Clash of the Digital Platforms

Not a bad look at what exists,perhaps not enough usage to contextual use details.

The Clash Of The Digital Platforms: The 5-year Update
By James L. McQuivey, Vice President, Principal Analyst  Forrester

On March 7, 2014 I wrote a report called The Clash of the Digital Platforms in which I identified 5 companies that had a unique status in the world of technology, innovation, and overall business. The five companies were (alphabetically) Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. In a byline piece I wrote for AdAge’s DigitalNext column later that month, I wrote:

Marketers Need to Pay Attention to the Battle of the Digital Titans

We’re barely into 2014 and already the biggest digital disruptors are either flexing their muscles anew or apparently getting ready. Google acquired Nest for $3.2 billion, Apple said it has nearly $160 billion in the bank, Amazon is reportedly close to shipping a set-top box for your TV, Microsoft has sold millions of its Xbox One game consoles and Facebook followed its announcement of a record quarter by spending billions to acquire WhatsApp.

It’s an intensifying battle of mythical proportions, and to faraway marketers and product managers in non-digital industries like banking, pharmaceutical or consumer packaged goods, it may seem not worth much thought — because there’s little they can do about it. (AdAge DigitalNext, March 20, 2014) .... "