Recently, Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak made ripples in the news due to his opinion that Apple should look into making an Android device. While many agreed with him, many also derided him for stating his opinion. Personally, I fall somewhere in the middle on this. In my opinion, all Apple needs to do is create a "Boot Camp" app for iOS and let third parties (such as Cyanogen Inc.) handle the rest.
Before some of you pick up your pitchforks and torches, Apples current success is the result of loosening their grip on many of their restrictive policies over the years. I'll give some examples:
Apple releases iPod and iTunes to Windows (eventually switches to USB instead of just firewire): Massive success for Apple.
Apple drops mandatory DRM on AAC files: Massive success for Apple.
Apple switches from PPC to Intel chips: Massive success for Apple.
Apple adds Boot Camp for Dual Booting with Windows on Apple Hardware: Massive success for Apple.
Apple allows apps to run directly off hardware instead of web apps through the browser: Massive success for Apple.
These are all pivotal moments in the success of Apple inc. over the last decade or so. In each case involved, Apple's market share and profits increased substantially. Why not continue the trend and keep the momentum going rather than simply re-skinning iOS?
Therefore, my suggestions to Apple in regards to iOS devices would be the following:
Introduce a "Boot Camp" app for iOS that allows for third parties to run their own OS on Apple hardware.
Allow people to choose their default apps. If Apple truly believes that its own first party apps are so superior to everything else out there, then what are they afraid of?
Add a file system manager. Seriously, people have a 64-bit portable computer in their pocket without a download manager in 2014. That's just ridiculous. Restrict permissions so that Operating system files are hidden and can't be erased.
OSX popularized widgets and iOS is based of OSX. It would be great if Apple found a way to add a widget layer similar to OSX, espeically on the iPads.
All of these should benefit both old Apple fans and many that are on the fence. The faithful would lose nothing (while actually gaining usability) while those on the fence might be willing to make the jump similar to how many Windows fans switched once Apple provided a path for them. With the switch, many people were introduced to OSX and actually liked it. Call it Apple's trojan horse.
So what is Apple afraid of? In most instances, loosening their grip has only resulted in massive success for them. Why not go for it?
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