Apple planned their Tablet in their
usual secretive, top-down method of hardware design.

There are different issues here, for example company culture as far as
internal and external transparency, which is very low at Apple and very high
at (say) Google. Then there's Jobs's intense control of product design, which
I'm sure is only to the good. Then there's being controlling of users of
developers through DRM and the app store (as the only distribution channel for
iPhone apps) -- I'm not sure where they're going with that (hardware support
for DRM? more closed development platforms?) and I'm not sure I like it.

------
rythie
His points about Android seem random at the end.

What does he think Google should have based the OS on? Windows, where
Microsoft won't let you change the interface? OSX which isn't available for
non-Apple hardware? Symbian which has tons of problems? Palm OS (you'd have to
buy them first)? Write an OS from scratch (which would take years + billions
of dollars).

Android is based on Linux because it's the only sensible choice, the fact that
Richard Stallman has some funny netbook this week has nothing to do with it.

------
GHFigs
I couldn't read your article due to the enormous banner floating over it
telling me that my opinion matters.

------
diN0bot
i understand apple is secretive to external parties. i couldn't quite figure
out how secretive they are internally, and how that effects innovation for
employees.

------
lurkinggrue
At least the trains run on time with Apple in charge.

------
gcb
answer is simple. it doesn't.

