I have an issue…

Yes, you are reading about it, so hush and let me type…

You see, Apple has iTunes, Nokia has Ovi, Microsoft has (well, they are developing an App Store), Blackberry has AppWorld, and Android has Market.

What I don’t get is why do these companies limit their “service” (iTunes, Ovi, MSWhatever, AppWorld, and Market) to a particular hardware platform?

Why not have the “content service” detect the device, OS, and other specifics of the hardware and determine what content is available for that device?

Picture a service called “Yahoo Content,” or the YC! for short.  Imagine you log on, via an application or via the Internet (3G, EDGE, wi-fi, etc.) and are presented with a generic “greeting” screen (such as the basic iTunes screen you see when you sign in to iTunes) presenting apps, music, maps, e-mail, etc. for your device–regardless of the device you use.

I would use such a service even if I also used the service provided by my hardware maker.  Why?  Options and freedom to choose.

Let me ask you this another way…

Would you expect your e-mail to only work with a single manufacturer’s device?  If not, why do you accept the idea that “service gateways” such as iTunes, Ovi, Market, and Appworld should be limited to a single hardware platform?

Why exclude that “other” portion of the market just because they don’t use your hardware.  If your hardware doesn’t succeed, you are done.  If you provide content for all platforms, at least you are still in business.  Either way, don’t you have more business?

iTunes works with iPods and iPhones.  Ovi works with many Nokia handsets, some with differing versions of the Symbian OS.

Why can’t a “service gateway” work with any device regardless of OS, hardware, or provider?  Seems to me it could…and should.