Comments on: Why the open iPhone frenzy misses the point

By: Rex, Baton Rouge LA

Rex, Baton Rouge LA — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:07:23 +0000

I think it's pretty obvious that the reason for the delay in apple's develper kit is the switch in iPhone / touch from ARM powered chips to Intel powered chips. Why put out dev tools for a platform that's going to change in a year?

By: Boo Donaldson, Oxnard CA

Boo Donaldson, Oxnard CA — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:48:29 +0000

"I find it rather ironic that Steve jobs, a former hacker and phone freaker, is now the CEO of a major corporation; a major corporation that is in a constant battle with modern day hackers."

Really Zack? And your buddies at Microsoft have no problems with hackers, right?

Actually, I think that's probably true.

By: Mark, Boston, MA

Mark, Boston, MA — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 03:05:21 +0000

jf: good points – the iPod classic is named classic for a reason; the future is iPod touch with OS X.

new zealand: you're delusional to think Apple listens to hackers. If you'd listened to what Jobs said in Jan 2007 after preview, in May 2007 at All Things D, and in June after launch, you'd know he said Apple was working the very issues he touched upon in his letter. And as important as the SDK is in making the iPhone an even better data-driven device, it wasn't important enough to delay the iPhone release. btw, is the SDK more important than Leopard? And even Leopard was delayed (which meant delaying the SDK).

eric: since you don't seem to understand what some have already written, you'll just have to wait a year (or two) to see exactly how iPhone has revolutionized the call phone.

steve: VoIP is coming along with tiered all-data (no voice minutes) plans (as soon as 3G is built-out by AT&T and added to iPhone 3rd gen). that's the future for cell carriers. Apple and iPhone are helping AT&T to get there first. mark my words. (actually, go back and read what stephenson and jobs said at launch.)

mike: don't be dumb and jump on a frickin' bandwagon. just buy what is best for your needs. for many who've tried it, that's an iPhone.

By: Zach, Louisville KY

Zach, Louisville KY — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 02:26:45 +0000

I find it rather ironic that Steve jobs, a former hacker and phone freaker, is now the CEO of a major corporation; a major corporation that is in a constant battle with modern day hackers.

By: Jay, Wichita, KS

Jay, Wichita, KS — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 01:58:36 +0000

The point:

The # of people using OS X will double within 12 months. This snowballs the already-potent "halo effect" which has led to record Mac sales. In turn, more developers will write for OS X (Macs, iPhone, touch) and thus more third party apps will lead to more sales of Macs, iPhone, and touch — a virtuous circle with profound ramifications for Apple's future and for the future of tech. All this without even mentioning Apple's plans to integrate the living room via yet another OS X device which is on the verge of some major upgrades and new capabilities — AppleTV.

Sea change well underway.

By: Eric Huber, Baltimore, Md.

Eric Huber, Baltimore, Md. — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:39:03 +0000

All I keep reading is how the iPhone has revolutionized the call phone platform. Come on it;s got touch screen who cares. I'll take my $200 dollar Blackberry any day over some over priced flashy platform like the iPhone, and yes I love my Zune.

By: Yadgyu, Harkeyville, TX

Yadgyu, Harkeyville, TX — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:32:51 +0000

This may sound good and all but there are already several black market iPhones in Asia that have all of the cool features that people want. They are being sold for a hefty premium but there are no guarntees or return policies with such devices. I hope that Apple will track down and help to get these rogue group of hackers and bootleggers prosecuted in their respective countries.

By: new zealand

new zealand — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:30:16 +0000

i think we should all wait until feb to see exactly what these development tools are. if apple were serious about third party apps, they would have had them from day 1. it is only through all the hacking that apple has seen the incredible demand for them.

and who would have though that in a few years from now buying software online for your iTouch and iPhone will probably become another billion dollar business unit.

By: Steve, San Diego, CA

Steve, San Diego, CA — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 23:37:28 +0000

I think this article misses the point. The bigger question is not the populatiry of the platform on which it will run (there'll be plenty of users on either/both platforms to consume the apps – and plenty of apps that will target both platforms). Instead, I'd like to know what it takes to get certified by Apple to distribute the apps? Will the certification process and fees mean that we're stuck with a very limited set of expensive apps? Will certain types of apps be declined for certification just because of external pressue (VOIP)? And, given what's been happening with the hacked versions, will we need to reinstall all apps every time Apple releases a firmware update?

By: doshnkot, Gallup, NM

doshnkot, Gallup, NM — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 23:20:26 +0000

To all analysts and people like Mike who talk slim about Apple and iPhone. You need to use the iphone for a day and then see why Apple stock is going to reach $225.00 in couple of months.