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I think it's kinda like Google working with Android as an open source project. Google makes money on Android primarily by using Android as a means of delivering
by pythonaut_16 8y ago
I think it's kinda like Google working with Android as an open source project. Google makes money on Android primarily by using Android as a means of delivering the Google ecosystem. They don't care that it's open source because they don't make money by selling it.
Apple could do the same thing with maps. Support a robust open mapping initiative to make sure their primary business (selling iPhones and other devices) has a solid platform for emerging technologies like AR. Making sure they have a solid maps offering supports the Apple (aka iPhone) ecosystem.
Also similarly to Google, they can still push plenty of proprietary things on top of the open parts of the initiative.
- borgel 8y agoPlus it seems like this would weaken Google's partial stranglehold on the market is a side effect.
- oblio 8y agoCommoditize your complement.
- mikejarema 8y agoI like that line, is it yours or does it have some further history/examples behind it?
- mkl 8y agoIt's been around for a while. Here it is talked about by Joel Spolsky in 2002: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2002/06/12/strategy-letter-v/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2002/06/12/strategy-letter-v/ Gwern's article about it was recently discussed here on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047348 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047348
- gxs 8y agoThis is a great idea. I hope someone at Apple is reading. Makes perfect sense, they don't need to make money on it, just an alternative to google.