Help me understand.
I know a bunch of open source fans. From what I can tell, they have bad feelings about Microsoft, often citing the lack of standards compliance, closed systems, and hidden source code as reasons why they feel Microsoft is bad.
And they’re all happy users of the iPhone. Today was the big SDK announcement. If I understand the facts correctly, the only way for an app to get onto the iPhone is via Apple’s store, where they’ll take 30% of your software price. Apple gets to choose which apps it accepts or rejects. The developer program, just to be able to use the SDK and submit apps to apple, costs a minimum of $99 per year.
You can’t get much more closed than that.
How can one reconcile the “open source rules” and “down with big megacorps and their control” mantras and still happily go out, buy an iPhone, and then throw more money and control to Apple as a developer?
Does the fact that the iPhone is so damn sexy overcome the fact that it’s so damn closed?
Help me understand. Because you’d be hard pressed to find any sort of mobile device that’s a better symbol of closed-ness and corporate control than an iPhone.
[tags]iphone, apple, sdk, software, microsoft, opensource[/tags]
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I for one bought in because it was a cool gadget and I had high hopes for the development system being open.
However I have been proven wrong and my hopes have been dashed. I voiced my opinion on it here:
http://www.fusionauthority.com/views/4734-iphone-the-real-story.htm
I expect the Android platform to be the most satisfying to mobile software developers.
The iPhone, despite its “closed-ness” was a superior choice for me when it came to getting a new mobile phone with data capability. On that topic, I don’t believe I have ever owned an “open” phone. What exactly are the options?
I agree with you though, but I think between Apple and ATT, it’s going to take some time.
Interesting point, but isn’t it a bit apples and oranges to compare “closed-ness” of desktop platforms versus phones? The iPhone is pretty darned open compared to my TV, microwave, fridge, washer/dryer, lamp, you get the point.
I was using Microsoft as an example of something closed and corporate-controlled. Just like the iPhone.
If you want direct comparisons, I can get a free SDK for a Blackberry or Windows Mobile. I can distribute my apps directly. I don’t pay any fees to RIM or Microsoft to do this.
@ahockley called me out on Twitter and I can’t back down from a challenge.
Where to begin?
First, I’m not terribly wedded to open source. All things being equal, I’ll choose open source. For server side work, I almost always choose open source because it isn’t just equal, it is often superior.
But I also love design. My strongest objection to MS is based on the visceral reaction to an OS that isn’t elegant and is more difficult to use.
I’m very interested in Android and other systems because they do open doors and the force carriers to change their stranglehold on the market, but Android phones won’t hit consumers for another 6 months at least.
So what are our current options?
- Windows Mobile — Relatively open platform. Crappy browser and UI.
- Blackberry — Relatively open platform. Crappy browser and UI.
- Symbian OS — Signed applications that Apple modeled it’s system after. 40% of the market.
The only real option for my personal use would be the Symbian phones because the high-end Nokia’s approach that same level of elegance.
The reality is that the world is rarely black and white. Apple is doing some good things, but not everything that I would hope for. Microsoft isn’t evil. I just tend to find their products to be of a lesser quality.
In the end, I hope we have multiple platforms because the more competition we see, the more likely that consumers and developers will win.
Some great points there Jason… I agree that the more companies we have playing in the space, the better… because as you note the competition will lead to innovation.
Android will be interesting. I think that for it to succeed it will need some sort of “wow” feature, either in the Android software or on a piece of hardware running the system. We’ll see… I hope things turn out well.
You make some very good points here Aaron. Personally, I have real issues with ATT, but they tell me they provide better coverage out here in the country.
I like my WM device. It does what I need it to do, is flexible, and I can d/l and install a world of different apps. I mean literally, I can’t keep up with all the apps I have to choose from.
The iPhone is sexy (was watching a guy use one to take and post photos tonight. But, really, I can do all that on my WM phone.
I too am anxious to see Android. But until then…
Unfortunately, this is a blindness that too many in the open source community suffer from. (FWIW, I’m a proponent of open technologies.) Like it or not, most people value design over openness. In fact, I doubt openness is even a consideration for most people. To them, there’s no contradiction in disliking Microsoft and buying Apple products.
Do I wish there was a more open, yet still well-designed, mobile platform out there? Sure. Show me and I’ll jump on the bandwagon. Until then, I’m going with the iPhone.
Ever wonder why Linux on the desktop has been such a flop?
Well, its only a matter of time before iPhone is completely hacked and people will be able to do whatever they want with their phones. Personally, I think its not fare for Apple to charge people and decide for them what software they should and should not add to their mobile phone. iPhone is a great piece of technology and expensive too, if we want quality we gotta pay for it.