Falling within the purview of "good ideas, bad execution", here's an interesting article that tries to take an overview of what makes a platform fail, when it comes to mobile devices. And there have been a lot of failed platforms...The MD of VisionMobile, Andreas Constantinou, enumerates the more than 25 platforms that could be classed as failed, from Meego and Aria (?) to UIQ and Prism...
He begins:
2011 turned out to be open hunting season for mobile platforms, with the MeeGo, webOS and LiMo projects coming to an end.
It is worth checking out the table - The Dead Platform Graveyard - a definitive looking summary.MeeGo, webOS and LiMo, together with Windows Mobile and Symbian are just the tip of the dead OS iceberg. The last 10 years have seen numerous companies launch operating systems or platforms for mobile devices, most of which have been fallen under the media radar. The table below lists all known mobile platforms that have died or are a 'zombie' (semi-dead) state - that's all 26 of them, from Access Linux Platform to Windows Mobile.
The platforms failed for a combination of reasons such as cost of ownership, conflicting revenue models, lack of network effects, and high adoption barriers...
For example, discussing each of these factors in turn, when it comes to "network effects, he says:
But enough of failure. What is the success factor of modern platforms?It was Apple that proved how network effects - the positive feedback loop between app developers and users - can lead to enormous demand-side economies of scale. It was the power of well-oiled network effects that made Nokia realize that "it had to go to developers" (and not wait for developers to go to Nokia) before eventually losing the Symbian battle against Android and iOS.
Read the full blog post >>Firstly, Andreas software DNA, that is a company with resources, processes and values routed in the PC or Internet world where developers, not OEMs are the platform's primary customer. Secondly, a successful platform vendor needs to have large pockets due to the billions of dollars in investment needed to build a stable and advanced software foundation, while attracting developers to the platform. Note that the bubble size in the chart shows last relative size of 4 quarters of vendor revenues.
