Hey, actually you can try our implementation at http://iDoneThis.com (author of the post here). We have a team thing we're rolling out and this post was in part to gauge interest.
I remember when Leaky (YC S11) launched, its design was quite obviously taken from Square, but they put the notice: "All design credit goes to Square. We based our design on their home page until we can hire a designer of our own." http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/08/yc-backed-leaky-is-hipmunk-...
i don't know if i agree with this. I see your point, and it's valid. However, living in NYC I became accustomed to getting anything I wanted within a 5 block radius. Or at least, if you can get it within a 5 block radius, the convenience factor is so so much greater than going crosstown or something and/or hiring a mover.
I agree -- and not just an ecosystem, but competition. Apple's native apps have to be up to snuff because of pressure from the store. Those few apps that rise to the top did so in part from the mechanism of competition.