I think this is true as far as iOS goes--and it is more likely that Apple will open up the iPhone to third parties than that Google Now and so on will start wor

I think this is true as far as iOS goes--and it is more likely that Apple will open up the iPhone to third parties than that Google Now and so on will start working with third parties. My concern is more with how so many very tech-savvy people, usually so skeptical of companies that get a little too ambitious--are extolling the virtues of a system that requires your email, search, maps, and nearly everything else be sourced from a single provider. More on point, even if iOS allows for changing default apps, it should keep system-wide settings as far as possible. For example, the drop-down email sheet that apps can use will probably have to stay Apple, even if you're using Gmail for your mail, at least until there's a more robust contracts-like system. But right now this would mean having to input your email credentials into both system settings, and the gmail app separately.