Topics:
Mobile
Isn't It Time Apple And AT&T Opened The iPhone?
No one really seems to know why AT&T and Apple are keeping the iPhone closed. I have a theory: I think Apple may be more scared of open access than AT&T, assuming such a thing -- a vendor being more scared of open access than a carrier -- is even possible. One reader on Slashdot chimed in on this earlier today:
Apple claims that it plans to open the iPhone to outside developers. Yet more than four months after launch, programmers are scrambling to access the iPhone and Apple continues to ignore them. What gives? While hackers open the iPhone and crack almost every lockdown Apple can devise, Apple continues to fight them. What company on earth would ever want to squash the desire of eager developers to make its devices better? In fact, Apple seems to hate the iPhone hackers. Just this weekend Apple confirmed that new software updates for the iPhone will turn any hacked iPhones into bricks, or iBricks. I understand why Apple wants to protect the iPhone. The company is proud of the device and its mobile user experience and it wants to protect that experience. But the other champion of mobile UX, the BlackBerry, has a developer program and has warmed to developers in recent years. As a result, the BlackBerry continues its reign as king of the enterprise market and is now exploding with prosumers, too. If Apple really wants the iPhone to be a mobile programming platform -- and not just an expensive iPod Touch with an overpriced carrier contract -- it needs to be more open. And more important, Apple will need smart, eager developers to help it make the iPhone a serious smartphone platform. C'mon, Mr. Jobs, tear down the iPhone wall. What do you think? Isn't it time for Apple to open up the iPhone? « Phony Phishing Fosters Less-Gullible Users | Main | A Technology Bubble? No Burst In Sight » |
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