It’s not fair to say that Apple is playing chess while Google, Samsung, Microsoft, and the rest are playing checkers. It’s more like they’re all playing chess, Apple is winning, but there’s a large contingent of the tech and investor commentariat who think the game is checkers and thus are deeply confused.
– John Gruber, The Ecosystem Chess Game, March 14, 2014
I don’t always agree with John Gruber’s perspectives but The Ecosystem Chess Game is a recommended read. He’s right that in commentaries on the mobile market, there’s often too much focus on “apps” and not enough on the “ecosystem”.