Saturday, September 22, 2007

We need to talk...

As time progresses, it is becoming more and more obvious that Apple is not entertaining our tireless efforts to do what we should be allowed to do in the first place: install 3rd party applications on the iPhone. If we sit here and allow the iPhone to become a closed platform, we will inevitably get what we're waiting for instead of the outcome we want. If there is one thing that common sense will tell you, it's that a business is supported by its loyal customers. Well, it seems that Jobs has forgotten where his interests are. He seems to care a hell of a lot more about how many iPhones/iPods/iMacs he sells daily than about us, the ones who were waiting in line on launch day, the ones who take every opportunity to sing the benefits of a mac to a family member or friend, the ones who pushed Apple from the edge of death to the unprecedented success it takes for granted right now. He is going to close the iPhone with this next firmware update, and for what? To stop people from unlocking it? Fine, Steve, you can do that. I understand he is contractually obligated to do it with at&t. But why, oh why, would Apple decide to come down on the iPhone Dev Community like we did something wrong?

If we don't do something to get our point across, our iPhones will become worthless, proprietary pieces of crap in the snap of a finger, and Apple will still be raking in the cash. If Apple closes the door for all 3rd party apps, they will have no one to compete with, and no motivation to improve the phone. I honestly think that they're not even going to update the iPhone with flash and iChat. Why, you ask? Well, why give it to us for free when they can come out with iPhone 2.0 and get us for even more money.

I know what you're thinking. How can we, the minority, stand up against a huge corporation like Apple? I don't know. But we need to think of something now. If we don't try now, we don't have a chance once the iPhone is closed for good. So, instead of just hitting the back button and blowing this off, or calling me an idiot for trying, please just try with me. I can't do anything alone, but if we stand together, we can do it.

Check out the post on hackintosh to reply: http://hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7933

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dude, it's the web. At least use a link that works, instead of plain text.

Anonymous said...

Damn apple fanboys. "We helped make the company, we should get everything we want!" How many phones this day and age are open platformed?

I don't expect DVD players to be unlocked when I buy one. I don't expect game consoles to be modchipped so I can make my own games, or use my own software. Why should this be any diff? because apple has loyal customers, who think they should get everything they beg for? He's already giving early adopters money back, sure it's store credit... but it's a hell of a lot more then any other company does.

This is why Apple people get so ragged on... seems like it's mostly idiots who want everything without working for it.

Anonymous said...

If you really wanted a cell phone that encourages 3rd party developers, why didn't you get an openmoko phone? Or a qtopia green phone? Or what I'm going to end up doing and get an openmoko phone with the qtopia software? Nice thing about the Linux phones is that not only can you do that, but it is encouraged.

Anonymous said...

It is amazingly simple, when people stop purchasing iPhones then Apple will listen. As long as the customer shows they are happy with the product by purchasing it, then no company will change.

Anonymous said...

To the retard above,

This is a smartphone, not a regular phone. Blackberry users can install 3rd party software. Windows mobile users can install 3rd party software. Why not iPhone users? Its not necessarily the 2 year at&t contract that gets people. Its the fact that they can't install 3rd party software on the iPhone, when you can on all the competitors versions

Anonymous said...

Just get a Windows/Linux/Symbian phone! Immediately you have total access to thousands of ots-programs and dozens of IDEs and SDKs for you to code away. Apple hates you and pisses on you at every opportunity and yet you turn around and say "please sir can I have some more?" Jobs understands masochism as a sales technique!

Anonymous said...

How many phones are open platform?
About every single phone that runs Windows Mobile.

There are plenty of 3rd party applications that you can install and use on a WM phone. They don't require any hacking to get them to work either.

WM is probably the closest thing to the iPhone's OS.

Sure, your Samsung and Motorola phones aren't open platform - because they're using an OS which isn't as capable as WM or iPhone OS X.

Ryan said...

What right do we have to 'stand up' and tell them what to do with something they worked hard to bring to us? Seems like an ungrateful attitude anyways...

Anonymous said...

Steve Jobs is a very rich and an outstanding successful man. You're an insignificant programmer spending late hours in your dark tiny room in front of your glowing monitor. But more importantly you're making up an insignificant portion of the iPhone's customer base. Get a life, fanboy. Go outside.

Anonymous said...

Apple would allow 3rd party development, as it would make their device more competitive and attractive to developers.

However, there is a major paradigm shift happening. Look at the iPhone apps: they are very different than desktop apps that we are used to.

If I were Apple, I'd want to prevent others from introducing old concepts, such as file menus, windows, etc.. They want a change to take place, and they don't want others introducing the old metaphor.

Can you imagine being on the subway and seeing someone pulling out their iPhone and using some clunky app full of menus, scrollbars, folders, icons, etc.? If that were the case, there would be no progress, and this "revolution" as Apple calls it, would flail and fail.

From what I'm seeing, Apple is not opening up the iPhone and iPod Touch until the paradigm shift has been fully accepted and understood by others. Also, it is likely Apple is still figuring this stuff out, and doesn't want to make certain UI commitments.

Until the parameters this new touchscreen interface and mobile device environment catch on and are understood, I can accept that 3rd parties are not "invited to the party" so to speak.

But, given time, there's no reason why they won't open it up. Because if they want to stay competitive, they will have to.

JohnDoublestein said...

Wow, I am constantly amazed by apple/mac users who want an open platform. That's the whole point of apple - it's closed, everyone knows that. It's what makes them different - for better or for worse - than their competitors. Apple has no intention of changing so STOP DEMANDING IT! You knew it going in and yet you still signed up for it. Stop complaining! That's why I stay clear of that apple trash, and always will.

Anonymous said...

The whole point here is to have a web-based application. We have to start using the web for what it is now intended to be. Google proved that web applications are the way to go.. can developers get it through their 20th century heads that applications don't need to be installed/uploaded/updated?

C'mon guys, grow up and accept that the direction is the web. When Steve took out floppy drives, everyone went whoa! Now, do you need a floppy drive?

Give me a break!
Z

Unknown said...

I have to say the Dev team was great with the iphone additions .. is this not what Apple was built on .. taking an idea and making it better? I love the iphone but i love my freedom too ... Apple, I understand business, but also understand your customers... we want a choice.. if AT & T is better than the rest we will use them, if we want another carrier, we will go to them... let the market decide.....open it up

Anonymous said...

this is an interesting point, i think the way to get back at apple, if in fact thats what we want to do, is to completely rewrite the OS base it off osx, however closely one can without infringing on copyrights apple holds, and make it an entirely open machine with an open platform, that way we get what we love, apple hardware, design etc. and what we want and need, open at&t-less hardware, beautiful. while were at it, couldn't one set up local voicemail rather than forwarding to a server? visual voicemail for the masses anyone?

Anonymous said...

I have an iphone, and i would love for it to be opened up for all kinds of groovy apps.

Apple is "raking in the cash" as you put it because millions of people around the world WILLINGLY buy the products that they choose to create. Apple does not have to do anything differently than they are currently doing, and you, me and everyone else do not have to buy their products.

There is no place in a free market for placing demands on a company except with your money. If you support Apple and their choices, buy their products. If you dont, do not buy them. Its that simple.

Anonymous said...

All of you tools should just use the iPhone as a phone instead of crying over not being able to "hack" and install WoW on an iPhone.... Losers..

Unknown said...

VOIP is the the only reason there isn't an SDK for this thing yet. Until they figure that part out....there won't be an SDK, period.

These things are made to make money. If there's way to circumvent the business model on a grand skill it'll never hit the market. Why do you think they want to break the unlocks? If there wasn't a carrier and Apple wasn't subsidizing the iPhone on the service as well....there would be an SDK. I'm sure your warranty would be void if it wasn't an official app....because if I were Apple I wouldn't offer to support it.

Anonymous said...

I should be able to install Boot Camp on my iPhone so I can install Windows Mobile on it!!!

J D said...

It seems to me a lot of the open iPhone haters are coming from a position of ignorance.

1) Where is this concept that OS X is a '"closed platform" coming from? People have been writing software for OS X for 8 years. If your point is that it can't be installed on just any hardware, well... no one is really arguing with that, are they? The most anyone really wants on that front is for Apple to release a developer board that anyone can buy and build a system on. No one is begging to install OS X on a Treo.

2) There is a lot of whining about Apple having to provide support and backwards compatibility. This may be a surprise to some of you, but no one is even asking for that. Everyone knows the iPhone is a work in progress. No one expects a stable API. We're even willing to wait for a hardware revision for the API to settle down. Support is not a big deal. Access is a big deal.

3) Finally, crippling is not innovation. The inability to see the filesystem from UIKit applications is not some stroke of genius. It is an excuse to lock away one half of functionality -- things like music playing -- from the other half. Adding support for more advanced interface paradigms does not break the most important parts of the UI -- things like the Multitouch interface.

Apple ignores the desires of Apple fans at their peril -- especially the more technical ones. We are the ones who evangelize the platform. Contrary to what they likely believe, Macs do not sell themselves. I can think of at least three people I have "converted" because I knew that a Mac would be best for them. I myself own 4 OS X computers, including the iPhone I am posting this from.

I think Apple will probably release an SDK after Leopard has had a chance to mature a bit. I hope I'm not wrong. We'll see.

Ted Lemon said...

The iPhone is a beautiful piece of hardware. I understand why you want to run your code on it. But right now Apple is going in a bad direction - they're locking people out of their systems, closing loopholes like allowing Linux to interoperate with the iPhone. Preventing people from replacing their operating system with an alternative. They aren't idiots - they're doing it because it makes business sense.

So if you want a different deal, do business with someone with a different business model. It's been mentioned before, and I'll mention it again - the OpenMoko Neo1973 is a really nice phone, with the business model you want - a completely open architecture.

But the one that looks like an iPhone won't be available for a while. And it's not OSX, so instead of cracking into Apple's closed system with really nice design, you have to actually fix the design of a system that's not done as well. But you know what good design looks like - otherwise you wouldn't be in love with the iPhone.

If the people who cracked the iPhone and build a dev kit for it had spent the same amount of effort on OpenMoko, it would be on its way to being as good as the UI on the iPhone is now. But you're all off tilting at windmills. If you want freedom, stop buying chains.

Anonymous said...

If developers really want to make a statement, boycott WWDC 08 and append a "Boycott WWDC 08" in their sig line on all postings, emails, etc.

Actually, skipping WWDC 08 would be easy anyways, since Leopard has been the focus of the last two, and the next OS is years away. The only reason I can see for attending the next WWDC would be sessions for developing for the iPhone/Touch

No iPhone/Touch API => boycott WWDC 08.

howvin said...

The point author is making not just about the iphone or even apple. We living in the world with restricted rights, and now even gadgets that is important to daily life can easily restrict our rights. Mr. anonymous, you may not expect your dvd player to brew you coffee. But I have question for you? Why did in IBM early 80's think the PC was stupid? Because of the same logic your using. Why would the average PC write their own programs? Most users won't their own programs. But the few that will write programs make the device greatly more useful to all users. Image if sony/hp/apple/dell/etc said their computers will only run programs made by the manufacturer. I much as I like ilife i won't buy an apple, or dell a that ran only dell software. Would you? The 3rd party apps make the PC great not microsoft's apps. We are heading towards a culture of were mass does not expect rights but it is ok for a few control the rights of others. The way the iphone is being sold, is a sign of this new thinking. The user pays full price for the device but only receives rights of a renter. Where the average user cannot use any features without a 2 year contract, and where the phone can be destroyed by apple if the user adds 3rd party programs, and/or unlocks the phone. Why do we tolerate this?

Unknown said...

If you could make your point without the hyperbole, without the invective, without using phrases like "worthless, proprietary pieces of crap", it would probably help. Write a nice, open letter to Steve Jobs in the style of the ones he's posted on Apple.com. Make your case, give some meaningful examples of useful, non-"hacker" applications that would make the iPhone a better experience for end users. Explain why you can't do them with Safari. Then maybe you'll get an answer.

Herval said...

TO the idiot Anonymous that compared the iPhone to locked DVDs or unmodded videogames: the problem here is that once you get the DVD player or the videogame, you can CHOOSE the movies and games you will run on your device. Same thing on cellphones: piracy apart, you can download games, ringtones and apps on pratically ANY mobile phone out there.
That is called 'third party' coward 'anonymous' fanboys...

Anonymous said...

Closing the iPhone platform actually enhances developer's control because it places emphasis on web applications, which the carriers cannot control.

The iPhone is revolutionary because it shifts the traditional application paradigm from down loadable applications to web applications.

Thecompkid said...

Just to set the record straight:

1) I'm not a programmer. I am not coming from that angle. I am an iPhone user that sees the value in 3rd party applications and wants that option to stay open in the future

2) This is not an open letter to Steve Jobs. If you have issues with the phrase, "worthless, proprietary pieces of crap", then, well, I don't know what to tell you.

3) I'm not a blogger, this is, like, my first blog post ever. So, yeah, sorry about the link (or rather, lack thereof) :|

4) Although I refer to the iPhone specifically, I'm pretty appalled about the state of Apple affairs recently, so don't take the post for complete face value, this isn't juat about an SDK.

5) If I wanted to switch platforms, I would. But, I don't, I want to make an effort to change the one I prefer to use as a last ditch effort.

6) Yes, i'm an apple fanboy/fanfag/WTF you people are calling us these days. Sorry, I guess??? ;)

And as far as all the people who like to call me some kind of Apple elitist prick, sorry you guys are too lazy to get up off your asses and take a stand against something you disagree with. Sorry that I voiced my opinion on something that clearly needed to be brought out into the light. Sorry I didn't just sit in the corner with my unhacked iPhone watching youtube videos all day long while you big "important" fellas take care of the rest. Sorry I forgot the /sarcasm tag for those still not getting the message.

Anonymous said...

"Closing the iPhone platform actually enhances developer's control" is crap. I am a software developer and and what you can do with an HTML pales in comparison to what you can do with a high programing language and an API.

Anonymous said...

correction to last statment. should have read "high level programing language"

Anonymous said...

After all that he's done for his company, for developers on the Apple, for computer users generally and for consumers, why is it that no one actually trusts Steve Jobs?

He has so far overwhelmingly done the Right Thing by all these groups. Often only with the benefit of hindsight, I admit, but surely his track record should count for something?

Unknown said...

Forwarded to sjobs.

@micronauta said...

Well, let's take a look at the big picture here for a second. What I think Mr. Jobs has successfully managed to engineer is a favorable collision of 1.0 technology with the 2.0 paradygm. Favorable for Apple, getting it in the game with nice fast numbers in a new market, and favorable to the user community, you will see why. AT&T is a telco, a company that doesn't want people to communicate with each other through Wi-Fi, mesh or IP. Wi-Fi+GSM phones existe since 2004 but have been boycotted by the telcos. Now Apple has managed to get both feet in the door with a beautiful -if somewhat limited- software on the iPhone. By the time a critical mass of users have flat-rate GPRS/EDGE/3G/Wimax to the open internet, Jobs will open up the platform, essentially the bost mobile Linux with the best mobile GUI. At that time, in hindsight everybody will see how Apple turned the whole telecom industry upside down by essentially putting a wireless little Mac in everybody hands, and managed to do it not only right in front of AT&T's nose, but also with an AT&T subsidy. Pure genius.

And when self-configuring mesh routing IP software makes it's way to these and other portable devices, the 'net will change too, but that's another story.

Anonymous said...

Apple will have a nasty suprise waiting with the UK release...

People over here won't even bother looking at the iPhone while it is contract early. We are not used to it over here and the prices are ridiculous compared to the average contract.

Apple will get the message from the UK. Bring out an unlocked iPhone!!!

Anonymous said...

let's just wait and see what happens to the iPhone when the Klobuchar and Rockefeller Announce Cell Phone Consumer Empowerment Act of 2007 hopefully gets passed.
http://klobuchar.senate.gov/newsreleases_detail.cfm?id=281970&

Anonymous said...

Shit my eyes hurt after reading that.

Jennifer Sardam said...

OMG, have you read the latest! I'm furious. What kind of corporation thinks it can treat its customers this way and remain profitable!?

Link

Anonymous said...

I'd like to see Apple, a company that promotes openness through its Darwin project, open the iPhone to 3rd party apps. Otherwise, it's just as much of a monopoly as Microsoft was in the 90s - trying to lock customers into their closed system.

Anonymous said...

Listen, speaking of iPhone must-haves, this is the killer accessory: the iBucket.
http://smartstartup.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/09/the-ultimate-ip.html

Unknown said...

*I don't expect DVD players to be unlocked when I buy one. I don't expect game consoles to be modchipped so I can make my own games, or use my own software. Why should this be any diff?*

I guess this is a bad example, since I *do* expect my DVD players and game consoles to be modifiable.