I think what you're really suggesting is called open source. Tough to justify if you've invested millions and all you've managed to accomplish is taking the #1 spot away from Apple.
John Sent from my iPad > On Feb 19, 2014, at 9:12 PM, Rich Knowles <r...@sailpower.ca> wrote: > > Make it happen and get a lot of beer! > > Rich > >> On Feb 19, 2014, at 22:06, Stevan Plavsa <stevanpla...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Do you guys know what OS Raymarine, Garmin et al use? I'm sure they're >> different but I'm guessing they are all proprietary to their brand. Is that >> correct? If it is, that would mean that they have a whole team of people >> developing their OS, right? >> >> Why? >> >> A thought: why don't they simply license Android, fire their software >> department (or re-orient them to create amazing Raymarine/Garmin, whatever >> apps for Android) and make more money? We the consumer get a platform that's >> much more flexible than what those devices are currently running plus access >> to all these wonderful apps, which would only get better and better if there >> was a hardware environment for them more suitable to the marine environment >> than tablets. The fact that Raymarine now has apps for those devices is >> telling, people are clearly using tablets on their boats. I think they have >> it backwards. Don't bring raymarine to the android device. Bring Android to >> the raymarine device. The marine tech companies are in the hardware business >> first, software is secondary. They should stick to their core competency and >> let the big guys do the software part. More frequent updates and bug fixes, >> a standard user experience regardless of manufacturer. The freedom and >> ability to run all kinds of apps on your boat computer (because that's what >> a chart plotter is). Etc. There's already a software environment which means >> there is demand in the market (navionics, mx mariner, opencpn, etc). My >> feeling is that the software companies are going to be able to provide much >> better apps for us than what raymarine and garmin are currently giving us. >> >> Imagine a raymarine computer at your helm, just like their top of the line >> plotter but you can install whatever you want on it and do whatever you can >> currently do with your android device (because it runs android). If they >> wanted to, they could port their chart software to android and sell it as an >> app or provide coupon codes to download it free with the purchase of their >> hardware. Why is Raymarine developing music playing apps and weather apps >> for their proprietary platform? That costs money! and this stuff already >> exists. >> >> Think blackberry. They got it all wrong. Along came Samsung and took the >> entire market (Apple too, but Samsung is #1). If blackberry licensed Android >> before the whole end game thing happened I think they'd still be around, and >> profitable. People liked their platform, sure, but what they really liked >> was their hardware. I've played around with the chart plotters at the boat >> show and the chandleries. I wasn't really impressed with any of the >> interfaces. They should continue to build amazing marine grade HARDWARE and >> let the people that know software handle that part. >> >> Someone is going to come along and do this. Personally, I would buy a >> "Marine Tough" android device for the helm before I purchased any purpose >> built plotter. It would do everything that a plotter does plus so much more >> (for those times when you're alongside a dock and want to watch a movie in >> the cockpit or some other frivolous thing like facebook or the C&C mailing >> list ;) ). Hell, install a display down below. >> "Computer. Play movie. Terminator 2." >> And so on. Science fiction had it all figured out with Hal. One central >> computer. >> >> One computer to rule them all and in the dorkness bind them. >> >> I wish I was capable of starting a business like this, I'de do it myself. >> >> Most people have MULTIPLE computers on board. The VHF these days is a >> computer, the laptop at the nav station, the chart plotter, the instrument >> displays .. why?!!! Just give me one CPU running a commonly used platform >> and let the software companies duke it out. Plug in a bunch of dumb displays >> or interactive displays, whatever your budget allows. Hook up all your >> transducers and sensors and you're off to the races. Focus on making amazing >> marine hardware and continue to charge marine prices for it. Stop spending >> money on coders to maintain your proprietary system and MAKE MORE MONEY. Or >> like I said before, turn them into an App department and port what they've >> already got as apps .. FOR SALE! >> >> >> Rambling thoughts on a wednesday night. >> Someone's going to owe me a beer if this happens. >> >> Steve >> Suhana, C&C 32 >> Toronto >> >> _______________________________________________ >> This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album >> http://www.cncphotoalbum.com >> CnC-List@cnc-list.com > _______________________________________________ > This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album > http://www.cncphotoalbum.com > CnC-List@cnc-list.com
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