I think you're overstating the "robustness" of the competition. Finding and installing apps off the internet was and is a nightmare for people that aren't comfo

I think you're overstating the "robustness" of the competition. Finding and installing apps off the internet was and is a nightmare for people that aren't comfortable with technology. To say that it was wide open and robust and that customers reaped the benefits ignores the monopolies that companies like Microsoft and IBM had and the spread of messes like the IE toolbar disasters and the proliferation of anti-virus software that only takes advantage of the ignorance of users. There are benefits to that system but, for most people, the negatives far outweighed the positives.