PaaS

Apple's Reintermediation of Smartphones: The iPhone as a Service

Apple's Reintermediation of Smartphones: The iPhone as a Service

With Apple's recent announcement of their direct sales of not just smartphones, but phone & plan bundles, mainstream customers are about to experience a big, visible change in mobile business models. While lots of articles do a great job comparing Apple's new iPhone Upgrade Plan to similar carrier-specific offerings, there's another issue at hand behind the scenes as Apple closes the loop of the iPhone experience.

Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Software used to be sold as any other product: a box on a shelf (or a download equivalent) and either basic post-purchase support or paid support contracts. Users would have to wait for a new release to get new features.