Hardware and Software

The biggest news this week is of course the launch of Apple Watch Ultra. Before covering the topic, however, there is a point about hardware and software that seems worth making. Hardware innovation depends on material properties, whether it's faster, more durable, or thiner. To match market sector and hardware, there are lots of experimental/physical facts to be harnessed. Physical laws don't bend, that's the hard part of hardware innovation. Gut feeling is that hardware ideas are harder and harder to come by, which is why software innovation is more important in the long run. Software ideas are almost limitless, but the trouble is that the entire landscape is a mess. To be wise enough to blast a trail is crucial. If the judgement here is correct, vendors will drastically improve software locked onto hardware to deliver whole package. Hardware will be small steps forward, and software advances, though huge, will be severely subject to hardware.

The future isn't closed source versus open source, but vendors with software locked onto hardware against each other. Several Google features aren't available on Apple devices and vice versa. Perhaps this is a clue to future competition. Google and Apple have very different strengths regarding software. It's expected that they will be further differentiated this way.

A important part of software services is the cloud. With more and more popular cellular connectivity, now even on Apple Watch, cloud may play a crucial role in software innovation. We shall see.