Central Control Versus Openness on Mobile Internet

Many real and wannabe macro-economists like to debate which economy will grow the most in the next 20-30 years:  India or China?  Singapore or Taiwan? Much of the arguments boil down to whether central control is more or less effective than entrepreneurial and organic growth.

Now we can bring that debate to the mobile internet.  Apple represents controlled and centralized growth with the iPhone, even keeping a lid on who gets access to the SDK and managing the distribution of new applications via iTunes.  Google seems to be taking the opposite approach with the Android platform.  They have just announced the 50 winners of development seed capital, which according to Eric Zeman at InformationWeek, cover a broad range of location-based services, security, safety, social networking, and media applications.

Over the next few years we will be able to watch to see which approach works better.  There is room in the market for both to work, but for different audiences.  My guess is:

• Apple, by controlling the technology environment, will be more expensive but able to assure a more reliable platform that will appeal to the affluent masses;


• Google, along with other Android players, will offer a broader range of applications, customization, and lower prices, but at a cost of platform hiccups and a greater need for do-it-yourself fixes, which will appeal to techies and new entrants.

Hmmm.  Sounds like Mac versus PC?