6 ms·

The iPhone Software Revolution

93 points by wyday 17y ago

Tomer 17y ago
This is an amazing web site! where do you get from the news?! you have so many good web sites you refer to...
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
wallflower 17y ago
If you do not yet read it, I highly recommend Daniel Eran Dilger's RoughlyDrafted Magazine for cogent, prescient, detailed, forward-looking analysis of Apple as Apple evolves. Unfortunately, some of his better stuff is buried in his archives. http://www.roughlydrafted.com/ http://www.roughlydrafted.com/ "The big 3.0: How iPhone will shift peripheral devices" http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/03/20/the-big-30-how-iphone-will-shift-peripheral-devices/ http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/03/20/the-big-30-how-ipho... "Why Windows 7 is Microsoft's next Zune" http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/05/09/why-windows-7-is-microsofts-next-zune/ http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/05/09/why-windows-7-is-mi... http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=%22By+daniel+eran%22+%2B+site%3Aroughlydrafted.com&aq=f&oq=&aqi=&fp=xxOAMYytekc http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=%22By+daniel+eran%22+%2B+... From June 2007: "Apple’s updates will draw a stark contrast between the iPhone as a handheld Mac, and the basic smartphones that can only run mini-apps and a few poorly drawn, overpriced software titles. Apple has turned the mobile industry into a consumer facing market, where consumers will buy the phone, get updates, and buy software from Apple. That makes Apple responsible for their security, their demanded features, and their support. That’s not how things work today in the mobile world... Once users get accustomed to a full handheld computer that works intelligently, are they going to make any attempt to break free and grab a smartphone that really does very little, like the Motorola Q? It will also be very difficult for other hardware makers to match Apple's product on an engineering scale. Sure, Nokia, Sony, and others can make fancier phones with features the iPhone lacks, whether its a 6 MP camera, a GPS unit, WiMax, an FM radio, or a cheese slicer, but the real trick to engineering is to know what to leave out." http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q2.07/73805E44-AEF4-4F7F-BEF4-C759574D1D09.html http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q2.07/73805E44-AEF...
- TwoSheds 17y ago
  RoughlyDrafted is extremely biased. I can't stomach the site and I'm an Apple fanboy.
deleted 17y ago
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tsally 17y ago
Hrm. So on the one hand, your personal beliefs prevent you from using a computer that is completely controled and locked down, but because everyone else is doing it for phones, it's ok then? I'm not criticizing Jeff for buying an iPhone, but let's be very clear on the price of the 'hacker mentality' in this case. :-) An important lesson here for free software advocates as well. Only now are free software operating systems catching up in usability and user friendliness. Let's not make the same mistake on mobile devices as well.
- compay 17y ago
  Android is quite a ways along already. Though it's not as polished as the iPhone's OS it's much closer than, say, Linux desktops are to OS X. In fact I just ditched my first generation iPhone for a G1 running Android. While I admit the iPhone is a better device, the G1 with Android is good enough and much more freely hackable.
  - newsio 17y ago
    Good point. Atwood's essay about the proprietary nature of the industry neglects Android. It's not even mentioned once.
    - tdavis 17y ago
      Or Openmoko which is even more neglected.
      - peregrine 17y ago
        Openmoko is neglected by the market as a whole. I like what they do but the platform has been outclassed by Android.
        tdavis 17y ago
        AFAIK, nobody yet supplies an Android handset designed for hacking itself. I think they're targeting slightly different markets (which do overlap in some areas).
PieSquared 17y ago
Sigh. How many software revolutions can there be in a year...?
- Tichy 17y ago
  If progress accelerates exponentially and "revolution" is defined as a fixed width leap, perhaps it is naturally if the density of revolutions/year increases.
- joubert 17y ago
  We're in the middle of the singularity, silly.
ErrantX 17y ago
Hmmm is it just me or does it sound like Jeff has fallen under the Apple marketing spell. I think so :D Kudos Apple. The Iphone is a fantastic product (dont get me wrong): but even more interesting is the unbelievable marketing job Apple did on it. They put an OK phone into the markets ahead of it's time (with V1) and whipped up a demand. Then fullfilled it with the 3G and now the 3G S - nothing else can get a look in at the moment.
- wallflower 17y ago
  > They put an OK phone into the markets ahead of it's time (with V1) Yes, don't we all have a short-term memory and forget that some people were criticizing and evaluating the v1 iPhone based on feature lists of other smartphones at the time (video, MMS, copy-and-paste). And the lack of 3G. Lack of multi-tasking (that's still WIP). If Apple had not closed itself off and did it their way (ignoring the pundits talking about the missing features), the v1 iPhone might never have come out (or would have been delayed). Maybe Apple is successful because it is not transparent. Because it understands that the consumer doesn't want complete control over their personal devices, but that the user wants a good experience. iTunes isn't perfect but it lets people buy music and go off on a run and listen to that music. Do you really think the average iPhone consumer cares that Cocoa is behind the scenes? You can't compare Apple with any other company. They are unique. Yes, they have their flaws but no one company or product is perfect. Apple is not just opaque from the outside: “I was at the iPod launch,” said Edward Eigerman, who spent four years as a systems engineer at Apple and now runs his own technology consulting firm. “No one that I worked with saw that coming.”
  - ErrantX 17y ago
    They were criticising it and bemoaning it. And there were arguably "better" products coming onto the scene. Apple naikled every aspect though and sold it to the mass public. That is hard - but they had a foothold because of the Ipod market and years of experience in making "must have" products :) I never said anything about transparency: I agree as it happens, secrecy IS one of Apple's biggest strengths. Apple know what ticks customers boxes (as you say Itunes isnt the most perfect player in the world - but for many consumers it hits what they need perfectly).
praptak 17y ago
"A landmark, genre-defining product, no longer a mere smartphone but an honest to God fully capable, no-compromises computer [...]" You lost me there. Can I run whatever software I choose on it? No? Then please shut up about "fully capable, no-compromises" computer.
- wmeredith 17y ago
  I'm pretty sure he's talking about hardware, you're talking about a software issue.
  - edw519 17y ago
    Does the iphone have a USB port? Can I plug in my 19" monitor, keyboard, or mouse?
    - rdj 17y ago
      The iphone does have a connection point, and if I remember correctly, they are opening it up to third parties. So, if the phone can take blood pressure and insulin readings, I'm guessing it will only be a matter of time before it also accepts USB enabled devices. On a side note, I did see a pocket LED? projector (~$400) connected to this port on the iphone. It worked nicely.
    - nailer 17y ago
      It has a keyboard, pointing device, and display. Seems like a computer to me.
  - dinkumthinkum 17y ago
    Without software, the hardware is just a bunch of ICs. I don't see the point here.
  - praptak 17y ago
    I am pretty sure I am talking about the device as a whole. I don't care for the exact reason that prevents me from running arbitrary software on it, be it hardware, software or even legalware ("you agree not to execute any unapproved software..."). It might even have a supercomputer hidden inside - as long as someone else decides what I run on it, it isn't a fully capable computer.
deleted 17y ago
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ph0rque 17y ago
> But a cell phone? It's a closed ecosystem, by definition, running on a proprietary network. It might be a closed system now, but give it a few years; I don't see any reasons why a cell phone (small computer, really) will remain closed for long.
- dfj225 17y ago
  Exactly. My prediction is that as cell phones become increasingly powerful, they will eventually replace computers, as we know them today, in most average consumers' lives. When this is the case, I don't think that closed systems can or should be tolerated. Phones will simply be too important and too central to everyone's life to allow for this. This is why I'm hoping that Android (or some other similarly open platform) gains a prominent place in the market, showing the rest of the industry the way forward.
  - herval 17y ago
    Computers are quite central to everyone's lives, and still, 98% of people 'tolerate' Windows and OSX... Plus, cellphones are much more seen as appliances than 'computers' (at least today). As they get smarter, so do videogames, DVRs and other appliances - and still, there's no rush for making any of those electronics 'open source', nor claims for intolerance. Android has an edge since the company behind it knows how to make software - I'm not convinced, though, it would be any different if Google did it all closed-source...
    - stcredzero 17y ago
      Open Source/Free Software doesn't have to dominate to achieve its aims. It just has to be a vibrant fringe. If it's a passably good alternative, it can perform its function of disseminating knowledge. It can also act as the springboard for new development.
    - dfj225 17y ago
      > Computers are quite central to everyone's lives, and still, 98% of people 'tolerate' Windows and OSX... On Windows and OSX you can install and run whatever application you want. You can, without permission from Microsoft or Apple, develop whatever application you like and distribute it in any fashion you wish. This is the key difference between the iPhone and "computers" that I was trying to highlight.
garply 17y ago
I guess I just don't get it. I was recently in the market for a cellphone and with a $200-300 budget I was choosing between the new iPhone and an A1600 Motorola Ming. I ended up shelling out about $250 for the Ming for several reasons: 1) The iPhone feels bulky - I don't like such a massive phone. 2) The Ming has a clamshell model - this ties in with the iPhone's size problem, but it also deals with protecting the screen... I've seen people using skins just to protect their phone. 3) The Ming's battery is trivially replaceable (~$10 for a battery). 4) The Ming runs Linux. I've used both and find the software interfaces comparably pleasant, although different. And contracts were a non-issue because where I'm located (China) the carriers don't lock the handset down. The only downside I've found - and this comes with the size reduction - is that some of my activity is stylus-based. For some things (like calling contacts) fingers work fine though. Overall, I'm quite happy and I wonder if the iPhone is overhyped.
- yardie 17y ago
  I just checked the specs on a Ming. No 3G, No wifi (china doesn't allow it someone posted), lower resolution screen, and a stylus?! BTW, it weighs as much as an iPhone. Linux on mobile phones is at a dead end. Even Motorola is jumping to android. And actual useful MIDP applications are few and far between. If you wanted the cheaper phone then just say so. But the Ming is truly not in the same league as the iPhone, HTC, or Blackberry.
  - garply 17y ago
    I wasn't actually looking for the cheaper phone. Before I made the purchase, someone else pointed out to me the hardware difference - lack of 3G, wifi, and screen resolution - I didn't see how they were selling points. Having used a friend's iPhone extensively, I never made use of wifi or really benefited from the screen resolution. And 3G is just higher transfer speed, right? Perhaps the issue is that I don't watch videos on my cellphone? I like to make calls, check email, and use GPS on my phone. To me, the loss of those hardware features didn't seem to be anywhere near worth the loss of the clamshell design and the extra battery.
- ghshephard 17y ago
gcheong 17y ago
I was thinking about how much I used my iPod touch on my last vacation: to check e-mail, browse the web, as an alarm clock, for games and, occasionally, to play music.
awolf 17y ago
Apple is master of the user Interface hands down. Where else besides a device you use contantly, in quick bursts, while on-the-go does user interface matter more? Sure some folks on HN will prefer an open OS- but for the general public it will be a very long time before any other mobile OS catches up in terms of ease of use. And when they do catch up it will be from copying Apple's every move.
- nailer 17y ago
  I'lll be sure to consider that when switching between a contacts mail and messages without switching apps, browsing a web page with a Flash enabled, Skyping over 3G, or calling peoplewith a single hit from the home screen on the HTC Hero I'm going to replace my iPhone with.
  - roc 17y ago
    And that flexibility comes at a direct cost to ease of use. Particularly on a mobile with limited battery life. And can we stop with the adobe marketing bullet-point? Do real people actually -care- if they get flash on their phone? IME what people are looking for is support of video sites that aren't youtube. But shouldn't we be calling on those sites to support vanilla h264 and html 5 rather than h264-wrapped-in-proprietary-inefficient-mess? Why call on -phones- to destroy our batteries trying to make that proprietary inefficient mess run acceptably?
    - nailer 17y ago
      are you saying open source video codecs use less power? Do you have a reference for that?
plinkplonk 17y ago
This is a very USA centric post. Nothing wrong with that of course. "Locked in to a single vendor? Everyone signs a multi-year contract." in the United States. Here in India (set to become the second largest cell phone market in the world, behind China and replacing the USA by 2010), most (> 99.5%) phones are unlocked and so vendor neutral. You can switch vendors and phones independently. The Telecom Ministry is putting in place a regulation to allow phone number portability. This should happen in a couple of months and then you can switch service providers and your old cell number remains valid with the new vendor. "I predict they will dominate the market for years to come. " The US market. Sure. "and signing up for the $99 iPhone Developer Program -- can build an app and sell it to the worldwide audience of iPhone users." Rant mode on. I'll be damned if I pay 99$ a year to be "allowed" to develop software for a device I paid for. AFAIK (correct me if I am wrong) I have to pay to deploy an app on my own phone. Rant Mode off.
- dinkumthinkum 17y ago
  In the U.S. there is cell number portability. Also, sure you can jailbreak the phone but then that engenders a whole host of other potential problems to say nothing of the fact that that is untenable for most users.
  - plinkplonk 17y ago
    "In the U.S. there is cell number portability." That's good to know. Just curious, do people even try to buy unlocked phones in the USA?
    - msbmsb 17y ago
      Unlocked phones are available at many of the big electronics retailers (best buy, frys, etc) and there are myriad cell phone stores that specialize in unlocked/imported sets.
    - evgen 17y ago
      A few do, but the vast majority do not; the cost differential is quite large. A unlocked phone will generally cost 2-3X what you would pay for a locked/subsidized phone, and since the cost to get service from any carrier is generally not going to cover the difference in price over the lifetime of the phone it is not a good option. One additional factor to consider with the US market is that we do not have a single cellphone standard; CDMA phone users can choose between Sprint or Verizon and GSM phone users can choose between AT&T or T-Mobile (there are minor prepaid players as well, but prepay and smartphones will not be a good mix until the providers figure out how to deal with the voice vs. data issue...)
dinkumthinkum 17y ago
It seems ironic for someone who derides learning anything about computer science and finds knowing anything about the C programming language to be totally ridiculous and antiquated to be lauding a system that is primarily programmed in Objective-C (rather than VB6 or whatever), on a programming blog no less. But to be fair, not much programming is talked about on that blog from what I can see so maybe it is more Engadget-lite-lite.
jpeterson 17y ago
Couldn't help but be reminded of this article: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone
- wmeredith 17y ago
  Couldn't help but point out that on a 3gs iPhone running 3.0 OS almost everything in that article is refuted. (It's still hilarious, though.)
calambrac 17y ago
I have a new game, where I see how many sentences into a Jeff Atwood article I can get before the first completely idiotic statement, and then I stop reading. I don't spend a lot of time there. "But as I predicted, 12 months later, the iPhone 3G rectified all the shortcomings of the first version." The 3G had a slightly different form factor, a flush headphone jack, and 3G. I guess I just never internalized how serious some people were in their demands for less aluminum, adapter-less private music consumption, and the ability to flush their battery for spotty slightly-faster data downloads. Threadjacking attempt: if you could excise one overly-influential blogger from the interwebs, who would it be? Atwood's quickly approaching Enderle/Dvorak/Scoble territory on that list for me.
mcantelon 17y ago
What does this article say that is interesting that caused people to upvote it?
- wmeredith 17y ago
  You can answer your own question by spending a few minutes reading this comments page.
  - mcantelon 17y ago
    I did and came up with nothing. What do you see as interesting about his article?
jsz0 17y ago
"Here's how far I am willing to go: I believe the iPhone will ultimately be judged a more important product than the original Apple Macintosh." I've been saying the same thing for a while. Like many revolutionary products the iPhone isn't the first device to ever offer these features but it IS the first device to make them accessible to the masses. Part of that is a good user interface but an equally, or possibly more, important part of it is advertising. Apple educated customers on what the device could do out of the box. Now they're even advertising third party apps. As a result many people are able to use services & technologies that were out of reach to them before -- or they were ignorant these things even existed. Lots of people will say marketing doesn't matter and it's just fluff and blah blah but making people aware of something, and making it possible for them to use it, is a huge part of what makes a technology revolutionary.

93 points by wyday 17y ago

Tomer 17y ago

This is an amazing web site! where do you get from the news?! you have so many good web sites you refer to...

deleted 17y ago
[deleted]

wallflower 17y ago

If you do not yet read it, I highly recommend Daniel Eran Dilger's RoughlyDrafted Magazine for cogent, prescient, detailed, forward-looking analysis of Apple as Apple evolves. Unfortunately, some of his better stuff is buried in his archives. http://www.roughlydrafted.com/ http://www.roughlydrafted.com/ "The big 3.0: How iPhone will shift peripheral devices" http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/03/20/the-big-30-how-iphone-will-shift-peripheral-devices/ http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/03/20/the-big-30-how-ipho... "Why Windows 7 is Microsoft's next Zune" http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/05/09/why-windows-7-is-microsofts-next-zune/ http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/05/09/why-windows-7-is-mi... http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=%22By+daniel+eran%22+%2B+site%3Aroughlydrafted.com&aq=f&oq=&aqi=&fp=xxOAMYytekc http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=%22By+daniel+eran%22+%2B+... From June 2007: "Apple’s updates will draw a stark contrast between the iPhone as a handheld Mac, and the basic smartphones that can only run mini-apps and a few poorly drawn, overpriced software titles. Apple has turned the mobile industry into a consumer facing market, where consumers will buy the phone, get updates, and buy software from Apple. That makes Apple responsible for their security, their demanded features, and their support. That’s not how things work today in the mobile world... Once users get accustomed to a full handheld computer that works intelligently, are they going to make any attempt to break free and grab a smartphone that really does very little, like the Motorola Q? It will also be very difficult for other hardware makers to match Apple's product on an engineering scale. Sure, Nokia, Sony, and others can make fancier phones with features the iPhone lacks, whether its a 6 MP camera, a GPS unit, WiMax, an FM radio, or a cheese slicer, but the real trick to engineering is to know what to leave out." http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q2.07/73805E44-AEF4-4F7F-BEF4-C759574D1D09.html http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q2.07/73805E44-AEF...

TwoSheds 17y ago
RoughlyDrafted is extremely biased. I can't stomach the site and I'm an Apple fanboy.

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

tsally 17y ago

Hrm. So on the one hand, your personal beliefs prevent you from using a computer that is completely controled and locked down, but because everyone else is doing it for phones, it's ok then? I'm not criticizing Jeff for buying an iPhone, but let's be very clear on the price of the 'hacker mentality' in this case. :-) An important lesson here for free software advocates as well. Only now are free software operating systems catching up in usability and user friendliness. Let's not make the same mistake on mobile devices as well.

compay 17y ago
Android is quite a ways along already. Though it's not as polished as the iPhone's OS it's much closer than, say, Linux desktops are to OS X. In fact I just ditched my first generation iPhone for a G1 running Android. While I admit the iPhone is a better device, the G1 with Android is good enough and much more freely hackable.
- newsio 17y ago
  Good point. Atwood's essay about the proprietary nature of the industry neglects Android. It's not even mentioned once.
  - tdavis 17y ago
    Or Openmoko which is even more neglected.
    - peregrine 17y ago
      Openmoko is neglected by the market as a whole. I like what they do but the platform has been outclassed by Android.
      - tdavis 17y ago
        AFAIK, nobody yet supplies an Android handset designed for hacking itself. I think they're targeting slightly different markets (which do overlap in some areas).

PieSquared 17y ago

Sigh. How many software revolutions can there be in a year...?

Tichy 17y ago
If progress accelerates exponentially and "revolution" is defined as a fixed width leap, perhaps it is naturally if the density of revolutions/year increases.
joubert 17y ago
We're in the middle of the singularity, silly.

ErrantX 17y ago

Hmmm is it just me or does it sound like Jeff has fallen under the Apple marketing spell. I think so :D Kudos Apple. The Iphone is a fantastic product (dont get me wrong): but even more interesting is the unbelievable marketing job Apple did on it. They put an OK phone into the markets ahead of it's time (with V1) and whipped up a demand. Then fullfilled it with the 3G and now the 3G S - nothing else can get a look in at the moment.

wallflower 17y ago
> They put an OK phone into the markets ahead of it's time (with V1) Yes, don't we all have a short-term memory and forget that some people were criticizing and evaluating the v1 iPhone based on feature lists of other smartphones at the time (video, MMS, copy-and-paste). And the lack of 3G. Lack of multi-tasking (that's still WIP). If Apple had not closed itself off and did it their way (ignoring the pundits talking about the missing features), the v1 iPhone might never have come out (or would have been delayed). Maybe Apple is successful because it is not transparent. Because it understands that the consumer doesn't want complete control over their personal devices, but that the user wants a good experience. iTunes isn't perfect but it lets people buy music and go off on a run and listen to that music. Do you really think the average iPhone consumer cares that Cocoa is behind the scenes? You can't compare Apple with any other company. They are unique. Yes, they have their flaws but no one company or product is perfect. Apple is not just opaque from the outside: “I was at the iPod launch,” said Edward Eigerman, who spent four years as a systems engineer at Apple and now runs his own technology consulting firm. “No one that I worked with saw that coming.”
- ErrantX 17y ago
  They were criticising it and bemoaning it. And there were arguably "better" products coming onto the scene. Apple naikled every aspect though and sold it to the mass public. That is hard - but they had a foothold because of the Ipod market and years of experience in making "must have" products :) I never said anything about transparency: I agree as it happens, secrecy IS one of Apple's biggest strengths. Apple know what ticks customers boxes (as you say Itunes isnt the most perfect player in the world - but for many consumers it hits what they need perfectly).

praptak 17y ago

"A landmark, genre-defining product, no longer a mere smartphone but an honest to God fully capable, no-compromises computer [...]" You lost me there. Can I run whatever software I choose on it? No? Then please shut up about "fully capable, no-compromises" computer.

wmeredith 17y ago
I'm pretty sure he's talking about hardware, you're talking about a software issue.
- edw519 17y ago
  Does the iphone have a USB port? Can I plug in my 19" monitor, keyboard, or mouse?
  - rdj 17y ago
    The iphone does have a connection point, and if I remember correctly, they are opening it up to third parties. So, if the phone can take blood pressure and insulin readings, I'm guessing it will only be a matter of time before it also accepts USB enabled devices. On a side note, I did see a pocket LED? projector (~$400) connected to this port on the iphone. It worked nicely.
  - nailer 17y ago
    It has a keyboard, pointing device, and display. Seems like a computer to me.
- dinkumthinkum 17y ago
  Without software, the hardware is just a bunch of ICs. I don't see the point here.
- praptak 17y ago
  I am pretty sure I am talking about the device as a whole. I don't care for the exact reason that prevents me from running arbitrary software on it, be it hardware, software or even legalware ("you agree not to execute any unapproved software..."). It might even have a supercomputer hidden inside - as long as someone else decides what I run on it, it isn't a fully capable computer.

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

ph0rque 17y ago

> But a cell phone? It's a closed ecosystem, by definition, running on a proprietary network. It might be a closed system now, but give it a few years; I don't see any reasons why a cell phone (small computer, really) will remain closed for long.

dfj225 17y ago
Exactly. My prediction is that as cell phones become increasingly powerful, they will eventually replace computers, as we know them today, in most average consumers' lives. When this is the case, I don't think that closed systems can or should be tolerated. Phones will simply be too important and too central to everyone's life to allow for this. This is why I'm hoping that Android (or some other similarly open platform) gains a prominent place in the market, showing the rest of the industry the way forward.
- herval 17y ago
  Computers are quite central to everyone's lives, and still, 98% of people 'tolerate' Windows and OSX... Plus, cellphones are much more seen as appliances than 'computers' (at least today). As they get smarter, so do videogames, DVRs and other appliances - and still, there's no rush for making any of those electronics 'open source', nor claims for intolerance. Android has an edge since the company behind it knows how to make software - I'm not convinced, though, it would be any different if Google did it all closed-source...
  - stcredzero 17y ago
    Open Source/Free Software doesn't have to dominate to achieve its aims. It just has to be a vibrant fringe. If it's a passably good alternative, it can perform its function of disseminating knowledge. It can also act as the springboard for new development.
  - dfj225 17y ago
    > Computers are quite central to everyone's lives, and still, 98% of people 'tolerate' Windows and OSX... On Windows and OSX you can install and run whatever application you want. You can, without permission from Microsoft or Apple, develop whatever application you like and distribute it in any fashion you wish. This is the key difference between the iPhone and "computers" that I was trying to highlight.

garply 17y ago

I guess I just don't get it. I was recently in the market for a cellphone and with a $200-300 budget I was choosing between the new iPhone and an A1600 Motorola Ming. I ended up shelling out about $250 for the Ming for several reasons: 1) The iPhone feels bulky - I don't like such a massive phone. 2) The Ming has a clamshell model - this ties in with the iPhone's size problem, but it also deals with protecting the screen... I've seen people using skins just to protect their phone. 3) The Ming's battery is trivially replaceable (~$10 for a battery). 4) The Ming runs Linux. I've used both and find the software interfaces comparably pleasant, although different. And contracts were a non-issue because where I'm located (China) the carriers don't lock the handset down. The only downside I've found - and this comes with the size reduction - is that some of my activity is stylus-based. For some things (like calling contacts) fingers work fine though. Overall, I'm quite happy and I wonder if the iPhone is overhyped.

yardie 17y ago
I just checked the specs on a Ming. No 3G, No wifi (china doesn't allow it someone posted), lower resolution screen, and a stylus?! BTW, it weighs as much as an iPhone. Linux on mobile phones is at a dead end. Even Motorola is jumping to android. And actual useful MIDP applications are few and far between. If you wanted the cheaper phone then just say so. But the Ming is truly not in the same league as the iPhone, HTC, or Blackberry.
- garply 17y ago
  I wasn't actually looking for the cheaper phone. Before I made the purchase, someone else pointed out to me the hardware difference - lack of 3G, wifi, and screen resolution - I didn't see how they were selling points. Having used a friend's iPhone extensively, I never made use of wifi or really benefited from the screen resolution. And 3G is just higher transfer speed, right? Perhaps the issue is that I don't watch videos on my cellphone? I like to make calls, check email, and use GPS on my phone. To me, the loss of those hardware features didn't seem to be anywhere near worth the loss of the clamshell design and the extra battery.
ghshephard 17y ago

gcheong 17y ago

I was thinking about how much I used my iPod touch on my last vacation: to check e-mail, browse the web, as an alarm clock, for games and, occasionally, to play music.

awolf 17y ago

Apple is master of the user Interface hands down. Where else besides a device you use contantly, in quick bursts, while on-the-go does user interface matter more? Sure some folks on HN will prefer an open OS- but for the general public it will be a very long time before any other mobile OS catches up in terms of ease of use. And when they do catch up it will be from copying Apple's every move.

nailer 17y ago
I'lll be sure to consider that when switching between a contacts mail and messages without switching apps, browsing a web page with a Flash enabled, Skyping over 3G, or calling peoplewith a single hit from the home screen on the HTC Hero I'm going to replace my iPhone with.
- roc 17y ago
  And that flexibility comes at a direct cost to ease of use. Particularly on a mobile with limited battery life. And can we stop with the adobe marketing bullet-point? Do real people actually -care- if they get flash on their phone? IME what people are looking for is support of video sites that aren't youtube. But shouldn't we be calling on those sites to support vanilla h264 and html 5 rather than h264-wrapped-in-proprietary-inefficient-mess? Why call on -phones- to destroy our batteries trying to make that proprietary inefficient mess run acceptably?
  - nailer 17y ago
    are you saying open source video codecs use less power? Do you have a reference for that?

plinkplonk 17y ago

This is a very USA centric post. Nothing wrong with that of course. "Locked in to a single vendor? Everyone signs a multi-year contract." in the United States. Here in India (set to become the second largest cell phone market in the world, behind China and replacing the USA by 2010), most (> 99.5%) phones are unlocked and so vendor neutral. You can switch vendors and phones independently. The Telecom Ministry is putting in place a regulation to allow phone number portability. This should happen in a couple of months and then you can switch service providers and your old cell number remains valid with the new vendor. "I predict they will dominate the market for years to come. " The US market. Sure. "and signing up for the $99 iPhone Developer Program -- can build an app and sell it to the worldwide audience of iPhone users." Rant mode on. I'll be damned if I pay 99$ a year to be "allowed" to develop software for a device I paid for. AFAIK (correct me if I am wrong) I have to pay to deploy an app on my own phone. Rant Mode off.

dinkumthinkum 17y ago
In the U.S. there is cell number portability. Also, sure you can jailbreak the phone but then that engenders a whole host of other potential problems to say nothing of the fact that that is untenable for most users.
- plinkplonk 17y ago
  "In the U.S. there is cell number portability." That's good to know. Just curious, do people even try to buy unlocked phones in the USA?
  - msbmsb 17y ago
    Unlocked phones are available at many of the big electronics retailers (best buy, frys, etc) and there are myriad cell phone stores that specialize in unlocked/imported sets.
  - evgen 17y ago
    A few do, but the vast majority do not; the cost differential is quite large. A unlocked phone will generally cost 2-3X what you would pay for a locked/subsidized phone, and since the cost to get service from any carrier is generally not going to cover the difference in price over the lifetime of the phone it is not a good option. One additional factor to consider with the US market is that we do not have a single cellphone standard; CDMA phone users can choose between Sprint or Verizon and GSM phone users can choose between AT&T or T-Mobile (there are minor prepaid players as well, but prepay and smartphones will not be a good mix until the providers figure out how to deal with the voice vs. data issue...)

dinkumthinkum 17y ago

It seems ironic for someone who derides learning anything about computer science and finds knowing anything about the C programming language to be totally ridiculous and antiquated to be lauding a system that is primarily programmed in Objective-C (rather than VB6 or whatever), on a programming blog no less. But to be fair, not much programming is talked about on that blog from what I can see so maybe it is more Engadget-lite-lite.

jpeterson 17y ago

Couldn't help but be reminded of this article: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone

wmeredith 17y ago
Couldn't help but point out that on a 3gs iPhone running 3.0 OS almost everything in that article is refuted. (It's still hilarious, though.)

calambrac 17y ago

I have a new game, where I see how many sentences into a Jeff Atwood article I can get before the first completely idiotic statement, and then I stop reading. I don't spend a lot of time there. "But as I predicted, 12 months later, the iPhone 3G rectified all the shortcomings of the first version." The 3G had a slightly different form factor, a flush headphone jack, and 3G. I guess I just never internalized how serious some people were in their demands for less aluminum, adapter-less private music consumption, and the ability to flush their battery for spotty slightly-faster data downloads. Threadjacking attempt: if you could excise one overly-influential blogger from the interwebs, who would it be? Atwood's quickly approaching Enderle/Dvorak/Scoble territory on that list for me.

mcantelon 17y ago

What does this article say that is interesting that caused people to upvote it?

wmeredith 17y ago
You can answer your own question by spending a few minutes reading this comments page.
- mcantelon 17y ago
  I did and came up with nothing. What do you see as interesting about his article?

jsz0 17y ago

"Here's how far I am willing to go: I believe the iPhone will ultimately be judged a more important product than the original Apple Macintosh." I've been saying the same thing for a while. Like many revolutionary products the iPhone isn't the first device to ever offer these features but it IS the first device to make them accessible to the masses. Part of that is a good user interface but an equally, or possibly more, important part of it is advertising. Apple educated customers on what the device could do out of the box. Now they're even advertising third party apps. As a result many people are able to use services & technologies that were out of reach to them before -- or they were ignorant these things even existed. Lots of people will say marketing doesn't matter and it's just fluff and blah blah but making people aware of something, and making it possible for them to use it, is a huge part of what makes a technology revolutionary.