The benefit the iPhone provides most of us (in geekdom), is that it is a revolutionary way to surf the web on a mobile device. All the mobile devices until today cannot surf with even a modicum of the pleasure you get with the iPhone.
Uhhm..., yeah. So after amazement regarding the pinchy thing wears off, do you actually miss having flash files, or java, or mouse events?
Do you expect a manufacturer to sit down with you and list line by line everything they did thats "Different" from other manufacturers? Every part they soldered in instead of clipped? How the case is heat-welded instead of screwed together? How the antenna is integrated and cant be replaced and has no way to attach an external one to it without serious modifications?
Do you expect every review of the iPhone to gloss over obvious design flaws? Oh, that's right... it's not a flaw, it's a feature!
N95 has 64 MB of RAM. When running, it has around 20 MB of *free* memory.
As for the gaming, it's hard to say since management at Apple decided Apple employees were the only people who could write secure code for the iPhone. Well... no games from Apple yet. Security reasons I guess....
Apple's hardware is generally very well-designed, and their software is solid on Macs, but they can't seem to write a decent Windows program to save their lives.
This should be fun...
For example: why does iTunes run the iPod service even when iTunes isn't running and even though I've never used an iPod?
Because they figure if you're installing iTunes on Windows, it's because you purchased an iPod? It's a daemon. They want iTunes to launch anytime you connect an iPod, whether it's your iPod or not. I doubt keeping an ear out for an iPod connection is that resource intensive. Perhaps you should look for other background apps that are real resource hogs... Google Desktop indexing, virus scanning products, spyware of any sort, etc.
Why does Quicktime automatically have your browser open MP3s in Quicktime instead of downloading them (and not give you the option of turning this "feature" off?)
Just change your QuickTime browser plugin settings If your browser was saving to disk, no plugin was registered to handle that file type. QuickTime just steps up because nothing else is doing the job. Feel free to disable that.
Why do Apple programs "break" the usual look and feel of Windows programs?
You gotta be joking right?? Windows look and feel? LOL... Besides, Apple gets lots of shit about not even sticking to their own user interface guidelines these days. Why would they bother to be any more consistent on a Microsoft OS?
Honestly, this isn't rocket science here. How hard would it have been to recompile the iPhone software for a 64-bit machine?
Actually, computer science is a little harder than that. Not every app is coded in a high level language like Java or Python. Some folks still need to use C to get low level access for performance critical operations. In some cases, if you don't code with 64 bit in mind, you're app is going to be broken. You can just throw in a 64 bit compiler flag and expect everything to just work. Be great if you could, but it doesn't always work that way.
A few dozen, a couple hundred... but who's really counting. HSDPA coverage isn't *that* bad.
the chipsets that support it presently consume too much power. Apple apparently wants a lower power chipset so that battery life of the iPhone isn't adversely affected.
Reminds me of the old joke:
During the space race back in the 1960's, NASA was faced with a major problem. The astronaut needed a pen that would write in the vacuum of space. NASA went to work. At a cost of $1.5 million they developed the "Astronaut Pen". Some of you may remember. It enjoyed minor success on the commercial market.
Are you daft? Flash memory is faster than a hard drive. You obviously don't know crap.
I believe you're thinking of RAM memory. Flash memory is slow. But I'm daft... perhaps we should ask USA Today... they certainly would know far more about the topic than a software programmer. <sarcasm/>
Flash does slow down the transfer process a bit compared with hard-drive-based iPods. Apple says you can transfer about one song per second with the Nano, vs. two songs per second with the bigger iPods.
Then again... if you'd actually owned one of each, you'd know that.
So, that should take care of Adobe Flash, though I'm not 100% certain on this.
No flash or java support. I guess Steve Jobs thinks flash is too great of a security risk too. By the way, how do you have the real internet without java or flash??
Okay, granted, that would be nice. Then again, you have a browser - Google Docs to the rescue? I'll grant this isn't as nice as it could be, but it is possible.
Do you really want to upload your Office docs to Google every time you open them? That would be pretty retarded, no? That's what you'll have to do with a "rich web 2.0 app." Not only that, I hope you're near a wi-fi hotspot. The iPhone doesn't support 3G. MS Office documents can be really bloated, like everything else MS... So launch "rich web 2.0 app" then spend 10 to 15 seconds to upload that doc over your 2.5G connection, then spend the same amount of time downloading it back to your phone as html, all the while paying data charges in both directions... this is starting to sound *very* cumbersome, no? It may be possible, but it hardly qualifies as a solution.
Uhh... how many people need this? This being Slashdot, I anticipate seeing about 15 replies here all saying, "Yeah, I need a barcode reader! How could you not?"
I'm not pointing it out because I need it. I'm pointing it out because I have it on my new phone, and the iPhone will never be able to do it, under any circumstances. It would not only require a native app, but it would probably also require better camera hardware.
You know what comes with OS X? A little application called "Preview". It opens PDFs.
But it doesn't open encrypted e-books. My phone has a native app to do that. The iPhone will be unable to due to the lack of an SDK.
Voice mail? I know, not the same thing. Yeah, that would be nice.
No, a voice recorder. As in record your phone conversation. Record a note to yourself. Record your professor's lecture... not on the iPhone. Not unless Apple decides to throw you a bone at some future date.
That said, even if the providers allowed it, Apple still wouldn't include VOIP support. Not directly. Why? Because it's complicated.
We're talking about Apple. They could make it less complicated. That's one of the things Apple does best. VoIP is important because not everyone gets great cell reception indoors and it's WAY cheaper than any other calling (worst case scenario for US to Hong Kong is 2 cents per minute). And it really doesn't matter what the carriers think. It doesn't touch their network at all... what possible legitimate complaint could they make? I have GizmoVoIP on my N95 right now. You'll never see it on an iPhone though. It's just another missing feature you'll never see because of the lack of an SDK.
And that's just apps that came with my phone. Do you think Apple will ever release gnutella file sharing software for the iPhone? Doubt it, but it's available now on my phone. How about an MMORPG? Available now on my phone. Maybe... um, an app to keep up with my girls menstruation cycles... Yeah, like you'll *ever* see that on an iPhone. Available now for the Symbian... [still waiting on that 3rd edition update for my phone though;)]
Are you beginning to see why I chose something besides an iPhone? There's really no comparison. The iPhone is pretty, and the Nokia is better at everything else. The iPhone isn't even in the same league. It's totally outclassed.
As I said in another post, the hype over the missing SDK is overblown, but it will eventually happen.
That is pure speculation on your part. There is currently no plan to introduce a SDK for native apps on the iPhone. Nobody has mentioned or even hinted at such.
Nice take on the bar code reader! Can you believe that rube actually posted that as a desired app in the first place?
I only mention it because A) Like all the other apps mentioned, it is available on my Nokia N95 right out of the box, and B) a barcode reader is never gonna happen on the iPhone via a "rich web 2.0 app." The camera itself on the iPhone appears to be a pretty ridiculous "me too" feature. No flash and only 2 MP... great if you love small, blurry, grainy pictures. Not so great if you need image quality for anything useful. Even if you could develop native apps on the iPhone, it probably doesn't have the hardware necessary to pull off an app like a barcode reader.
But hey, you're gonna buy one, right? Right? No, you're not. You, just like everyone else telling me how great the iPhone happens to be, always stop short of saying, "I'm gonna get one of those bad boys!" I purchased a $750 phone from the competition. Everyone here is saying how great the iPhone is, and how it's going to succeed, but I've yet to hear *ANYONE* say they intend to put their money where their mouth is. I for one, have already cast my vote. I didn't buy the iPhone, primarily due to the lack of an SDK.
You can spin it any way you like, but I am Apple's low hanging fruit and they lost *my* sale. That tells me the iPhone is doomed. I'm one of their best customers and I didn't want one. If you pulled your head out of the sand and listened, you'd find I'm not the only customer shouting this to Apple. We're taking our money elsewhere. Most people are going to comparison shop a bit before they plonk down their hard earned cash. When you do that, the iPhone simply doesn't stack up. It's locked (Cingular only), it's closed (No Apps), it's not even the best hardware (Crappy camera, no flash, no GPS, no battery door, no stereo speakers)... I'm sure they'll sell a handful on looks alone, but I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot less enthusiastic talk about "target markets" coming from Cupertino in about 3 to 6 months time when it's time to report sales and quarterly earnings.
First, the iPhone does not have a "big fast hard drive". I'm trying to figure out how you are a technophile who wants an SDK and yet still don't understand the device you're complaining about?
Seems I've given their hardware more credit than it deserves... You're right, flash memory. Which is a lot slower than a drive. So that strikes down pretty much the only advantage I thought the iPhone had.
Second, the iPhone is not "doomed" because 1% of the population
I heard one poster mention that Apple hopes to get 1% marketshare with this thing... So if my 1% coincides pretty nicely with the 1% Apple thinks it has a shot with... then yes, it's doomed.
I want developers to be able to make apps for the iPhone too,
Well, you me and the rest of planet Apple are shit outta luck, because there is no SDK. You've already invented some 'down the road' promise of an SDK that simply isn't there. Show me anywhere, where any Apple official is making the promises you're making. They aren't. There's no promise of an SDK ever. They've said from the start there will be no third party development of native apps. They are sticking to their guns. Their SDK consists of: "You can develop non-standard web pages for our phone and you'll like it!" As a result, the iPhone is completely doomed. *Everyone* that spends $600 on a phone wants killer apps like Salling clicker to go along with it. It will not be available. Ever. If you can't offer me the same killer apps that are available on phones that are half the price, the product will be a complete failure. I won't matter how pretty it is.
Getting people to understand why VoIP in general is "cool" will become a lot easier when it becomes, well, a lot easier.
I'd say it's really easy to explain to them now... "With VOIP, call Hong Kong for two cents a minute." After they say "WOW! That's cool... if I ever needed to call Hong Kong" then you proceed to tell them that all calling is cheaper on VOIP and that it's a great alternative when you're at the house... especially if you don't get great cell reception indoors. That should pretty much do it. If you can open a yahoo email address for yourself (Apple is expecting iPhone users to be at least that bright) then you are also bright enough to set up a VOIP account.
Seriously can someone name any truly useful apps that aren't included with the iPhone that don't require EDGE anyways?
You've got to be kidding me. You guys seriously don't get it.
Adobe Flash plugin
MS Office Document reader
Barcode reader
PDF/E-book reader
Voice recorder
VOIP
Need I continue? It's not like the iPhone is the most feature rich hardware out there. Sure, it looks great and it has a big, fast hard drive for a phone, but without apps it's a limited, overpriced toy.
I've been using Macs exclusively for a decade. I've owned several iPods, half a dozen Macs, I have a iPod Hi-Fi wired to an Airport express, I've spent hundreds on iPod accessories, and of course, I've been waiting on the iPhone ever since Apple registered the iphone.org domain years ago. Every mobile I've ever purchased cost at least as much as the iPhone and I'm already on Cingular. I *am* the target market.
I purchased a Nokia N95 over a month ago. It has all of the above software and tons more. I passed on the iPhone for *one* reason: No SDK.
That should really tell you something... The iPhone is doomed. Mac users are not all Koolaid drinking retards. I buy Macs because I feel they represent the best hardware/software combination available anywhere. The iPhone is clearly not the best hardware around. The mobile market is very competitive. The software on the other hand is classic Apple. Beautiful, easy to use... but without an SDK, the software is feature frozen. It's the best it's ever going to get the day you buy it.
I would have been willing to overlook the hardware shortcomings had there been any possibility of third party development. Instead, I chose to spend $150 more on a competitor's product. It was a no brainer. Better hardware, and software that can do things the iPhone will never be able to do. Fax, print, java, flash, PDFs, DOCs, XLSs, GPS, VOIP, Salling clicker, and it syncs nicely with iSync. Who's gonna buy the one trick pony when you can do so much more for an extra $150? Certainly not me. And if not the die-hard Apple fanatic like myself, then who will be spending hundreds on an Apple phone that does four things well? Probably the same folks that bought a G4 cube.
All skill sets. All workers. Mexican migrant farm help included. No five year waiting periods, or jumping through flaming hoops to get a green card. Welcome to America, here's your SSN. As long as you don't have a criminal record and you can afford to get here, you can stay if you'd like. That's how the rules worked when my ancestry arrived, I don't see why it should be any different now. How did that saying go?... Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free.
Please do not mix illegal immigrants up with H-1B workers. The former do depress wages, while the latter are required by law to be paid at least as much as their American counterparts. Of course, I do not expect that such inconvenient facts will be considered, given the foul mood that the entire country is in.
"...four out of five jobs under the H1-B program are level one jobs, not level four. i.e. low skill jobs, not high skill jobs." Lou Dobbs That means foreign workers are being paid as much as other Americans... in entry level positions... while meeting requirements for high level employment. Sure, that's fair.
I have a better idea. Full citizenship to anyone who qualifies for an H1-B. Then you can save social security for an aging, top heavy US population and force employers to pay fair wages all at once! Two birds with one stone:)
Who says we feel entitled to anything !USian? I think it sucks that some !USian has to live on sub-human wages in MY country because his employer knows he has no choice but to accept it. In MY country, some !USian is being threatened with deportation if he gets out of line with his boss. In MY country, some low life USian who employees this !USian is evading payroll taxes. All of this is made possible by the work visa.
I say get rid of work visa entirely. If your skills are needed in MY country, MY country should have the decency to accept you as one of US. Here's your citizenship. Bring your family! That's how it became MY country... I may have been born here, but I'm not a full blood native American. I don't know anyone who is.
Full citizens can't be threatened with deportation, and therefore won't work for subhuman wages. They'll pay taxes just like everyone else, because they aren't afraid of being discovered and deported. They'll work hard to provide for their family, because their family is HERE and receiving the best America has to offer. They will pay into *and save* a social security system that is currently doomed to failure because the US population is aging and very top heavy.
Of course, that will kinda defeat the point of gaming the H1-B visa system entirely. If we do that, companies will have two options. Hire an American or hire an American. Even playing field for all employees. Social security is saved without new taxation. America acquires some of the brightest and hardest working people from around the globe. Problem solved. I'm all for it. I think the only loser is the tax cheating, slave wage paying employers out there. So, when can we start?
Ohhhhhhh, you're one of the tax cheating, slave wage paying employers just trying to maintain the status quo with your bullshit! That's why you posted AC.
Go to http://www.apple.com/iphone/ then watch the launch keynote. Then try to honestly say you'd rather have that current ugly lump you call a phone. I am not a fanboy, but I realise that there is the iphone and there is the rest.
Yeah, it's great if pictures and apps aren't important to you. I had a no flash 2MP camera phone over a year ago (Motorola A1200 linux phone). It also had blurry, grainy, small images and no third party software to speak of. Of course, Mac support sucked too, so I know how the PC users who dare buy this thing will feel. After a couple of weeks when the new wore off, owning it was a real let down.
It was a touch screen too. Major problem that... no actual buttons means you always have to see the screen to do anything. You can't feel the buttons without needing to look. And I'm sure Steve's vegan fingers are quite deft on that touch screen keypad, but I know some meat & potatoes people that are going to find that interface quite difficult to deal with.
But since it runs OS X it should work with standard portable third party bluetooth keyboards...? Right? Oh, damn, that's right... no third party apps or drivers... You've got to wait on Apple to support competitor's hardware and admit that their interface isn't always the most desirable. So yeah, good luck on that...
On the flip side, go up to Handango and check out the "applications" for a PDA. Top sellers including
Yes, because most people need to download WiFi enabled killer apps for their 3 year old bundle phones. I'm sure the elite 1% will be well represented by the downloads of the lowest common denominator.
Slashdotters seem to think that "Well I wouldn't buy it because it doesn't have feature X" is a valid reason for the product failing.
No, actually, I think the fact that *I* bought a more expensive phone from another company is a pretty good indication that the product will fail. I've owned seven different Apple computers and three different iPods in the past 10 years. I've had a.Mac membership since.Mac began. In short, if *I* won't buy an iPhone from them, who the hell is going to? I *am* the target audience. I said "No thanks" due to their boneheaded decision to prevent third party developers from offering me a feature rich experience that Apple cannot possibly deliver all by themselves.
I hadn't heard of it before you posted, seems like Apple already has a jump on Nokia's customers.
This coming from the guy who doesn't plan on buying a mobile phone anytime in the near future.
"Users will get their iPhone when they sign a contract", which has the advantage of being true, if less trolly.
It also makes more sense knowing that Apple will be getting a cut of each contract. You're gonna need service though, and you're probably gonna want that EDGE stuff when you start playing with your cute little GPS maps. You're rarely near a hot spot for very long on the road after all...
However, its success or failure will be depend on whether its target market likes what Apple is offering, and as is the case with the iPod, that market lies outside the sort of people who read Slashdot and other geek-oriented sites.
I've been buying Macintosh computers for ten years and every mobile phone I've ever purchased cost at least as much as the iPhone. If *I'm* not the target audience, I don't know who you think is. If I sound upset or angry, it's because I believe my favorite computer company has seriously dropped the ball on this one. I didn't care about writing software for the iPod, it's just a walkman. I bought three of those. I won't be buying this phone unless they change their tune about native apps.
The killer app is the phone, you don't need an SDK to call people.
And you don't need to spend $600 to make calls either. If phone is the killer app, well, then it was killed a long time ago. If all you want to do is make calls, do it for 30 bucks with a go phone.
Yes, they're targeting the smart phone market, but Apple will rely on their own tools for the time being - there's no need to let developers mess it up.
Yeah, just like developers messed up Macintosh dominance long ago... by not writing apps for the Mac. Oops. History repeats itself. You're right: Classic Apple.
I've owned and used nothing but Macs since the dark days of Gil Amelio. I just spent $750 on a Nokia N95. Does that tell you anything? Allow me to elaborate...
5 megapixel camera with a flash. It actually has two cameras, the one on the front is for video calls. GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, Stereo speakers, a battery door, Infrared... did you know that there's software to turn a S60 phone with infrared into a universal TV remote? It seems that is possible because the platform is open to developers. There's lots of S60 software already out there, mostly from third party developers. Fax, MMORPGs, VOIP, gnutella... Oops! Apple isn't interested in writing filesharing apps and Cingular said hell no to VOIP. Oh well, I guess iPhone buyers are just sh** outta luck on *ever* seeing that. But they get email, music, and 'rich web 2.0' apps with Konquerer! Yeah... the N95 can do that too. It also has OCR built into the OS. Barcode reader? In there. Wireless bluetooth keyboard driver? In there. A/V out through the headphone jack... yep. That too. It also comes with FM radio and the ability to read PDF files, MS Office documents, and SWF files right out of the box.
And to top all that off? It was available a month ago... not a month from now. Oh yeah, and it will be unlocked and usable on any network at that price... I've been a huge Mac fan for a decade, but I'll still be much happier with my Nokia. I'll be happier still when I get GCCE built and a hello world up and running.
News flash, I've worked extensively in both private and public sectors, and the same crap goes on in each. There really isn't a whole lot of difference. People know people and get promoted unfairly. Unions exist and make it hard to fire people. People sleep with their boss. People obtain cushy jobs where there work isn't noticed and do nothing all day. It happens everywhere. I'm not saying it's right, but I am saying that's how the real world works. Not this fantasy land of moving people and salaries and resources like a commodity.
Wait a minute! I thought capitalism and the free market solved every problem! <sarcasm/> However, isn't it possible that 40% of teachers in math and science are under-qualified because the state is not paying enough to attract and retain qualified help? Of course, that begs the question, from where is this money going to come? Given the gigantic budget deficit in the state, I wouldn't be so quick to blame teachers for being bad a math if I were Ahhhnold.
China's government has its hands so far up the ass of its own economy that one incompetent move on the government could spell disaster for the entire nation's economy.
Farnsworth: If we can stimulate that nerve, the bowel will convulse, expelling the entire worm society.
Hermes: But what about the worms in the other parts of his body?
Farnsworth: Listen, this is gonna be one hell of a bowel movement. Afterwards he'll be lucky if he has any bones left.
Slashdot Mirror
The benefit the iPhone provides most of us (in geekdom), is that it is a revolutionary way to surf the web on a mobile device. All the mobile devices until today cannot surf with even a modicum of the pleasure you get with the iPhone.
Uhhm..., yeah. So after amazement regarding the pinchy thing wears off, do you actually miss having flash files, or java, or mouse events?
Do you expect a manufacturer to sit down with you and list line by line everything they did thats "Different" from other manufacturers? Every part they soldered in instead of clipped? How the case is heat-welded instead of screwed together? How the antenna is integrated and cant be replaced and has no way to attach an external one to it without serious modifications?
Do you expect every review of the iPhone to gloss over obvious design flaws? Oh, that's right... it's not a flaw, it's a feature!
N95 has 64 MB of RAM. When running, it has around 20 MB of *free* memory.
As for the gaming, it's hard to say since management at Apple decided Apple employees were the only people who could write secure code for the iPhone. Well... no games from Apple yet. Security reasons I guess....
Apple's hardware is generally very well-designed, and their software is solid on Macs, but they can't seem to write a decent Windows program to save their lives.
This should be fun...
For example: why does iTunes run the iPod service even when iTunes isn't running and even though I've never used an iPod?
Because they figure if you're installing iTunes on Windows, it's because you purchased an iPod? It's a daemon. They want iTunes to launch anytime you connect an iPod, whether it's your iPod or not. I doubt keeping an ear out for an iPod connection is that resource intensive. Perhaps you should look for other background apps that are real resource hogs... Google Desktop indexing, virus scanning products, spyware of any sort, etc.
Why does Quicktime automatically have your browser open MP3s in Quicktime instead of downloading them (and not give you the option of turning this "feature" off?)
Just change your QuickTime browser plugin settings If your browser was saving to disk, no plugin was registered to handle that file type. QuickTime just steps up because nothing else is doing the job. Feel free to disable that.
Why do Apple programs "break" the usual look and feel of Windows programs?
You gotta be joking right?? Windows look and feel? LOL... Besides, Apple gets lots of shit about not even sticking to their own user interface guidelines these days. Why would they bother to be any more consistent on a Microsoft OS?
Honestly, this isn't rocket science here. How hard would it have been to recompile the iPhone software for a 64-bit machine?
Actually, computer science is a little harder than that. Not every app is coded in a high level language like Java or Python. Some folks still need to use C to get low level access for performance critical operations. In some cases, if you don't code with 64 bit in mind, you're app is going to be broken. You can just throw in a 64 bit compiler flag and expect everything to just work. Be great if you could, but it doesn't always work that way.
(1) It's not widely deployed (a few dozen cities
A few dozen, a couple hundred... but who's really counting. HSDPA coverage isn't *that* bad.
the chipsets that support it presently consume too much power. Apple apparently wants a lower power chipset so that battery life of the iPhone isn't adversely affected.
Reminds me of the old joke:
Nokia, when faced with the same dilemma, included a battery door.
;-)
Are you daft? Flash memory is faster than a hard drive. You obviously don't know crap.
I believe you're thinking of RAM memory. Flash memory is slow. But I'm daft... perhaps we should ask USA Today ... they certainly would know far more about the topic than a software programmer. <sarcasm />
Then again... if you'd actually owned one of each, you'd know that.So, that should take care of Adobe Flash, though I'm not 100% certain on this.
No flash or java support. I guess Steve Jobs thinks flash is too great of a security risk too. By the way, how do you have the real internet without java or flash??
Okay, granted, that would be nice. Then again, you have a browser - Google Docs to the rescue? I'll grant this isn't as nice as it could be, but it is possible.
Do you really want to upload your Office docs to Google every time you open them? That would be pretty retarded, no? That's what you'll have to do with a "rich web 2.0 app." Not only that, I hope you're near a wi-fi hotspot. The iPhone doesn't support 3G. MS Office documents can be really bloated, like everything else MS... So launch "rich web 2.0 app" then spend 10 to 15 seconds to upload that doc over your 2.5G connection, then spend the same amount of time downloading it back to your phone as html, all the while paying data charges in both directions... this is starting to sound *very* cumbersome, no? It may be possible, but it hardly qualifies as a solution.
Uhh... how many people need this? This being Slashdot, I anticipate seeing about 15 replies here all saying, "Yeah, I need a barcode reader! How could you not?"
I'm not pointing it out because I need it. I'm pointing it out because I have it on my new phone, and the iPhone will never be able to do it, under any circumstances. It would not only require a native app, but it would probably also require better camera hardware.
You know what comes with OS X? A little application called "Preview". It opens PDFs.
But it doesn't open encrypted e-books. My phone has a native app to do that. The iPhone will be unable to due to the lack of an SDK.
Voice mail? I know, not the same thing. Yeah, that would be nice.
No, a voice recorder. As in record your phone conversation. Record a note to yourself. Record your professor's lecture... not on the iPhone. Not unless Apple decides to throw you a bone at some future date.
That said, even if the providers allowed it, Apple still wouldn't include VOIP support. Not directly. Why? Because it's complicated.
We're talking about Apple. They could make it less complicated. That's one of the things Apple does best. VoIP is important because not everyone gets great cell reception indoors and it's WAY cheaper than any other calling (worst case scenario for US to Hong Kong is 2 cents per minute). And it really doesn't matter what the carriers think. It doesn't touch their network at all... what possible legitimate complaint could they make? I have GizmoVoIP on my N95 right now. You'll never see it on an iPhone though. It's just another missing feature you'll never see because of the lack of an SDK.
And that's just apps that came with my phone. Do you think Apple will ever release gnutella file sharing software for the iPhone? Doubt it, but it's available now on my phone. How about an MMORPG? Available now on my phone. Maybe... um, an app to keep up with my girls menstruation cycles... Yeah, like you'll *ever* see that on an iPhone. Available now for the Symbian... [still waiting on that 3rd edition update for my phone though ;)]
Are you beginning to see why I chose something besides an iPhone? There's really no comparison. The iPhone is pretty, and the Nokia is better at everything else. The iPhone isn't even in the same league. It's totally outclassed.
As I said in another post, the hype over the missing SDK is overblown, but it will eventually happen.
That is pure speculation on your part. There is currently no plan to introduce a SDK for native apps on the iPhone. Nobody has mentioned or even hinted at such.
Nice take on the bar code reader! Can you believe that rube actually posted that as a desired app in the first place?
I only mention it because A) Like all the other apps mentioned, it is available on my Nokia N95 right out of the box, and B) a barcode reader is never gonna happen on the iPhone via a "rich web 2.0 app." The camera itself on the iPhone appears to be a pretty ridiculous "me too" feature. No flash and only 2 MP... great if you love small, blurry, grainy pictures. Not so great if you need image quality for anything useful. Even if you could develop native apps on the iPhone, it probably doesn't have the hardware necessary to pull off an app like a barcode reader.
But hey, you're gonna buy one, right? Right? No, you're not. You, just like everyone else telling me how great the iPhone happens to be, always stop short of saying, "I'm gonna get one of those bad boys!" I purchased a $750 phone from the competition. Everyone here is saying how great the iPhone is, and how it's going to succeed, but I've yet to hear *ANYONE* say they intend to put their money where their mouth is. I for one, have already cast my vote. I didn't buy the iPhone, primarily due to the lack of an SDK.
You can spin it any way you like, but I am Apple's low hanging fruit and they lost *my* sale. That tells me the iPhone is doomed. I'm one of their best customers and I didn't want one. If you pulled your head out of the sand and listened, you'd find I'm not the only customer shouting this to Apple. We're taking our money elsewhere. Most people are going to comparison shop a bit before they plonk down their hard earned cash. When you do that, the iPhone simply doesn't stack up. It's locked (Cingular only), it's closed (No Apps), it's not even the best hardware (Crappy camera, no flash, no GPS, no battery door, no stereo speakers)... I'm sure they'll sell a handful on looks alone, but I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot less enthusiastic talk about "target markets" coming from Cupertino in about 3 to 6 months time when it's time to report sales and quarterly earnings.
First, the iPhone does not have a "big fast hard drive". I'm trying to figure out how you are a technophile who wants an SDK and yet still don't understand the device you're complaining about?
Seems I've given their hardware more credit than it deserves... You're right, flash memory. Which is a lot slower than a drive. So that strikes down pretty much the only advantage I thought the iPhone had.
Second, the iPhone is not "doomed" because 1% of the population
I heard one poster mention that Apple hopes to get 1% marketshare with this thing... So if my 1% coincides pretty nicely with the 1% Apple thinks it has a shot with... then yes, it's doomed.
I want developers to be able to make apps for the iPhone too,
Well, you me and the rest of planet Apple are shit outta luck, because there is no SDK. You've already invented some 'down the road' promise of an SDK that simply isn't there. Show me anywhere, where any Apple official is making the promises you're making. They aren't. There's no promise of an SDK ever. They've said from the start there will be no third party development of native apps. They are sticking to their guns. Their SDK consists of: "You can develop non-standard web pages for our phone and you'll like it!" As a result, the iPhone is completely doomed. *Everyone* that spends $600 on a phone wants killer apps like Salling clicker to go along with it. It will not be available. Ever. If you can't offer me the same killer apps that are available on phones that are half the price, the product will be a complete failure. I won't matter how pretty it is.
Getting people to understand why VoIP in general is "cool" will become a lot easier when it becomes, well, a lot easier.
I'd say it's really easy to explain to them now... "With VOIP, call Hong Kong for two cents a minute." After they say "WOW! That's cool... if I ever needed to call Hong Kong" then you proceed to tell them that all calling is cheaper on VOIP and that it's a great alternative when you're at the house... especially if you don't get great cell reception indoors. That should pretty much do it. If you can open a yahoo email address for yourself (Apple is expecting iPhone users to be at least that bright) then you are also bright enough to set up a VOIP account.
Seriously can someone name any truly useful apps that aren't included with the iPhone that don't require EDGE anyways?
You've got to be kidding me. You guys seriously don't get it.
Need I continue? It's not like the iPhone is the most feature rich hardware out there. Sure, it looks great and it has a big, fast hard drive for a phone, but without apps it's a limited, overpriced toy.
I've been using Macs exclusively for a decade. I've owned several iPods, half a dozen Macs, I have a iPod Hi-Fi wired to an Airport express, I've spent hundreds on iPod accessories, and of course, I've been waiting on the iPhone ever since Apple registered the iphone.org domain years ago. Every mobile I've ever purchased cost at least as much as the iPhone and I'm already on Cingular. I *am* the target market.
I purchased a Nokia N95 over a month ago. It has all of the above software and tons more. I passed on the iPhone for *one* reason: No SDK.
That should really tell you something... The iPhone is doomed. Mac users are not all Koolaid drinking retards. I buy Macs because I feel they represent the best hardware/software combination available anywhere. The iPhone is clearly not the best hardware around. The mobile market is very competitive. The software on the other hand is classic Apple. Beautiful, easy to use... but without an SDK, the software is feature frozen. It's the best it's ever going to get the day you buy it.
I would have been willing to overlook the hardware shortcomings had there been any possibility of third party development. Instead, I chose to spend $150 more on a competitor's product. It was a no brainer. Better hardware, and software that can do things the iPhone will never be able to do. Fax, print, java, flash, PDFs, DOCs, XLSs, GPS, VOIP, Salling clicker, and it syncs nicely with iSync. Who's gonna buy the one trick pony when you can do so much more for an extra $150? Certainly not me. And if not the die-hard Apple fanatic like myself, then who will be spending hundreds on an Apple phone that does four things well? Probably the same folks that bought a G4 cube.
All skill sets. All workers. Mexican migrant farm help included. No five year waiting periods, or jumping through flaming hoops to get a green card. Welcome to America, here's your SSN. As long as you don't have a criminal record and you can afford to get here, you can stay if you'd like. That's how the rules worked when my ancestry arrived, I don't see why it should be any different now. How did that saying go? ... Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free.
Please do not mix illegal immigrants up with H-1B workers. The former do depress wages, while the latter are required by law to be paid at least as much as their American counterparts. Of course, I do not expect that such inconvenient facts will be considered, given the foul mood that the entire country is in.
"...four out of five jobs under the H1-B program are level one jobs, not level four. i.e. low skill jobs, not high skill jobs." Lou Dobbs That means foreign workers are being paid as much as other Americans... in entry level positions... while meeting requirements for high level employment. Sure, that's fair.
I have a better idea. Full citizenship to anyone who qualifies for an H1-B. Then you can save social security for an aging, top heavy US population and force employers to pay fair wages all at once! Two birds with one stone :)
Who says we feel entitled to anything !USian? I think it sucks that some !USian has to live on sub-human wages in MY country because his employer knows he has no choice but to accept it. In MY country, some !USian is being threatened with deportation if he gets out of line with his boss. In MY country, some low life USian who employees this !USian is evading payroll taxes. All of this is made possible by the work visa.
I say get rid of work visa entirely. If your skills are needed in MY country, MY country should have the decency to accept you as one of US. Here's your citizenship. Bring your family! That's how it became MY country... I may have been born here, but I'm not a full blood native American. I don't know anyone who is.
Full citizens can't be threatened with deportation, and therefore won't work for subhuman wages. They'll pay taxes just like everyone else, because they aren't afraid of being discovered and deported. They'll work hard to provide for their family, because their family is HERE and receiving the best America has to offer. They will pay into *and save* a social security system that is currently doomed to failure because the US population is aging and very top heavy.
Of course, that will kinda defeat the point of gaming the H1-B visa system entirely. If we do that, companies will have two options. Hire an American or hire an American. Even playing field for all employees. Social security is saved without new taxation. America acquires some of the brightest and hardest working people from around the globe. Problem solved. I'm all for it. I think the only loser is the tax cheating, slave wage paying employers out there. So, when can we start?
Ohhhhhhh, you're one of the tax cheating, slave wage paying employers just trying to maintain the status quo with your bullshit! That's why you posted AC.
Uh oh... we know what this means.... Oh my God, they killed Billy! You bastards!!
Go to http://www.apple.com/iphone/ then watch the launch keynote. Then try to honestly say you'd rather have that current ugly lump you call a phone. I am not a fanboy, but I realise that there is the iphone and there is the rest.
Yeah, it's great if pictures and apps aren't important to you. I had a no flash 2MP camera phone over a year ago (Motorola A1200 linux phone). It also had blurry, grainy, small images and no third party software to speak of. Of course, Mac support sucked too, so I know how the PC users who dare buy this thing will feel. After a couple of weeks when the new wore off, owning it was a real let down.
It was a touch screen too. Major problem that... no actual buttons means you always have to see the screen to do anything. You can't feel the buttons without needing to look. And I'm sure Steve's vegan fingers are quite deft on that touch screen keypad, but I know some meat & potatoes people that are going to find that interface quite difficult to deal with.
But since it runs OS X it should work with standard portable third party bluetooth keyboards...? Right? Oh, damn, that's right... no third party apps or drivers... You've got to wait on Apple to support competitor's hardware and admit that their interface isn't always the most desirable. So yeah, good luck on that...
On the flip side, go up to Handango and check out the "applications" for a PDA. Top sellers including
Yes, because most people need to download WiFi enabled killer apps for their 3 year old bundle phones. I'm sure the elite 1% will be well represented by the downloads of the lowest common denominator.
Slashdotters seem to think that "Well I wouldn't buy it because it doesn't have feature X" is a valid reason for the product failing.
No, actually, I think the fact that *I* bought a more expensive phone from another company is a pretty good indication that the product will fail. I've owned seven different Apple computers and three different iPods in the past 10 years. I've had a .Mac membership since .Mac began. In short, if *I* won't buy an iPhone from them, who the hell is going to? I *am* the target audience. I said "No thanks" due to their boneheaded decision to prevent third party developers from offering me a feature rich experience that Apple cannot possibly deliver all by themselves.
I hadn't heard of it before you posted, seems like Apple already has a jump on Nokia's customers.
This coming from the guy who doesn't plan on buying a mobile phone anytime in the near future.
"Users will get their iPhone when they sign a contract", which has the advantage of being true, if less trolly.
It also makes more sense knowing that Apple will be getting a cut of each contract. You're gonna need service though, and you're probably gonna want that EDGE stuff when you start playing with your cute little GPS maps. You're rarely near a hot spot for very long on the road after all...
However, its success or failure will be depend on whether its target market likes what Apple is offering, and as is the case with the iPod, that market lies outside the sort of people who read Slashdot and other geek-oriented sites.
I've been buying Macintosh computers for ten years and every mobile phone I've ever purchased cost at least as much as the iPhone. If *I'm* not the target audience, I don't know who you think is. If I sound upset or angry, it's because I believe my favorite computer company has seriously dropped the ball on this one. I didn't care about writing software for the iPod, it's just a walkman. I bought three of those. I won't be buying this phone unless they change their tune about native apps.
The killer app is the phone, you don't need an SDK to call people.
And you don't need to spend $600 to make calls either. If phone is the killer app, well, then it was killed a long time ago. If all you want to do is make calls, do it for 30 bucks with a go phone.
Yes, they're targeting the smart phone market, but Apple will rely on their own tools for the time being - there's no need to let developers mess it up.
Yeah, just like developers messed up Macintosh dominance long ago... by not writing apps for the Mac. Oops. History repeats itself. You're right: Classic Apple.
I've owned and used nothing but Macs since the dark days of Gil Amelio. I just spent $750 on a Nokia N95. Does that tell you anything? Allow me to elaborate...
5 megapixel camera with a flash. It actually has two cameras, the one on the front is for video calls. GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, Stereo speakers, a battery door, Infrared... did you know that there's software to turn a S60 phone with infrared into a universal TV remote? It seems that is possible because the platform is open to developers. There's lots of S60 software already out there, mostly from third party developers. Fax, MMORPGs, VOIP, gnutella... Oops! Apple isn't interested in writing filesharing apps and Cingular said hell no to VOIP. Oh well, I guess iPhone buyers are just sh** outta luck on *ever* seeing that. But they get email, music, and 'rich web 2.0' apps with Konquerer! Yeah... the N95 can do that too. It also has OCR built into the OS. Barcode reader? In there. Wireless bluetooth keyboard driver? In there. A/V out through the headphone jack... yep. That too. It also comes with FM radio and the ability to read PDF files, MS Office documents, and SWF files right out of the box.
And to top all that off? It was available a month ago... not a month from now. Oh yeah, and it will be unlocked and usable on any network at that price... I've been a huge Mac fan for a decade, but I'll still be much happier with my Nokia. I'll be happier still when I get GCCE built and a hello world up and running.
I'm not saying the study isn't valid, but it reeks of bad science like the smoking "studies" that found smoking doesn't cause lung cancer.
And what studies would those be? Reference please.
News flash, I've worked extensively in both private and public sectors, and the same crap goes on in each. There really isn't a whole lot of difference. People know people and get promoted unfairly. Unions exist and make it hard to fire people. People sleep with their boss. People obtain cushy jobs where there work isn't noticed and do nothing all day. It happens everywhere. I'm not saying it's right, but I am saying that's how the real world works. Not this fantasy land of moving people and salaries and resources like a commodity.
Wait a minute! I thought capitalism and the free market solved every problem! <sarcasm /> However, isn't it possible that 40% of teachers in math and science are under-qualified because the state is not paying enough to attract and retain qualified help? Of course, that begs the question, from where is this money going to come? Given the gigantic budget deficit in the state, I wouldn't be so quick to blame teachers for being bad a math if I were Ahhhnold.
notcolor <tag> If you disagree with color, please use !color instead. ;)
China's government has its hands so far up the ass of its own economy that one incompetent move on the government could spell disaster for the entire nation's economy.
Farnsworth: If we can stimulate that nerve, the bowel will convulse, expelling the entire worm society.
Hermes: But what about the worms in the other parts of his body?
Farnsworth: Listen, this is gonna be one hell of a bowel movement. Afterwards he'll be lucky if he has any bones left.