Android Is Far More Significant Than The iPhone and Blackberry



Image representing Android as depicted in Crun... Image via CrunchBase



A recent article in the Harvard Business Review outlined the notion of shaping strategies[i] as, "an effort to broadly redefine the terms of competition for a market sector through a positive, galvanizing message that promises benefits to all who adopt the new terms".

In recent times we have seen many shaping strategies by various players in the digital space-some strategies are partial shaping strategies and others more complete shaping strategies. The notion of the shaping strategy is especially relevant in conversations surrounding recent progressions in the mobile sector. Some may consider the iPhone a shaping strategy-or an attempt to reshape an entire market sector.  While the launch of the iPhone certainly helped redesign the mobile space-Apple's attempt at reshaping the terms of competition falls short in comparison to those of Google.

HBR outlines three interrelated elements of a shaping strategy;

  • A shaping view

    • Helps focus participants



  • A shaping platform

    • Provides leverage to reduce investment and effort for participants



  • Shaping acts and assets

    • Persuades participants that the shaper is serious and can pull of the shaping initiative




While Apple has seemingly lived up to all three of these pillars, various actions (including active policing of the app store and draconian rules to govern it, as well as carrier exclusivity) have some in the tech industry questioning whether the computer giant will actually be able to maintain its stronghold in the mobile computing space.

The key differentiator between the two platforms lies in the difference in how the companies are approaching the second tenet of a shaping strategy. HBR breaks out a shaping platform into two forms of leverage; development leverage and interaction leverage. Interaction leverage reduces cost for a "vast array of participants to coordinate their activities". Apple has only mobilized application developers to participate in their platform-Google has mobilized a whole industry.

The bottom line is as follows:

  • Google will benefit from general widespread adoption of mobile computing-regardless of carrier or handset

    • Google will continue to monetize content no matter where it is consumed-this model is scalable



  • Apple will only benefit from adoption of mobile computing if consumers are using an iPhone

    • This is the same predicament Apple got itself into in the early days of the PC




My prediction is that Android will be more pervasive than the iPhone in 2 years. You can take me to the bank on that.

[i] Hagel, Brown and Davison.  "Shaping Strategy in a World Of Constant Disruption". Harvard Business Review October 2008: 81-89


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