It appears the iPhone will be a closed system. No 3rd party applications.

[ReadTomPaine]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/technology/11cnd-apple.html

NYTimes - Phone Shows Apple’s Impact on Consumer Products

“I don’t want people to think of this as a computer,” he said. “I think of it as reinventing the phone.”

...

Moreover, Mr. Jobs also appears to be restricting the potential for third-party software developers to write applications for the new handset — from ringtones to word processors.

...

“We define everything that is on the phone,” he said. “You don’t want your phone to be like a PC. The last thing you want is to have loaded three apps on your phone and then you go to make a call and it doesn’t work anymore. These are more like iPods than they are like computers.”

...

“These are devices that need to work, and you can’t do that if you load any software on them,” he said. “That doesn’t mean there’s not going to be software to buy that you can load on them coming from us. It doesn’t mean we have to write it all, but it means it has to be more of a controlled environment.”

Comments?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. And he wants 500 smakers for it?

Look Mister Jobs only way I'd consider it is if it coudl replace my IPAQ, it can't, that is fine.

When I replace the IPAQ will look for a windows enabled device... thanks

[aquart]

2. Wasn't that what he did with the Macs?

Which is why I own a pc.

[Omphaloskepsis]

3. No.. Third party apps work just fine.

Apple even provides the tools to write them for free.

[Kutjara]

4. Yeah, they're going for the "walled garden" approach.

Only Apple-approved apps will be able to run on the phone.

More than anything else, this shows Apple's lack of experience in the cellphone market. Power users and early adopters (those willing to pay $500-600 for a phone) want to have the freedom to customize their gadgets. The walled garden approach has been proven less successful online (AOL, Compuserve, Prodigy vs. the Web), in games consoles (the Playstation vs. Nintendo 64) and the personal computer in general (PC vs. Mac). It looks like Apple will again have to learn the lesson that walled gardens are usually very sterile places.

Cellphone manufacturers have taken a decade to learn this lesson the hard way. Apple should have asked around before making this decision.

[ReadTomPaine]

6. If the browser supports java there will be some extensibility..

albeit not ideal. I wonder if there will be 3rd party licenses available but under stringent requirements.

[Kutjara]

7. Apple will probably license to an approved stable...

...of developers, but that means that they will be deciding what the market wants instead of the market itself deciding. Without the discipline of market-driven "natural selection" a lot of "cool" apps get developed that nobody wants, simply because some tecchies think they're neat.

I agree that Java will allow some extensibility, but Apple could easily lock-down the sandbox to forbid any non-approved apps from running there as well.

My guess is that version 2 or 3 of the iPhone will be great, once Apple learn the dynamics of the new market they're in. This first phone could easily be another Newton.

[ReadTomPaine]

8. This is what made the Palm such a nice device. A huge & quirky application library...

it would be a mistake if Apple didn't allow this on the iPhone at some point.

[Kutjara]

10. I agree completely.

I've been using a Treo 650 for about two years and am going to upgrade to the 750 when it comes out. There is an enormous library of applications to choose from, the best of which have been developed for several years, so they're stable, functional and fast.

Apple's claim that keeping 3rd party software off the phone is the only way to guarantee stability is contradicted in my experience. My Treo is turned on 24/7 and I've only had to reboot it due to a lockup about three times, and I run quite a few apps that are installed both on the phone and an SD card.

If Apple doesn't consider the iPhone to be a computer, why are they running OS X on it? Sounds like a lot of overhead for a limited-function device.

[ReadTomPaine]

13. I've used Palms for quite a while myself.

Over the years I've gone through the Vx, VIIx, Sony 760 and finally a TJ-37 before I jumped to a micro sized, ruggedized tablet. I still use them from time to time, especially for ebook reading. I find the Palm the best format for ebook consumption. Every one of them still works, amazingly.

I strongly considered a Treo myself. Nice device.

[BearSquirrel2]

22. I'm not sure ...

There is some really crappy PocketPC software out there (as well as some real gems like Pocket Informant).

If the success of the iPod is any indication, the iPhone is going to get REALLY big. This will make it an excellent target for hackers.. I think Apple is concerned about "freeware" that is really spyware. Apple does not want their devices to turn into cellular viruses gumming up network bandwidth, spamming and demon dialing 1-900 numbers.

I understand Steve Jobs' objective to making a device that just plain WORKS WELL without need for extensive modification. And I think it would be great for 3rd party developers to work with apple to develop well behaved applications.

[ReadTomPaine]

23. Well it's a new direction for a product in this segment, that's for certain.

It's just one that seems to inhibit adoption, at first glance. The market is often quite good to Apple however and in the end it's the market that will decide.

As to your concerns, the Palm and Win PDA platforms don't have too many hacking problems and they've been connecting to cell phone networks for ages. There are some poorly written apps, but one has to go out of the way to install them and they rarely effect overall functionality. Even in that case a full reset gets you back to a reasonable state of use very quickly.

It's primarily revenue that drives the closed system model here. Once they recoup the expenditures for this they will open it up and give it some new life. In the meantime, they can clean up on licenses, software and services on top of the hardware profit. Ease of use and consistency just come with the package. It follows the iPod business model in more ways than one.

[BearSquirrel2]

30. I would agree ...

I would agree that hacking on low volume systems is probably of very little consequence. Hackers don't pay much attention to Macs because they simply do not have the numbers. But iPhone is a product that has the potential to EXPLODE volume wise. I can see this easily surpassing both PocketPC and Palm smartphone sales VERY rapidly. If this happens, hacking becomes a HUGE concern. Certainly, I can see the potential to embed dialers in so called "sharing" applications that would work directly of the handheld device. That device is hooked to a cellular network. A hacker could make a LOT of money by putting dialers in these applications.

Cellular hacking is a "whole new world". Look for it to be explored soon.

[ReadTomPaine]

31. It's early to say...

but something tells me the iPhone will be a winner for Apple as well. It has that 'X factor' appeal that drives this type of purchase, details be damned. I think it could have been a better product, but Apple is new to this segment. They are going to sell a bunch as long as the hardware is durable and the phone works as advertised.

[liberaldemocrat7]

16. I have a palm tungsten e2

I like having a computer that has no chance of making phone calls.

If they made a setup that could use free yahoo or msn voice then I would want something like that but I don't want any meter running when I speak to someone.

As far as the name Iphone goes, Apple ripped off the name from a company that used to make Iphone software the first telephone application on the net.

[ReadTomPaine]

17. Skype is a free IP telephone service...

I don't think they support the Palm, however.

For my Palm PDAs I used a short cable to my cell phone when i needed to connect, or wireless to a hotspot when available. The VIIx had built in wireless, but worked more like a pager than a phone.

[alfredo]

25. Apple has always been strict about appearance

guidelines. They want apps that have a consistent look. They also want the user to be able to run the app without having to read a manual. If they know how to run one Mac app, they can figure out how to run another.

I think they want the iPhone to look and work as they planned. After it is accepted and users and developers have experience with it, they will ease up a bit.

Give it a few months and someone will have Linux running on it.

[ReadTomPaine]

26. "Give it a few months and someone will have Linux running on it."

Heh. :thumbsup:

I'm also betting there will be a thriving 'unsupported' application library. It would have been nice for Apple to help, however.

[alfredo]

29. They have other considerations like getting approval from

the FCC, keeping investors and ATT/Cingular happy.

BTW, Cingular is no more. It is now ATT.

[alfredo]

28. I think they want to make sure the apps developed will

not compromise the iPhone or the network. There are security considerations.

My guess new apps will be launched from widgets.

[ReadTomPaine]

5. The Inquirer has a editorial about this, but it's mostly a hit piece.

Here's an interesting quote, however:

"Mind you, the network probably wants to ban third-party applications more because it would mean iPhone users would connect to Skype and not use its wonderful service."

For those unfamiliar, Skype is a free IP telephone service.

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=36919

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Hell even the IPAG (wondows) has a good library

jobs is shooting himself on the foot

[ReadTomPaine]

15. I've always appreciated the early A/V potential of the Win PDAs...

but felt them more bound to PC desktop conventions and thus less useful in truly on the go situations. However for A/V they were the better solution for a quite a while. I went the micro-laptop route myself.

Is your iPAQ a win/cellphone combo?

[soothsayer]

18. I've got a win PDA that can also stream my cable tv channels

when I'm on the road! Mighty cool.

[JCMach1]

9. Sounds like POS... there are a dozen smart phones already on the market

that do all of the same things and better...

AND you CAN load your own apps on those...

[fortyfeetunder]

12. My take on iPhone: iWon't

I don't have an iPod and iPhone won't darken my home either....

[Nomad559]

14. You must buy the iPhone

thousands of Chinese workers need the Income. :sarcasm:

Foxconn to manufacture Apple's iPhone
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2238

Foxconn Electronics, the registered trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, has secured a contract with Apple Computer to manufacturer its first mobile handset that will also dual as a digital music player, according to an overseas report.

The Chinese-language Commercial Times on Wednesday cited Taiwan-based sources within Apple's iPod component supply chain as saying the phone is due to arrive during the first half of next year.

The paper offered no other details of the phone or contract between the two companies, other than to say the initial build order was for some 12 million units.

[Neshanic]

20. Ahh..another workers paradise to come, Steve will select iSlave furniture for workers.

[ReadTomPaine]

27. It seems Foxconn Electronics is the world's biggest electronics contract manufacturer

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07011/753046-28.stm

They also do work for HP, Cisco and make everything from motherboards to videocards as well as phones. They are expecting a juicy profit from this.

At least it's Taiwan and not China.

[Neshanic]

19. Nothing can intrude into the perfection of the iExistence.

Like a home that you may have visited of a someone you know, pure white museum like space, nothing but sparse design everything in it's place. The world of Mr. Jobs, the nanny of what's best for you, according to him.

And people here rag Bill and Melinda Gates for "controlling" their life.

If it was not for Microsoft, I would not have been able to open my own business. If it was Apple running the show, this would not be the case, but my office would look cool and real clean.

[ReadTomPaine]

24. Apple products aren't that bad...

I've used them on and off for years and they are nice platforms. They make especially good mobile devices - I used a titanium powerbook for a while and found it a pleasant laptop experience. They are a bit pricey, but they do a lot of things well.

[ReadTomPaine]

21. Kick.

[ReadTomPaine]

32. More from iWire & MSNBC :"Jobs says no 3rd party apps-yet"&"Apple Computer Is Dead; Long Live Apple"

iTWire "Steve Jobs says no third party apps on iPhone-yet"

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/8560/1103/

MSNBC "Apple Computer Is Dead; Long Live Apple"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16566968/site/newsweek/

In the MSNBC interview linked above, Jobs gives his reasons why the iPhone is a closed, and not an open system.

Jobs told MSNBC, regarding the phone networks and Apple’s choice of working with Cingluar, that “We talked to several of them and educated ourselves. were willing to take a really big gamble on us. We decided what the phone is. We decided what software would be on the phone. And so we could make the product we wanted.”

And to make the product that Jobs wanted, he wants control. He told MSNBC that “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.”

Jobs doesn’t want to see the iPhone overloaded with third party apps that fill the iPhone memory to capacity, slow it down with badly written applications that take too many resources, or in any way impede the iPhone from working when you want it to."

[onehandle]

33. I'll be sure and bookmark this thread and take a look back in a year...

...when Apple's stock has risen by another 25% or more.

"The iPod will never sell."

"Macs can't run third-party apps. Or Windows."

"Apple will go under any second now. I've been saying it for twenty years."

Ha ha.

[ReadTomPaine]

34. Actually I think the consensus has been the iPhone's going to be a winner..

people are mostly critical of details. It's missing some expected features, but it's still a nice device.