[SporkLover]

me thinks that people forget what an OS is. UI is just that, its the interface the user uses to interact with the operating system. The operating system is the software that controls the hardware. It does it so applications Don't have too.

The OS exists to control the hardware and to make it easy to write applications.

In short a glossy and pretty UI != an OS. It is an application package running on top of the OS.

Back on subject. I am wary of stovepipe operations. A company that builds and designs handsets, designs the OS, and controls the Software development /third party applications tend to turn me off. All the way up to the Iphone, this type of approach yielded pretty crappy UI's and buggy software. IMO it also seems to stymie innovation. Again, the Iphone being the exception. Palm did this for a long time and became a big fat failure until the Pre breathed some interest back into the company.

I like different providers for hardware, OS, and applications. There tends to be more innovations, and cutting edge technology in those arrangements.