Peer Review

Invisible Engines: How Software Platforms Drive Innovation and Transform Industries

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Reviewed:: Mar 9, 2020 by Information Technology

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Effectiveness:

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Overview:: Book discusses a wide variety of software platforms (i.e. "invisible engines") that provide services to users of all manner of devices, such as cell phones, smartphones, tablets, digital video recorders, personal computers and many more. These platforms can create a sort of ecosystem of consumers who can become dependent on a given platform and so must deal with all of the advantages and disadvantages of that platform. In addition, given the right scenario, it's possible that a software platform may engender use on devices not foreseen by the original developers. Typically a software platform provider wishes to attract both users and developers to its platform and will provide API toolkits for that purpose. The economics of attracting a large number of both users and developers provide insight into a variety of elements germane to platform-based businesses. The authors examine the economics of platform-based businesses as well as providing illumination on the strategies used by platform-based businesses to increase market share.
Type of Material:: Online book in pdf format
Recommended Uses:: Could be used as a required or auxiliary textbook for both classroom-based and online courses. Appropriate course subjects could include economics and/or software/systems development.
Technical Requirements:: Any browser, PDF reader capability
Identify Major Learning Goals:: How innovations and developments, even with technology, can change businesses and companies and create new companies. How customer demand will drive invention. * To provide a concise history of software platforms * To present detailed, annotated studies of a variety of software platforms * To provide insight into the economics of two-sided markets * To provide insight into possible upcoming changes in the economics of software platforms
Target Student Population:: Any level in College. This book deals more with business aspects of technology and how consumers drive the market.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: No specific skills. Possibly another business class.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: Wonderful book for reviewing business strategies, what they entail, how they work, why they work, and why they don’t work. Concepts flow organically from chapter to chapter making the concepts easy to understand.
Concerns:: From a technology standpoint this book is not really viable. From a business perspective much more so viable as it describes and discusses what drove the acceptance of, refusal to accept, and the decline and cause of decline in the technology arena. Book could include a glossary of terms, perhaps with each chapter, to help the student with any unfamiliar jargon.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: This book is perfect for business courses—primarily management, development, sales and promotion. However, as a book to be used in a technologically oriented class, it will not work. Highly detailed descriptions of each platform, as well the economics strategies of each platform, makes the subject interesting as well as informative. Many relevant real-life examples are given which help place the information into a useful perspective.
Concerns:: Little knowledge reinforcement is provided; perhaps a page or two of research exercises could be provided at the end of each chapter to aid student retention of the concepts.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: Great for use in business classes. Book is easily "searchable" and provides a well detailed index in the back.
Concerns:: There are frequently misspellings and punctuation errors. Example: I could read in one sentence the word multiuser and the see in another multi-user. This makes a paper, document, or book difficult to read because of the inconsistency of punctuation. Additionally, overall use—from a technology standpoint—is mute because this book is written primarily from a business point of view. Some students may have problems reading the book "on screen".

Other Issues and Comments:: I would recommend that this book be used in a marketing, prod management class, etc. It is written more as a book for business majors than as a technology book.
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