The term open is becoming a baseless term, used more for hype than actual evidence of added value between devices. And as many users are noticing, often focus and ubiquity take precedent over even open standards.

Distinct terms like interoperability and iOS’s potential lack of support, instead, offers a more specific look at the greater problem: users are continually looking for PC performance from their smartphones.

There are only a handful of things I’ll argue Android does better, one is the exchange of information between applications via long press, the other being the notification bar. And while iOS multitasking works to solve some of these issues, it’s not the perfect solution.

I personally find value in being able to long press on a link or file, and share it with my application of choice, rather than what third party support dictates. And while developers are doing a fantastic job becoming inclusive to services like Twitter and Instapaper, it should really be left to the devices of the user.

Will this create more clutter, and less usability? It can, but I imagine in Apple fashion, user control can be limited based on what’s already installed, and accessible via settings. So for the more savvy user, it can remain opt in to the services they enjoy and use frequently. And for the the default user, they can leave long press settings as-is based on developer choice.

This way we get the best of both worlds, a more desktop-like experience, open to the exchange of information across applications, as well as the clutter-free usability we’ve come to define iOS with.