Consumers seem content with the mobile duopoly we currently have. So what can be gained from a third mobile operating system?
If it’s an open computing platform, argues Cyanogen CEO and co-founder Kirt McMaster (in discussion with a16z’s Zal Bilimoria), one big win for developers and device makers is access to the guts of an operating system — and the opportunity to exist as core services rather than simple apps riding on top of an OS. For consumers this means potentially new and unique software for smartphones, tablets, and wearables that take advantage of that tight integration. Because how else could the next Siri or Gmail take hold on mobile phones … without necessarily coming from the likes of Apple and Google?
