Choose the Ecosystem, not the product

In 2015, it isn’t about the technology product anymore but the services provided that you’re buying into.

My current tablet of choice is an 8 inch Windows 8.1 tablet.  Windows is a much maligned operating system on a tablet.  And for the first few months I hated it. As Microsoft were late to the mobile party, they tried to mitigate their lack of apps by offering Metro plus the legacy desktop mode.  This would enable users to use their old applications on the new touch operating system.  Which has a certain logic to it but fails because when applications aren’t designed for touch, they are horrible.  Trying using the desktop version of Internet Explorer or Chrome is just a bad bad thing.  And that was my first experience with a Windows tablet.

 
I lived in GMail and Android and tried to bring that with me to Windows.  It failed miserably.  Google Hangouts doesn’t work.  Chrome on a touch device is rubbish.  It’s not just me though.  My Apple fanboy friend tried to change his iPhone for a Nexus.  In his Apple ecosystem he could listen to a podcast on his way home from work then pick up where he left off on his iPad or Macbook.  With the Nexus right in the middle of all the Apple gear, that workflow was broken and he quickly went back to an all Apple environment.   Other examples can be seen as the iWatch isn’t compatible with a Nexus, a Moto 360 won’t work on an iPhone, and nothing works on a Lumia ( 🙂 )

So the point is that when you’re choosing a new phone (or fancy device in general), it’s not the device you’re buying into but the overall ecosystem.  For the device to work as promised, you can’t just dip your toe in the water – you need to choose the ecosystem you want to live in.