When choosing the right path to follow in tech, it is important to think where we should be, do we follow the road that Google leads or travel the path of Johnny Appleseed?

Robert Frost’s timeless poem seems appropriate

Once again technology is at a very important crossroad and once again we have before us at least two paths of which to follow? I am referring to choosing between Apple’s way to the future with their IOS or following Google’s Android road. These two roads differ in philosophy as night and day. More important is where they will lead us.

History repeats itself so they say, and here we can look back at an earlier day, another exciting time in technology, back then it was Apple and Microsoft who did battle over the way to change the world. Back then like today one company was an innovator and one an opportunist. Today the battle is, at least for now, between Google and Apple. Back then it was Microsoft who appropriated an operating system and quickly pasted it together then sought to maximize their profits by appealing to the Lowest Common denominator. Do we realize the cost to innovation and the time loss because of that choice back then? Do we want to once again follow a leader who copies instead of innovates.

Today it is Google, who sees their livelihood threaten, panicked they have moved to protect themself in a very similar fashion as Microsoft of old by throwing everyone out of the lifeboat to save themselves.

Before we go down that road, it would behoove us to stop , check our compass and determine where we are headed. Back then we could not see how much time and innovation was lost as the result of poor choice. Today we have not stopped to ponder the world we will be forced to live in should Google prevail. Should we follow a leader whose business model indeed who’s very existence relies upon directing advertising traffic at you and yours? Is that the kind of world we want to live in, is that even a viable business model today, haven’t we already begun to move beyond that model by defining new paradigms? Are we all not sick enough of the crass unsophisticated commercialism suffocating us, do we want to invite in more?

Apple proudly strives to follow their mission statement. ” to make insanely great products” to benefit humanity. To takes us to the spot where science and humanities meet.

Have we even thought of asking Google what their vision of the future is? “Do no evil” was quickly jettisoned at the first threat of competition.

We have a choice now, to take the less traveled and more rewarding path. Let’s us not become lost again!