Now that the new iPad has gone on sale, we’re left asking what it all means for competitors?

Android

In terms of operating systems, Google’s Android is Apple’s number one competitor since almost every device in the market is running on the search giant’s mobile platform.  Though there are a lot of Android devices trying to compete with Apple products, through nothing has really changed with the OS–it’s still fragmented.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich launched way back in October of last year but until recently, very few ICS-compatible devices have been updated.  And the fragmentation problem is rooted from the fact that Android is open sourced, so Android developers are at a loss trying to reconfigure ICS for specific OEMs.

And aside from the fragmented Android update, they’re also dealing with buggy apps.  Crashing apps on devices isn’t that absurd, but the weird thing is, Google’s own apps are the ones experiencing the most crashes.  According to a report from ZDNet, Gmail App and the Chrome Beta browser are the ones that tend to act up.  Chrome is still in beta so crashes are somewhat expected, but Gmail?  That’s just sad.

While devices and apps are still a point of contention between Android and iOS, the ecosystems developing around their primary platforms remains an area of focus for the ongoing OS wars.  How these devices and software extensions come together to create a cohesive experience will ultimately land the consumer, and with Apple’s less-than-stellar update on the iPad, Android has an opportunity to further its goals around a comprehensive platform.  That means fixing its apps, improving distribution and centering its services around a streamlined device roll out.

Windows 8

Microsoft is quite reliable in delivering new versions of their desktop OS, and yes, there will always be some bugs when it is launched commercially, but those are always addressed and fixed through updates which aren’t fragmented.  And the same is expected for the much anticipated Windows 8.

Microsoft wants to challenge Android’s openness on mobile devices, and there are plans for launching HTC and Samsung devices that would run on Windows 8.  Nokia is said to already be working on a Windows 8-based tablet.

HTC and Samsung are the top Android OEMs, so creating devices based on Windows 8 is seed as a move to secure their plaice in the mobile race in case Google decides to favor Motorola Mobility once the acquisition is finalized.  If Microsoft is able to deliver Windows 8 updates faster to consumer products, then Google might have to rethink about their fragmented rollout and take more control over their platform.

It All Boils Down to the Platform

Apple, Google and Microsoft are all tackling different strategies around their mobile ecosystem, but they all have the same goal–massive reach and consumer lock-in.  What’s tricky about this is the need to reach consumers across platforms and devices, so centralizing efforts around an integrated hardware/software solution will be key for these three rivals.  They’ll also need to abandon a walled-garden approach, ensuring they have apps/software on competing devices, meeting consumer demand with cloud-based solutions for a highly accessible appeal to end users.