26 October 2007

Apple, MySpace and Nokia reverse years of tradition with 'open season' for new product development. The doors were opened today by the world's leading technology companies in the race to offer services via the 'Internet of the future'.

Apple, MySpace, and Nokia, three of the largest technology firms offering Internet or Internet-related services, have announced they would allow other companies to provide products which would work on their web platforms.

The 'open door' policy will mean that the brands will no longer need to generate their own exclusive applications.

The decision by three giants to 'open up their platforms', meaning that other companies can provide services on various brands operating platforms signals a shift in thinking away from the so-called 'walled garden' approach. Until now devices and content were not compatible and this move forward will is set to encourage a more collaborative environment, where significant amounts of information is shared.

However, this announcement has sparked several concerns towards the laws of the Internet and again pointed out how far they lag behind in technology.

In a flurry of announcements at the world's largest Internet conference, in San Francisco:

  • Nokia released its latest smart phone the N810 and said that developers would be allowed to write applications for it, which owners of the devices would be able to install via Ovi, the company's Internet services platform;
  • MySpace announced that "within months" is would enable any developer to write applications for its website, following a decision taken by Facebook, the rival social networking site, in May;
  • Separately, Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, stated that next year his company would do a similar thing for the iPhone, saying he wanted to create "a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone, enabling hundreds of new applications for our users."

'The open platform' is fast becoming the next big phase Future Internet development, and companies who manufacturer mobile handset requiring web-based service applications are quickly signing on.

In the past, companies such as Apple and Nokia have guarded their 'platforms' fiercely, preferring to create everything internally, but as people increasingly access a range of services via the web - social networking sites, Internet telephony, and music downloads, for instance they are demanding to access them on any site or device they choose.


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