lexipixel - 2:58 am on Feb 3, 2012 (gmt 0)

I wonder what direction the company will take as apps are more and more hardware-specific

Hardware specific apps will obviously depend on hardware -- I think the "apps" they are focusing on are more OS, data and UI oriented, (e.g.- games, productivity, etc).

As smart phones and tablets gain market share and computing strength, I can see where things like external IO devices, (keyboard, mouse, display, printer, etc), will need to be universal -- so it's either multiple versions for varied hardware, or platform/device specific (software) drivers, or some type of "universal translator" like OpenMobile hopes to be that will be needed.

I've got a bag of phone chargers from all the various phones everyone in the house has owned over the past few years -- still, it seems every time we get a new phone, we need yet another new charger. I would hate to invest in an external keyboard or printer and have it end up in the same bag...

Anything that helps break hardware vendor's nasty little ploy to be so divisive, (or as a pun: "device-ive"), is good for consumers.