“Having established the most vibrant computing platform of the 21st century, Apple’s own iOS app developers are finding themselves in serious competition with strategic opponents who are duplicating some of the most essential parts of the iPhone,” Erica Ogg writes for GigaOM. “It’s something Apple once tried to prohibit before the federal government forced it to back down.”

“Facebook calling, Amazon music sales and Google Maps wouldn’t be much of a concern for Apple if its own core iPhone apps for talking, texting, calling, taking photos, mapping, addresses, calendaring, purchasing music and more were better than what its competitors are offering,” Ogg writes. “But as the iOS platform matures, it’s becoming more evident that Apple is beginning to slip behind.”

Ogg writes, “One of the things to watch for this year as Jony Ive takes over the Human Interface department and future versions of iOS is whether he is able to compete head-on with world-class mobile development teams — especially at its biggest rivals — and bring Apple’s ability to make the best core iPhone apps back into balance.”

Read more in the full article here.