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A strange battle is coming up. Apple's portable devices cannot access Flash content on websites. The declared reason is that Apple thinks HTML5 content would work better on mobile devices and wants to force website developers to adopt this standard instead of Flash. This looks like a dangerous position: why should a company engaged in a standards batlle look for the "technically best" solution and forego the advantage of compatibility with the main complementary asset (the Internet)? Apple made a big mistake a few decades ago with a similar stance. Or, could it be that Apple thinks that the diffusion of the Flash proprietary standard is a threat?

Since decades, diffusion of operating systems depends on the avilability of the complementary asset called "applications", and allowing independent developers to work on them can help a lot. Now Samsung is realizing they are late to the game and are going to open up their OS. However, they might still have a chance because they are competing on the still uncrowded low-end segment.

Renault-Nissan probably is the most outspoken carmaker supporting the shift to electric vehicles. It is interesting to notice its understanding of the role of complementary goods (i.e. recharging stations) in supporting diffusion, and of the value of high vertical integration during the fluid phase of innovation (e.g. batteries).

Things are moving in the world of automotive. Now parterships are under way to provide the necessary infrastructure for electric vehicles (at this time, no one is talking about hydrogen any more). What will be the impact on the automotive industry? And what about the gasoline distribution industry?