And so the fragmentation of mobile platforms accelerates along the services axis. [1]
Amazon attempts to ease the pain by offering "interface parity" with the Google Maps API, but there are significant functional differences.
We are going to see more and more examples of this where mobile platform vendors are going to try to get developers to use their firm's web services when running on their platform. Bummer for devs who are already struggling with trying to target multiple platforms.
Starting small isn't necessarily bad. I can't blame Amazon for dipping a toe in the water and offering limited functionality to start after Apple's overreach. If Amazon invests in validated data sets and functionality, but keeps its AWS disposition of being the substrate, this all of a sudden becomes a very exciting new entrant into the maps wars.
It'll take strategy, time, and resources for Amazon to be able to offer the validated datasets and functionality that people expect. If they go about it the right way, I could easily see them becoming the lurker map that comes to dominate.
Amazon attempts to ease the pain by offering "interface parity" with the Google Maps API, but there are significant functional differences.
We are going to see more and more examples of this where mobile platform vendors are going to try to get developers to use their firm's web services when running on their platform. Bummer for devs who are already struggling with trying to target multiple platforms.
[1] http://www.lockergnome.com/mobile/2012/10/22/the-fragmentati...