Mobile Wars

The game is afoot and the stakes are certainly high. Last time a platform this big settled on a standard OS was when IBM penned a deal with a pimply boy named Bill. In a strangely zen-like symmetry this is all playing out as Bill is off buying tan suits and loafers in preparation for his impending retirement. Since then there have been numerous sub-matches going on, including some great stoushes between Google and Yahoo, Google and Microsoft, and Facebook and MySpace - but nothing up there with the potential of the Mobile OS. 

Frankly I'm suprised it's taken this long. Phones have been around for ages now, and it was obvious from a few years ago that mobile would become  a key growth channel in the newly individualised internet. All that was left was for a half decent platform to become available to render the differences between handsets merely cosmetic. 

Of course in this are the seeds of yet another Apple vs the rest of the world battle, with everyone else (well, everyone who matters) opting to release their core code for free while Apple cling to their diamond, allowing access to only a limited API. On Apple's side is the momentum they have developed through the iPod, which has turned the company from a niche vendor to a main-street darling. 

Lets face it, everyon wants an iPhone (3G of course) and playing with OS's is well below the radar of most mobile users. 

My take? We'll see a dirty game played out between Google's Android and Nokia's (well, sort of) Symbian, but the keys to the kingdom will be stolen by that Jobs guy once again. If the others don't sort themselves out quick-smart we could end up with a repeat of the MP3 player fiasco, where a diverse and competetive market gets completely wiped out by one, very hip, player...