A platform wins because of bandwagon effect. This is why Windows won on the desktop, Facebook won and now Android has won. Releasing an open system at the right

A platform wins because of bandwagon effect. This is why Windows won on the desktop, Facebook won and now Android has won. Releasing an open system at the right time (as Google did) can cause major bandwagon effect, but is a contributing factor and not a true necessity. I think if Google sold Android like Microsoft does Windows it still would have won (albeit somewhat more slowly). Apple always limits its bandwagon effect by limiting the availability of its platform to a rather small collection of devices. There's simply much more, and much cheaper choice of Android devices than there is with iOS. That defines what platforms wins, not the source code license or the details of their application policy.