iPhone: Third Party Software?
One of the hottest topics in the wireless industry right now is Apple’s iPhone. And, since this blog is dedicated to Microsoft Office mobility, we have to ask; where are the document editing and exchange email capabilities on this device?
We’re not the only ones asking that question. In fact, there has been a lot of talk about not only that, but third party software in general for the iPhone. It’s unlikely that Apple will release an SDK for this phone which means that, just like the iPod, there won’t be a developer community creating applications for the iPhone.
“You don’t want your phone to be an open platform…You need it to work when you need it to work. Cingular doesn’t want to see their West Coast network go down because some application messed up.” – Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple (via Newsweek).
There are many opinions about why Apple likes to keep their devices ‘closed’. Read on to check out a few or give your own opinion.
Michael Mace (Mobile Opportunity) feels that Apple’s history of being cloned (by Windows, for example) makes them a bit nervous about losing the overwhelming market share the iPod brand currently holds (they surely want to do whatever they can to ensure that the iPhone follows suit):
“He said very prominently at the iPhone announcement that the new device is heavily patented and no one is going to clone this one. Why did he go out of his way to say that? What does that tell you about his state of mind? Why else would he raise the issue of cloning, unless he was remembering the history of Macintosh and Windows?”
Dana Gardner (BriefingsDirect, ZDNet) seems to think that keeping the iPhone closed is necessary to differentiate it from the other smartphones currently on the market. Gardner feels the iPhone will be looked at by many as the first true ‘converged’ device where others have bits and pieces of convergence and compete with each other almost solely on price:
“I for one will be happy to enter a quid quo pro (as I already do with iTunes/iPod) with Apple on iPhone. I will pay more and have less openness, but you must make me highly productive right away. You must not waste my time with slipshod product, security and support. You must make my convenience and time the primary motivations for your design. You must do the integrations for me, not force me to converge the elements as an after-thought.”
Dave Winer (Scripting News) writes that this is a bad move on Apple’s part because growth is based on choices and options. Between their patents and their dominance of the press, Winer says Apple may start to think they don’t have to be quite as competitive when it comes to actual feature set.
“I don't believe for a minute that Jobs's closed-box approach to cell phones is the right one. Growth is driven by choice…The only lock you need is to create a better product. The rest of it is nonsense.”
Whether its support for Word files, Exchange push email, or some other non-Apple app you’re looking for on the iPhone, the bottom line seems to be you’re out of luck (at least for now). My personal opinion is that it would be naive of us to think that Jobs hasn't thought this through and come to the consensus that this is the best course of action for the iPhone. The model has proven itself with the iPod and it seems logical for Apple to continue down that road. However, this will be a new market for Apple in many respects and it's possible that the iPod philosophy could shoot them in the foot here. Regardless of all the varying opinions, I guess only time will tell how Jobs’ choices effect the iPhone and its place in the smart phone space. If you have your own opinions feel free to share them.
Related Articles:
[10/18/2007] Apple Announces iPhone SDK
[7/12/07] iPhone: IMAP vs. ActiveSync