For the longest time I was all about Choice. Give users flexibility, power, choice I'd say. Open ecosystems create opportunities for innovation I'd say.
I've recently changed my mind. At least when it comes to the first few stages of creating a new product/company/opportunity.
It seems that the number of people with any taste and tenacity is quite small and the opportunity (especially when you're just getting started) is not about consumer choice but about product choices. Creating great Product is all about making hard, opinionated choices based on best practices, intentionality and specific use-cases/markets in mind. The choices need to be on the design side so that the consumption side (the consumer buying your stuff) does not have to think.
I bring all this up to say this.
The Android and Windows device marketplaces are still missing the point.
It seems that every device manufacturer (with a couple of notable exceptions) is committed to creating as many phones as they can in a range of colors, sizes, variations and price points.
This one has a big lens on the back. This one has a crazy massive screen. This one comes in red. This one is the 'prime' version. This one is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus Play running Android Kitkat 4.23423 on Verizon - are you kidding me!?
I follow these things very closely, and I still can't tell you what the hell is going on. I can't imagine the confusion in the mind of the regular consumer.
The opportunity for Android and Windows is to create ONE flagship phone and iterate on a regular schedule - each time getting better and better. No forks, no variations, no changes and one distinct brand.
Then, and only then, can you start to introduce some simple variations. Black or white. 16gig or 32gig.
The current overcomplicated approach seems to stem, at least in part, from a technology mindset. Version numbers, inheritance, open source etc. The problem is that cell phones are not computing devices. They are not technology. They are consumer electronics. They are jewelry.
As far as I can tell, the only vendor+product doing this besides Apple is Microsoft with the Surface. But on the Nokia side they still have an embarrassingly large range of phones with stupid names based on numbers. If anyone can explain what the numbers mean I will give them a bitcoin.
Sure Surface is still losing money, but at least they are building trust over time that this is a stable, supported, flagship product that is a viable alternative. There is no tyranny of choice.
Of course the Surface has it's own problems of trying to be both a Tablet and a Laptop - but that's a discussion for another day.
I hope now that the Nokia acquisition is complete, Microsoft's next move is turn down the noise over there and get them to focus on one device that matters.
This post was inspired by a friendly debate with the awesome Doug Crets over on Facebook.