[mrfairladyz]

>This is also starting to become true with the kindle for consumers.

I disagree. In my experience, buying books on Kindle has been almost a reassurance that it could be read on any other platform, either through a web browser or iPhone/Android app. Amazon has made it easy to switch platforms and still be hooked on their services, whereas Apple essentially locks you in to their ecosystem with only allowing their content (iBooks and movie rentals, but not music in some sense) to be enjoyed on Apple devices.

Services like Spotify and Rdio make it easier to switch platforms -- if I want my music library on another platform, all I need to do is download an app. That kind of flexibility and availability is more powerful and consumer-friendly in the long run, in my opinion.

Here's an interesting read from Paul Miller of The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/4/2669066/ecosystem-the-winne...