Analysis: How Smartphone Platforms Compare

Mac OS X
Apple's a latecomer to smartphones, unveiling its iPhone prototype just two weeks ago and still at least five months from having a finished product.

Mac enthusiasts were thrilled to hear the Mac OS X operating system will drive the iPhone. Think of it as a Mac computer, iPod, and cell phone mashed together.

The OS X design, however, comes up short in several ways. The platform works exclusively over Cingular's network, and it's a closed system. Apple and Cingular will control the type of software available for iPhones. "If you're looking for an open ecosystem of applications to add to the phone, it won't be there," says Philip Solis, an ABI Research analyst who describes iPhone as a "feature phone" rather than a smartphone.

The iPhone initially won't support 3G cellular technology, which is the direction wireless carriers are going. Users could be stuck with slow data speeds on Cingular's Edge network.

What stands out is the iPhone's touch-screen design--no thumb-fumbling keyboard. Apple's not the first smartphone maker to use a touch-screen, but its endorsement could push more smartphone designers in the same direction. Of course, it's possible that many users will prefer keypad phones. The iPhone will be a test of who wants what.

Apple's challenge: OS X is loved by creative types in advertising and design firms, but Apple must open the operating system to developers if it wants to broaden appeal to other professionals. Not likely. Of course, Apple could stay focused on the consumer market. If so, the iPhone may show up in business environments, but IT departments won't be the ones buying or supporting it.

Jean Francois Podevin

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Road Map For Smartphone Operating Systems