Now that Apple is finally phasing out the Lightning connector after 11 years in favor of the more universal standard USB-C (across a ton of products), the conversation has reignited about silos versus open standards.
Apple has long attracted the ire of Android users who are locked out of the iMessage standard, and every now and again a workaround comes and goes.
Most recently, an app called Beeper enabled Android users to send iMessages to iPhone users.
To the surprise of exactly nobody, Apple quickly locked that down, drawing side-eye from all angles, not least the Senate.
Of course, neither Apple nor Android are startups, so what is this doing as a headline in Startups Weekly?
Well, I think it serves as a really good reminder that products like Beeper can explode onto the scene, before being scrubbed from existence again just as fast.