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Apple Opens Up iPhone To Third-Party Browsers

Posted by timothy on from the boiling-your-own-frog dept.

sedition writes "MacRumors is featuring a story on Apple's discreet decision to open the iPhone to 3rd-party browsers, by allowing them to appear on AppStore. While the big players are still at bay, several choices are offered, allowing you, e.g. to browse anonymously or in fullscreen. Prices vary."

3 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. Re:No Flash by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Imagine if anyone could do dummy iPhone apps using Flash, put them anywhere on the web, with absolutely no control from Apple. There'd be popups asking you to enter your credit card every 10 seconds, ads left and right, etc. Users would eventually be fed up and find the iPhone ugly. I guess Apple cares too much to let that happen.

    Does that happen with your non-portable computer (Desktop) running OS X & Safari?

    Does it happen with your more portable computer (laptop) Mac running OS X & Safari?

    So WTF do you think it will happen with your extremely portable computer (iPhone) running OS X & Safari?

    Don't visit malicious websites.

    If Apple sees any threat from Flash, it is people being able to develop & distribute Apps out of Apple's control.

    --
    There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
  2. Re:No Flash by AKAImBatman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If Apple sees any threat from Flash, it is people being able to develop & distribute Apps out of Apple's control.

    Getting warmer. If Apple sees any threat from Flash, it's in providing a distribution system for multimedia that is out of Apple's control. Remember, Apple still makes a lot of money off the iTunes Music and TV stores. They don't want to have competition from the likes of Hulu.com or NetRadio.com. Especially if users get the bright idea of streaming this data over a cell network. (ugh)

    The technology that worries Apple for apps is Java. Though I have to concede that J2ME apps tend to be craptastic. They're simply underpowered for a device as sophisticated as the iPhone.

    --
    Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
  3. Only Webkit-based browsers by caspy7 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Let me clarify this before the hundreds of comments talking about Opera and Firefox "Coming to the iPhone!".
    All of the browsers listed are based on Webkit, the rendering engine for Safari (in fact, I think they're all simply embedding Webkit).
    It is highly unlikely that Apple will allow a browser based on other technologies any time soon.

    Sorry to smash your hopes and dreams.