Jobs liked to recast the open/closed dilemma as a choice between “fragmented” and “integrated,” terms that subtly skewed the debate in favor of a closed, controlled system. He wasn’t completely wrong: it’s true that, the more open a system becomes, the more fragmented it becomes. An open system is also more difficult for its creator to monetize, and the intellectual property that defines it is more difficult to control. Yet openness also encourages innovation.
