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The only way to get apps on the original iPhone was to hack your iPhone. It was only through the incredible demand that users wanted to do this that Apple actua
by fryguy 11y ago
The only way to get apps on the original iPhone was to hack your iPhone. It was only through the incredible demand that users wanted to do this that Apple actually released a store for applications. I'm continually surprised at people that are surprised when Apple does stuff like this.
To engage in a little snark, I wonder how long it will be before Apple adds a feature to the next version of iOS that allows f.lux-like functionality, and then claim they invented it.
- MBCook 11y agoI doubt it. A few million downloads is still a drop in the bucket and such software has been available for OS X forever and they haven't cared to integrate it.
- OJFord 11y agoThere's a tonne of stuff available for OS X forever that they haven't cared to integrate though. Not true of iOS, mobile is somehow different, and as above - it started off completely closed to third-parties!
- MBCook 11y agoAnd that has saved them from a ton of complexity and security issues. Users (by and large, HN is very skewed from normal) don't seem to mind at all.
- encoderer 11y agoInteresting perspective. I've always thought the lack of an appstore in 1.0 was just pragmatic. It definitely made it easier to launch the first version of iOS and cope with the very limited resources -- 128MB of ram!
- jakejake 11y agoAt the time, Jobs was showing off how developers could create app-like experiences using HTML - with the ability for people to "install" your app using the add-to-home-screen feature. That was the intended solution for us plebs. Native apps were most likely going to be only for partner companies. Ironically when people starting creating actual apps using HTML via PhoneGap and the like, Apple was resistant to that too!