Recently, in a jocular back and forth between Matthew Mller (ZDNet), myself and Chad Garrett of TiPB, Chad suggested that we're enjoying just old ports of iPhone games and therefore nothing special when it comes to things like Assassin's Creed.
But after reading John Gruber's excellent article on Where Are the Android Killer Apps? I realized that Microsoft has done something that Google/Android have not: taken away Apple's exclusivity on various games and killer apps. Sure, we don't have nearly as many and are still lacking some big ones, but isn't that just a matter of time? Here's Gruber's quote on the matter which sums it up perfectly:
A final thought, regarding Android’s relative weakness as a software platform. iOS’s exclusivity for a bunch of big-name mobile games — Need for Speed Undercover, Star Wars: Battle for Hoth, Monopoly, Tetris, The Sims, Assassin’s Creed — has been broken. Not by Android, where none of these games exist, but by Windows Phone 7, a one-month-old platform.
That really is huge. Why, despite how popular Android is, have they failed to get many big titles? Why no killer, exclusive apps, except the closely held "Google experience" ones (e.g. Gmail, Google Talk)? We already know about why there's no Netflix (poor security, fragmentation).
Of course we know the answer: Microsoft puts a lot of emphasis on courting developers, even throwing money at them to cover the cost of development. Sure it's brash, perhaps uncouth but it works. Remember, this about the ends (consumer experience) not so much the means (save it for you business ethics class). Fact is, at this pace, Microsoft and Windows Phone 7 will have more quality big-name offerings than Android, who's big sellers instead tend to be ones that modify or fix the OS.
Sounds a lot like our old Windows Mobile, aka the past.
So yes, Apple, we'll take your ports and exclusives and any apps that make your platform "unique"--you'll loose that and a reason for people to choose your product over Windows Phone 7.
The Dell XPS 15 is our choice for best 15-inch laptop
For a lot of people, a 15-inch laptop is a perfect size that offers enough screen for multitasking, and in a lot of cases, some extra performance from powerful hardware. We've rounded up the best of the best at this size.
Halo: MCC's live service elements make it better, not worse
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is more popular than ever, but some fans don't agree with the live service approach 343 Industries has taken with it. Here's why those elements are, at the end of the day, great for the game and for Halo overall.
Microsoft's Surface Duo is not 'failing up'
Microsoft announced this week that it was expanding Surface Duo availability to nine new commercial markets. While Surface Duo is undoubtedly a work in progress, this is not a sign of a disaster. It's also doesn't mean that Surface Duo is selling a ton either. Instead, the reason for the expansion is a lot more straightforward.
The best pre-built desktop gaming PCs for playing Valheim
We've rounded up some of the best pre-built gaming desktop PCs you can buy for playing Valheim. Because it's not a demanding PC game, you don't need to go all-out with crazy specifications and can bag a solid deal if you're on a tighter budget.