For Google, the problem with being a free, abundant, and rather infinite set of services is that it’s hard to create much of a stir about anything. There are so many major software service options under the ‘more’ menu on the Gmail page that they’ve had to go and add a final item called ‘even more.’ Douglas Rushkoff Read Quote
Apple enjoys ‘Harry Potter’-like adoration and queues because it sells physical objects, limited by the pace of assembly lines in China. To own is to have, to have is to hold, and to hold is to show off. Douglas Rushkoff Read Quote
Google is in a position where it doesn’t even have to strive to become a hip, conscious choice. Brands are temporary fads. Functionality is forever. Google just has to ‘be,’ and everyone will end up there sooner or later. Douglas Rushkoff Read Quote
The new Zune may not be an iPod killer, but it does offer a clean interface, great industrial design, HD radio, and a subscription model for music, making it significantly less expensive for big users. Douglas Rushkoff Read Quote
Microsoft’s new OS, Windows 7, may finally be a worthy successor to XP, eliminating the clutter of Vista and letting users get to what they want to use without the fuss. All this, while remaining compatible with their IT departments’ demands for scalability and custom implementations. Douglas Rushkoff Read Quote
Files on iTunes – and thus iPods – are incompatible with everything else. Applications on iPhones may only be sold and uploaded through the iPhone store – giving Apple control over everything people put on to the devices they thought they owned. Douglas Rushkoff Read Quote
The reason why Apple computers have worked so well over time is that, unlike Microsoft, they don’t bend over backward to be compatible with every piece of hardware or software in the digital universe. To code or create for Apple, you follow Apple’s rules. If you’re even allowed to. Douglas Rushkoff Read Quote
One argument against open systems is that they become open to everything, good and bad. Like a Richard Meier skyscraper, the anal retentive, Bauhaus elegance of the Mac does prevent the loose ends and confusion of a less sterile environment. But it also prevents fertility. Apple’s development must come from within. Douglas Rushkoff Read Quote
What makes a great standalone piece of hardware is not the same thing as what makes a great networking device. One can work as an essentially closed system. The other is absolutely dependent on its openness. Douglas Rushkoff Read Quote
In spite of my own reservations about Bing’s ability to convert Google users, I have to admit that the search engine does offer a genuine alternative to Google-style browsing, a more coherently organized selection of links, and a more advertiser-friendly environment through which to sell space and links. Douglas Rushkoff Read Quote
