Macopinion

Criticizing Criticisms, Part 5 of 5

by Marc Zeedar macopinion@designwrite.com

No third party apps!
This is one of the biggest iPhone complaints, but notice it comes from developers and power users, not consumers. Most consumers never add anything to their phones, not even a ringtone. Few bother with third party software. (Smartphone users are a different category, so I'm not talking about them.)

Apple's argument is that cell phones are different from computers and need to be extremely reliable. A rogue program that takes down the phone could be disastrous. (Steve Jobs even implied a program could take down AT&T's network, which is a stretch. Though maybe a deliberate attempt to do that could be possible -- i.e. via a virus that attacks the network.)

So for now Apple is only going to allow third party development via mobile Safari -- web apps. This has infuriated and frustrated the development community. They have been wanting to make iPod apps for years and Apple never allowed that, and now Apple's blocking iPhone apps?

However, the biggest advantage of the iPhone for Apple is that it is based on Mac OS X. This not only gives Apple a robust foundation, but it really means that the iPhone is a way of expanding the Apple market. First their was Mac, then there was iPod, and now there's iPhone. We've all heard about the huge accessory market for the iPod, and Apple benefits tremendously when companies make their products iPod compatible as it reinforces the dominate product. Apple now has the chance to extend that same dominance into a new market. With accessories -- and eventually software -- the iPhone could be larger than the Mac market.

Thus I believe that Apple will allow third party development. But Apple is going to do this cautiously. It will not happen right away. First Apple wants to get the product out there, get people using it, get an update or two out to fix any issues and stabilize the platform, and then we'll see some kind of developer program announced. One theory is that it won't happen until after the 3G and other versions of iPhone are released. Others think -- or hope -- Apple's just waiting until Leopard is out, because iPhone development might be contingent upon certain Leopard features. (There are some indications that iPhone's OS is be a version of Leopard, which would explain why Leopard's engineers had to delay it to work on the iPhone.)

What form that developer program will take, we don't know. It could be an extremely limited program where only a handful of companies pay big licensing bucks (millions) to be allowed into Apple's inner iPhone circle. Or it could be broader, where companies sign up to sell programs via iTunes (similar to iPod games) and Apple tests and certifies the programs. Apple would keep a percentage of the sale price for the service. Or perhaps it'll be open so that anyone can create programs, like on other mobile platforms. Who knows?

While I am tremendously excited about the long-term potential of the iPhone, I'm already impressed with what's available already via mobile Safari. First off, many small applications already exist as websites. For instance, when my mom got her iPhone she had just gotten back from France and was asking me about the conversion rate of Euros to dollars. I could have used a widget on my Mac, but instead I turned to the iPhone. I knew it didn't have a built-in conversion widget (yet) so I went to Google and found a conversion website and bookmarked it. Now when she needs to convert funds, she can just bring it up. Not as convenient as a built-in app and it requires Internet access to function, but still useful.

Dozens of cool iPhone applets and games are already available, and there are thousands of iPhone-optimized websites and portals. The phone's only been out a month -- just imagine what the iPhone platform will look like in a year!

So the bottom line is that third party apps are not crucial for the iPhone, not yet. They are important -- vital, even -- for making the iPhone a true third platform for Apple. But it's also important that Apple controls the process and doesn't allow the iPhone to become the wild west like the horrible Windows marketplace.

No wireless syncing!
I've heard a few pundits complain about this one and it's got me scratching my head. Now there are two types of wireless syncing. The first makes no sense to me: syncing music and photos wirelessly, buying iTunes music, etc. Why on earth would I want to do that?

First, if I buy music, I can do that on my computer. An iPhone's useless without a computer (just like an iPod), so it's not like a regular phone that operates on its own. The computer is much more appropriate for complex tasks like buying music, and it's more secure, too. Second, music and photos are large -- gigabytes worth -- so why would I want to sync that stuff wirelessly? I need to plug it in to charge it anyway, so it's not a big deal. Wireless updating is complicated to do right and I only see it benefiting a handful of users.

On the other hand, there's another kind of wireless syncing: real-time updating of calendar and contact information. Wouldn't it be great if any time you made a change to your schedule on your main computer it was instantly reflected on your iPhone? This automatic sync would happen over WiFi or Edge -- whatever connection your phone has available.

A good example of this is my aunt, who's a consultant who is pretty much constantly on the road. My uncle is sort of her manager, and sets up her schedule, books her flights, arranges her hotels, etc. But he's at home making changing to her schedule on the home computer. It would be really neat if that stuff automatically updated on her phone wherever she was.

I can see many businesses where this kind of relationship happens (one person on the road, another at the office). Apparently some other smartphone products support this, and for those people and iPhone won't cut it right now.

But I bet this is coming. It might be via .Mac or some other method, but I bet Apple's working on it.

In the meantime, there are online calendars you can use, or there's email. It's not ideal, but if this isn't a must-have feature, the iPhone's got plenty of ways to work around this limitation.

Conclusion
The iPhone as it is today is not for everyone -- that should be expected. It's brand new. If it doesn't meet your needs because you need a particular feature then don't buy it. What I resent are journalists and pundits who try to tell the public that no one should buy it because of this or that limitation. That's just wrong. The iPhone may not do everything yet, but it does the main things most people want it to do -- and it's just going to get better.

macopinion@designwrite.com