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Old BlogPrepping my condo for rent, getting the flu, lots of extra work, getting ready for a visit by my Dad… all conspired to keep me away from blogging for too long. I think I am just about to come up for some air, finally, and the funny thing is I feel more oxygenated than ever. The nice thing about being busy with life things – as opposed to computer/geeky/programming things – is that it does allow the subconscious time to filter things a bit.
I’ve tweeted a lot about Apple’s iPhone empire being evil (of a sort). It’s a closed, controlled ecosystem. You can buy your phone from only one vendor. It will run on only one carrier (AT&T). You can get applications from only one place (Apple App Store). If you want to develop for the iPhone you have to use one set of tools (from Apple). If you want to share your software you have to do it through the App Store (even if it’s free). If Apple thinks your application is inappropriate for any reason, they can block it. Some reasons might be that they think it’s illegal, or perhaps it has profane words in it. Or maybe it has functionality that Apple wants to reserve for itself or it’s partners (think Google Voice). Apple can even revoke your right to be in the App Store after they have accepted you… so you might have a pile of loyal users of your software out in the world and suddenly find yourself with no way to get upgrades to them. All the power is in Apple’s hands, and they seem to be wielding it for their own gain. That’s prompted folks – me included – to call them evil.
I believe in a free market and a free ecosystem. I believe – and vote with my dollars – for products that are more open than Apple. I want the right to code for my computing devices and to install software on them if I want to. I want to be able to write software and either give it away or sell it for others who have a similar device. I don’t want to allow the device maker to have the power to control when, if, and for how long my software – or anyone’s software – can be distributed for the device. I want multiple ways to get software distributed. I want to install software from the Open Source Community. I want to buy software too – from a variety of online stores, direct from the maker, or through media I purchase in a box in a store. But Apple does not allow that. It’s worse, actually, since this is an artificial limitation that Apple built into the iPhone. There’s no technical reason for it – just that Apple wants to ‘control’ all the look and feel of the applications and of course to take their hefty slice (30% minimum) on all the transactions. Sounds a lot like a thug with a gun at the bridge toll plaza. “You want to cross, you pay my toll” kind of thing.
I should say that I don’t like the iPhone anyway. It’s got wiz-bang human user software that took the game up a level for phones. They have a great browser – if you want to web surf mobile it’s a nice platform. They are a terrible phone – terrible radio. I’ve been in remote areas (near Truckee, actually) and my Blackberry 9000 had two bars and a friends iPhone had NOTHING. I hear that all the time. I also don’t want a phone that can only run one application at a time – oh, unless you have the secret Apple hooks to get some limited call back functions. You know, real multitasking systems on phones have been standard for a decade. And just try to type on one if you have fingers like mine. Sorry, mobile email is still my killer application and is the only thing that really makes my phone’s data plan ripoff costs something I can morally agree to.
So, on to Android. Russell Beattie wrote in his blog that Android is splintering. He makes a good point. There will be so many flavors of the Android phone with such different capabilities that creating an application for all of ‘Android’ is probably impossible. I’ve written before though that I’m not holding my breath about android (pun intended). It has all the marks of a system written by too many smart Engineers without enough serious market focus behind it. Toss in the fact (carrier meddling?) that they won’t even expose real telephony interfaces (read my blog about that) and it’s not the iPhone killer some seem to think it is.
What’s occurred to me is that the reason iPhone has so much power is the fact that their evil control over the ecosystem is what will give them even more power to destroy Android. Russell’s blog made a great point: consumers just want the software to work. If they buy one Android phone and install Android software on it, they will be right to expect it to work. But it probably won’t since the software author may have never tested on their model phone. iPhone developers have a drastically smaller QA matrix. Their very evil ways essentially give them an incredible advantage.
All this got me seriously thinking about the new Nokia N900. Amazing computer power in a phone with a touch screen *and* a nice keyboard. I’ve used the Nokia 800 and 810 quite a bit and they were *almost* there for me. They needed more polish, but what they really needed was a phone and a 3G data plan. When my N900 comes I can tell you if it’s the one or not. But in the meantime I wonder if Maemo – the Linux based software stack that runs on these Nokia units – is the phone OS that can challenge the iPhone. Controlled hardware platform produced by a trusted brand. Serious market penetration to start with. Solid hardware if their history indicates anything. Seriously open development environment with a growing community of developers – with many computer languages, not just the java-centric thing that Android is. An App store in the works but software available from multiple channels. Can Nokia use Maemo to lever into the game the way Android might not be able to? Maybe. Seriously maybe.
I tweeted about this tonight. Peter Cranstone tweeted me that he thinks it will be Windows Mobile 7. I doubt that, unless it’s a total rewrite. My Windows Mobile phone (a Motorola Q) was a scary indicator of how far back Microsoft was in basic phone thinking: even though I had a full keyboard the only speed dial keys available wre the numeric 0-9 keys. What? And the UI was pathetic – all desktop Windoze oriented with no understanding of a mobile interaction model. If MS can wake up they might be able to fix that (they have enough money to hire the best and let them rip) but can they really do it? Maybe – they are grokking open source a bit these days (I cannot believe I am admitting that though) – they even released some gode under the GPL. So, it might be colder in Hades soon, who knows.
What do you think? Leave a comment. I’m interested in what you all think about where mobile is going.
[...] I’ve been down on Android for it’s tendency to fragment the market and I’ve whined philosophically about how nice it would be if Nokia’s Maemo could be a unifying force. But the power of [...]
Bog, but i hate cell-phones and cell-phone “culture” – where work-a-day mediocretins have to bellow out their prosaic nonsense AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS while riding public transit.
whoever invented these public nuisances probably has an especialy saved spot in one of the lower “bolges” of dante’s disneyland inferno – right next to the inventors of the time clock, and double-entry book-keeping.
the only BRIGHT spot in this dark and dreary “brave new world” is perhaps the fact that these little buggers are, even as i hunt for these letters to write this screed, mutating the users’ genes.
or at least disrupting their bodies’ cellular structure.
but why blame Apple?
this trend of using a particular technological platform as a means of exclusive control over the media is hardly new. remember the BETAMAX/VHS wars a generation ago?
Carpe Emptor!
Im not sure that’s the appropriate answer.
Seriously, is there any sort of review process Android Apps have to endure? Or are they free to create anything and dump it on you? I see thousands of virus’, malware, spyware, etc, etc. What’s to stop all of that?
Case in point, I did notice recently that jail-broken iPhones are getting hacked due to their open platform.
I wont have those issues with the iPhone. I don’t worry about them on my Mac, nor my Touch, nor my iPhone.
great debate by the way.
)
Why isn’t it an appropriate answer? I’ll flip the question back at you: what if the only software you could put on your computer came through the maker of that computer? Sure, it would block out viruses and such, but the competition and diversity of software you could choose would be seriously limited. I very much doubt the computer software industry would be where it is today if that’s the model that had been adopted. It was openness and the ability to get software from anyone that CREATED the industry.
What’s wrong with buying (or obtaining) software from any known trusted source? After all, it’s the buyers device, right? Oh wait, it is except that you cannot do what you want with it.
I agree, it’s a great debate.
The software may come through Apple but it’s not made by Apple, therefore there is not a decrease in competition….I mean just look at all those dumb Fart Apps, all from different developers. There are multiples of almost each type of App in the App Store, so I don’t see lack of diversity or competition as a problem.
Also, you can jailbreak your iphone to increase these options. And as far as the recent security problems seen with jailbroken phones is concerned….this is easily circumvented if the person jailbreaking their phone knew what they were doing or bothered to look anything up in google.
Apple’s system is aimed at controlling and making thing easy for the masses. For those who know what to do, you can take control of your iphone if you deem fit.
@gherlein,
You are right. I checked and there is an App for home automation called AutoHTN. It is not nearly as refined or feature rich as my Indigo system, but it has potential. I also see that some of the car diagnostic Apps are multi-platform now.
It looks like Apple has a real contender. I hope it makes them up their game.
I do have one question though? What’s to stop someone from writing malicious apps and creating all sorts of havoc on the Android platform?
What’s to stop someone from writing a rogue app for your PC or Mac? Don’t install software from an untrusted source! *Especially* on your phone!
“I’ve tweeted a lot about Apple’s iPhone empire being evil (of a sort). It’s a closed, controlled ecosystem.”
And I love it. I am a quality freak and I have learned that closed, controlled ecosystem is good for quality, at least if Apple executes it.
I, for one, much prefer the ecosystem of the iPhone. I like the tight integration with my Mac, I like the fact that iTunes handles all of my App and Media needs in one application. I like the fact that I don’t have to be concerned about rouge Apps/virus’ wiping out my data. I like the fact that I can walk into any store and find accessories. And I like the fact I can find anything I need in 100,000 Applications. I also like the high quality of the hardware compared to the competitors. Their hardware is quite inferior with plastic cases and flimsy slider screens.
Moreover, here are a few things I can do with my iPhone that no other phone can do:
-Control all of my home lighting, HVAC, appliances, water sprinkler system, and outdoor lighting with Indigo from anywhere in the world.
-Control my dedicated home theater. When I enter the theater I hit one button on my iPhone and the lights dim, the curtains pull back, the movie starts, and the popcorn machine starts to pop, all automatically. When we are done I hit one button and the lights come back on, the curtains close and the popcorn machine turns off. Try that with any other phone.
-Remote control my Apple TV and Mac Mini connected to my TVs. My iPhone has a built-in keyboard and trackpad that controls everything on the screen.
-I can connect my iPhone to my car and diagnose problems. I can also connect it to my motorcycle and program torque curves and power output, ignition curves and so forth.
-My buddy uses his iPhone to tune his Dragster. And my neighbor uses his to tune his Sprint Car and download data to his Macbook Pro at the track.
Tell me you can do any of that with a Droid. I don’t think people realize just how much an iPhone can do. And these are just a few examples from one user.
You make my point for me – you *prefer* the closed ecosystem and don’t care about the loss of freedoms. That’s what will make it so hard for Android to compete.
But you are wrong about all the things you think that only the iPhone can do. All that can be done on an an Android – and more – since the hardware is much better – give it a year and you’ll be shocked how many applications are available for the Android. My worry is that they will not all work on all Android phones due to the hardware platform fragmentation (every phone being a little different).
Are you serious? If you don’t like the iPhone, don’t use it. Have you ever spent billions of dollars and man hours developing something? You might want some control over it too. Your main reason for this control….money, profit. Why? Remember all those billions of dollars you spent making this thing? That is captialism. That is the basis of your “free market, free ecosystem”. Would you rather someone tell you how to run your buisness? That’s a resounding NO, because that would not be a free market now would it?
The iPhone is lightyears ahead of any other smartphone. Plus, all of the idiotic things you don’t like about it can be fixed very easily….jailbreak, takes 3 minutes. And give an example of any phone TRULY multitasking? I’ve owned BB in the past….multitasking, I think not.
Apple is doing what they want with their product (mainly because it’s their’s) to keep it from being diluted and turning into a washed up POS that everyone forgets about in a year like, just every other supposedly “great” new phone that comes on the market. Control is the basis of greatness, pick up a history book.
Sorry, the iPhone is NOT lightyears ahead. It’s crappy radio alone is enough to make your comment look uninformed.
And I don’t say Apple did anything illegal, just evil. If they want to control their ecosystem to maximize their revenues, no problem.
But you missed my point too – which is that the closed ecosystem has created an environment where lots of folks like you *want* all the side effects and *don’t care* about the loss of freedoms – and that Android will not compete with that if it’s fragmented by lots of incompatible phone models.
If you like your iPhone, fine. I just don’t want to give up my freedoms for a lesser phone, and I want to see another phone in the market compete with Apple.
Anything open is free so no money spent.
And I believe the banksters have a free run on the ‘open’ financial system too (former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress he’s “shocked” at the financial meltdown. He did concede his belief in deregulation was flawed) which resulted in the financial crisis.
Anyway you eat your cake anyway you like.
My iPhone is available from 5 different carriers over 3 different networks.
It is sold in many different stores from Best Buy to the local London Drugs, from Apple Stores to the carriers’ kiosks in the malls.
I can surf the net while playing music. Hell, I can surf the net while making a phone call. I can play a game, take a call, then return to the game at the exact point I left it.
That’s multitasking that works. Who needs a true multitasking phone with a one hour battery life?
All iPhone Apps must be ’signed’ by Apple. How is that a crime? If all Windows programs had to be signed by Microsoft before they would work on your PC, we wouldn’t need anti-virus software. Malware wouldn’t work on Windows.
Think about it.
Al
Calgary AB
The iPhone is available only on AT&T so I’m not sure where you get 5 different carriers… and no, multi-taskign is being able to have other apps run in the background. Apple is claiming their behavior as a feature when it’s really just lame software design. and as for battery life, gee, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to replace the battery on your own?
But you missed my point – which is that the closed ecosystem has created an environment where lots of folks like you *want* all the side effects and *don’t care* about the loss of freedoms – and that Android will not compete with that if it’s fragmented by lots of incompatible phone models.
If you like your iPhone, fine. I just don’t want to give up my freedoms for a lesser phone, and I want to see another phone in the market compete with Apple.
Oh, and my other comment: your argument that because all apps have to be signed by Apple so there can be no malware – hogwash. That’s the same argument as “It’s OK for the Government to listen to all our calls because that stops terrorism.” I don’t buy that line of thinking.
[...] – Apple’s #iphone #evil may give them the edge over #android – a chance for Nokia and Maemo? http://bit.ly/7qsajf Tags: fresh, [...]