Geir Arne Brevik, October 2 2007:
Should iPhone be "open to anything?"?
Soon after Apple updated the iPhone software to version 1.1.1, thus breaking both carrier unlocking and custom software, Nokia grabbed the opportunity to have a go at Apple with a campaign saying “Phones should be open to anything” and “The best devices have no limits”. To gadget-freaks and software developers this speaks straight to the heart, especially since Steve Jobs’ “web apps as an API” really is nothing more than an insult to programmers. Even I, that take pride in making web apps, would love SSH, IM and a Flickr client on my phone or iPod touch.
But Nokia hit the nail on its head with their slogans, ‘cause they are so terribly wrong. The best devices aren’t open to anything or without limits. Look at phones pre-bluetooth (I think that’s about when the complexity got out of hand for most phonemakers)? Old Nokias from 1998 are often way more responsive than Symbian-powered smartphones. And it’s not like it’s the new fancy video conferencing stuff that is slow — EVERYTHING is slow, despite super fast hardware. Even browsing the phonebook and writing SMS messages. The stuff you do all the time. Difference in software philosophy: Old phones was engineered (and tested) to do a finite set of tasks. Symbian and Windows Mobile are written as real operating systems, that in theory can do anything.
Another example: Gaming consoles. How often have you experienced a software crash on your console or handheld? Even though these computers are extremely complex, and can do everything from deliver you news to play the guitar, they almost never crashes. Developer philosophy: Third parties make software, but under rigid approve-and-license regimes. Of course, this is a way for Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft to make big money, but it also seems to pay off in software quality. And for me, as a consumer, that’s important, as I am more fond of improving my Wii Sports records than rebooting.
As touch OS X is a new platform, I see many good reasons for Apple to keep it closed. Like Dan and Jon on The Talk Show, I hope and think Apple eventually will open up to licensed developers. But open to anything? No, never. And I hope it stays that way.
PS.
Apple is wrong on one thing, though, and that’s the carrier lock-in. It’s not an Apple-specific problem, but Apple could and should have pointed the mobile industry in a new direction. Devices like a phone should be carrier independent. It’s like I don’t care so much if a piece of software is open or not — much more important is weather the data format is open…
