Apple’s Network of Hardware Devices vs. Google’s Network of Hardware Devices
In this article, the discussion of the potential successes of the top tech firms regarding AR brings to light the relationships each company has with its products (or auxiliary products). This article discusses that Apple will ultimately win the position of being the pioneer of AR. They output some of the best technology possible, tech that receives lots of developer support, and they integrated it seamlessly with the new devices they just released. Google has been working on a couple of initiatives, such as hardware called Project Tango (a depth-perceiving camera) and software called ARCore. Microsoft and Facebook are also competing amongst these tech giants to build revolutionary technology before anyone else. However, as I’ll explore in my blog post, we’ll see that the strong networks Apple has in its consumer base and the different type of network a company like Google has, affects the way their software is being spread and used.
This article briefly mentions why Apple has been winning the race, but I want to elaborate more on that. According to this article, Apple has strongly integrated ARKit in its new devices, but they have also made it compatible with older devices, such as 6S. There are, of course, still limitations in its software, but basically anyone who is a loyal user (let’s say a user/device is a node) is part of the strong Apple network. The Apple network is comprised of several strong ties between devices and users, all across the different devices and versions. By having consistency on the devices, owning the rights and having direct access to the type of software that can be downloaded (these are only examples of characteristics), Apple reinforces these strong ties between its consumers and back to itself. This strong network allows information to be passed along – such as software updates and features – that enables their users for success. Therefore, to apply to the ARKit, for example, a big reason why Apple is succeeding is because ARKit is integrable into many platforms, therefore widening access across their users. The more exposure each consumer receives and has a great experience, the stronger the network becomes and the more loyal the user base becomes.
As the author of this article describes, other big companies such as Google, who don’t have direct control of the hardware that supports Android, is having a hard time disseminating its software. Therefore, these weak links between Android devices (incompatibility, difference in functionality, usability and feel) makes it hard for Google to maintain its strong ties and strengthen its weak ones. It’s reasonable to imagine that developers, for example, will have difficulty collaborating on AR projects if they all have different Android devices and projects didn’t function or render the same. From personal experience as a QA who had to test an app on different devices, it was definitely difficult to keep track of all the bugs because some devices reacted and bugged out differently than others. However, just as potential job candidates should reach out to weak links for new connections and ideas (as opposed to strong ones who may share similar ideologies, interests, etc. that wouldn’t provide as helpful), Google and even Microsoft are a part of a very innovative network. These weak connections may stray from the core competency that something like Google may support (and therefore make it hard to spread software like ARCore), but they provide an environment for more innovation and differentiation. A lot of innovation comes from Apple, but that places the strain of innovation for Apple and forces Apple to rely heavily on new technology to survive. However, Android from Google is cool because there are so many different devices that support it. We’ll see which network holds out in the long run.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/aarontilley/2017/09/12/apple-not-google-or-facebook-will-define-the-future-of-augmented-reality/#1aeb045f5ea6