Well this is certainly bad news for those of us with a developy bent and a lust for gadgets. A conversation with some senior folks from Apple confirms that “It isn’t OS X proper, as you’d expect. And like an iPod, it won’t be an open system that people can develop for.” Which I’m kinda confused by the first part of, cause sure I didn’t expect it to be “OS X proper” but I did expect it to be “OS X sorta” – and this sounds like it might just be an OS skin on a completely different OS? What’s with all the Jobs pontificating about being able to use “real apps on this thing” cause it’s OS X. What’s not proper about the OS X on it? Sounds like it was proper enough when they used it, but it’s not proper for me?
It certainly does shift the conversation around this thing though. The primary question is now how long till we can get Linux running on it? And will this prompt Nokia to kick things up with the N800? I liked the 770, but the lack of cellular interface, crappy battery life, and underpowered processor kept me from doing a lot of what I would like to with it. The N800 looks better, but hardly better enough given how long it’s been since the last release. I’m expecting them to double down on this and come up with the real update and quickly. Stop pussyfooting around and just make a damn Linux based cellular device, we all know you want to.
Trolltech has a few more ideas in the works as well, I think they would do well to take a look at the design here and “emulate” it. Except put some 3G in there and keep the Wifi. We’re starting to get close to devices that could start to really make some progress, but we’re not quite there yet. If the rumors are right we’ll be seeing some interesting handsets all this year.
Take a look back over device releases for the last few years and there’s little that really stands out. There are a few Nokia devices that stand out, but generally they stand out because they’re only slightly smaller than a breadbox if they’re capable. Or something that’s got a compelling design aesthetic but is a crap platform. Hardware is difficult to get right, certainly. But it feels like the whole environment had deadlocked around a design for mediocrity. Hopefully some fresh blood will liven things up a bit.
Mike, this blog post from Cisco’s general counsel is interesting with respect to this: http://blogs.cisco.com/news/2007/01/update_on_ciscos_iphone_tradem.html
The heart of the matter seems to be this paragraph:
“Fundamentally we wanted an open approach. We hoped our products could interoperate in the future. In our view, the network provides the basis to make this happen—it provides the foundation of innovation that allows converged devices to deliver the services that consumers want. Our goal was to take that to the next level by facilitating collaboration with Apple.”
Reading between the lines, it looks to me like Cisco wanted Apple to open the iPhone up to Cisco gear, which to me would mean supporting something like SIP for VoIP over WiFi (a la our beloved E61), i.e. make it a converged device. And further reading between the lines, it sounds like Apple is opposed to such an idea, closing the device to third party apps or carrier subverting technology like the above.
So in essence, Cisco should be applauded for their effort to convince Apple the right thing and sharing the iPhone trademark with them.
I am also happy to see Cisco not back down, the two have always had a strange relationship and i’d hate to see Apple close the doors to developers because of a trademark dispute. Maybe they are just ashamed to let the developers see the inner workings and discover that it really isnt OS X.
This stuff is so frustrating. What a conundrum. On the one hand, Apple continues to be one of the few real innovators when it comes to design and UI. On the other hand, how do we get a common, user-friendly UI in that environment
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