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I'm sure I read a variation of this article every month or so. I'm sure Ive even read it on ZD before as well. But these analysts are too short sighted to reme

by rjd 15y ago

I'm sure I read a variation of this article every month or so. I'm sure Ive even read it on ZD before as well. But these analysts are too short sighted to remember than when Apple rolled out the iPhone it was web apps only. That was there initial business model for the device. They adjusted and dominated the market because of public pressure to do so. I think Apple probably have business models up there sleeve from years ago they never implemented.

alwillis 15y ago
Please don't perpetuate the myth that Apple wasn't going to provide a SDK and only because of public pressure did they release one. Just because there was no SDK when the iPhone shipped in June 2007 doesn't mean they hadn't planned to release one all along, which of course they did. And just for the record, Apple released the first version of the iPhone SDK in March 2008, just 9 months after the iPhone shipped. That's an awfully quick turnaround for a company that supposedly wasn't going to release a SDK at all until there was pressure.
- rjd 15y ago
  The public SDK could have been delivered easily in 9 months as the Apple devs themselves had to be using something, so many of the decisions would have been already hardened. Plus iOS wasn't a completely new system it shares core components with OSX. Id hazard a guess the 9 months was more than luckily 9 months security testing than developing an API for the public.
  - 2muchcoffeeman 15y ago
    You have to consider the infrastructure needed to support developers too. It's not just a piece of software they delivered.
    - rjd 15y ago
      No most of the infrastructure already existed because iTunes was already in place.
  - alwillis 15y ago
    Except that it's not just delivering the SDK; it was also the App Store and all of the infrastructure it requires. As anyone else who's worked closely with Apple can confirm, they don't change strategy based on public pressure. The iPhone was in development 2.5 years prior to its introduction in 2007; the decision to support native 3rd party apps was made long before any of us heard of the iPhone.
    - rjd 15y ago
      iTunes was already in place, so the infrastructure and payment methods already existed. TBH this is only something Apple can answer. I think you're right that Apple don't change tack due to pressure. However the iPhone was a volatile product, with a high risk of failure. It also ran the risk of getting booted off carriers for abusing network, and runs all sorts of security issues... remembering in an abstracted way its hooked to your bank account.. to your personal finances. I mean the last thing Apple needs is a porn dialer and malware problem like Android has got. I would say they had plans to do the App store all along, you'd be foolish not to at least explore the concept. They where already doing games and little things for the iPod, so in a sense it already existed. But I bet there hand was forced... or maybe the carriers hand was forced letting Apple win the argument... by public pressure and hackers already writing there own code.

by rjd 15y ago

alwillis 15y ago

Please don't perpetuate the myth that Apple wasn't going to provide a SDK and only because of public pressure did they release one. Just because there was no SDK when the iPhone shipped in June 2007 doesn't mean they hadn't planned to release one all along, which of course they did. And just for the record, Apple released the first version of the iPhone SDK in March 2008, just 9 months after the iPhone shipped. That's an awfully quick turnaround for a company that supposedly wasn't going to release a SDK at all until there was pressure.

rjd 15y ago
The public SDK could have been delivered easily in 9 months as the Apple devs themselves had to be using something, so many of the decisions would have been already hardened. Plus iOS wasn't a completely new system it shares core components with OSX. Id hazard a guess the 9 months was more than luckily 9 months security testing than developing an API for the public.
- 2muchcoffeeman 15y ago
  You have to consider the infrastructure needed to support developers too. It's not just a piece of software they delivered.
  - rjd 15y ago
    No most of the infrastructure already existed because iTunes was already in place.
- alwillis 15y ago
  Except that it's not just delivering the SDK; it was also the App Store and all of the infrastructure it requires. As anyone else who's worked closely with Apple can confirm, they don't change strategy based on public pressure. The iPhone was in development 2.5 years prior to its introduction in 2007; the decision to support native 3rd party apps was made long before any of us heard of the iPhone.
  - rjd 15y ago
    iTunes was already in place, so the infrastructure and payment methods already existed. TBH this is only something Apple can answer. I think you're right that Apple don't change tack due to pressure. However the iPhone was a volatile product, with a high risk of failure. It also ran the risk of getting booted off carriers for abusing network, and runs all sorts of security issues... remembering in an abstracted way its hooked to your bank account.. to your personal finances. I mean the last thing Apple needs is a porn dialer and malware problem like Android has got. I would say they had plans to do the App store all along, you'd be foolish not to at least explore the concept. They where already doing games and little things for the iPod, so in a sense it already existed. But I bet there hand was forced... or maybe the carriers hand was forced letting Apple win the argument... by public pressure and hackers already writing there own code.