Apple and the App Store: Where is David?

Enter Google Play

If we're talking about digital media for electronic devices, One name stands out above the rest. Apple has delivered an integrated collection of media and apps for its electronic devices (mobile and desktop) for years. Their presence in the market is unparalleled. But it seems, at first glance, that there are other "Play"ers as well. Google Play will be taking on the Giant at its own game.

Lets start by asking ourselves how Apple is/was able to position itself the way that it did. Where did this all start? Without being another tribute to the late and great innovation icon, we have to admit that this all started with Jobs. Steve Jobs, on his return to apple, brought with him the desire to put apple at the fingertips of everyone using an electronic device. He made mobile computing through laptops synonymous with the desktop experience and paved the way for SSD (Solid State Drive) in storage and not simply memory. He was able to boil these innovations down and developed a music storage device which would posses an uncontrollably loyal customer base. Whether for its intuitive interface (wheel), its simplistic menus, or its various skin options, the iPod revolutionized the way that music media would be SOLD.

Interestingly enough, nothing about the iPod was revolutionary. Other devices before the iPod used a round wheel like interface to scroll through menus and music, other devices pioneered color displays and video, other devices developed touch well before the iPod.

What Apple did was revolutionize how it was sold.

Even today we see superior products to the iPod on the market. Can you name one? Have you heard of the Zune? Didn't think so.

Apple makes no bones about being the leader here. They were the first to successfuly market a One-Stop-Shop to digital media. You can rent movies, buy music, apps and even music videos. Who else can you say does all of that? (Rhetorical Questions - I'm going to tell you)

Amazon? YES. The problem with amazon is that the apps are for the Kindle...

Walmart? Almost. They don't have a proprietary app platform (yet).

Google? Most Certainly.

Android is the market leader in mobile device operating systems. The platform is finally more pervasive than Apple. And until now they have been making little noticeable effort to provide like services. The Android Market lets you get your apps and books. Google Music, until 3 weeks ago, allowed users to download available songs, and Google Movie allowed users to rent and view movies and stream them on their android devices.

Last week Google made a strategic decision that we want to analyze looking at the 7S Model. They integrated these services into one new services called PLAY. Google Play is to Android what the App Store is to Apple. Or is it?

Here is one look: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57396113-261/googles-entertainment-strategy-is-in-disarray/

Why would he say that Google's strategy in entertainment is in disarray? And if this is true, how could we have seen this coming?

7S - Google

Strategy - Ads Ads Ads

Structure - Flat

Systems - Which One? This is a nightmare at Google. In order to attract eyeballs to their ads they have developed a browser product (SaaS) for any and everything. This creates a pandora's box of information technology and systems issues. Thus enter Play. Play is an effort to begin combining many of Google media applications and systems as they have already attempted with their business applications.

Style - Very work-or-die mentality. They have engineers that arrive at 3 int he afternoon and leave at 4 in the morning. It is not uncommon to have developers work 10-14 hour days. And they wouldn't have it any other way.

Staff - Developer Heavy, Design/Xi Light

Skills - Programming

Shared Values - Work very hard and long hours at and in an environment that you love. Breed creativity and innovation through work perks and benefits.

Google Play does fit their 7s if you can consider it a weapon used to overpower users who would not otherwise see their ads, but it may also be a stretch. These applications were not developed in parity. They are experiencing the headaches of symbiosis right now. The motive of Play, however, might not fit as smoothly as we would like into Google's 7s model.

Google Play is intended to generate revenue and loyalty, much like the App store does for apple. It is a reason to buy Google products (Mobile devices, Chromebooks, Google TVs, etc). Play apps do not have ads like Gmail, or the mother ship Google search bar. So does it really fit?

I argue no.

Understand that I am one of the biggest Google fans, I would even have to admit that it does not fit their 7s model. They are advertisers, that happen to be brilliant programmers. So if they are to successfully persue this course to overthrow the App store giant, they will have to revisit their 7s model.