IPHONE ELITE TEAM RELEASES “REVIRGINIZER” FOR UNLOCKED IPHONES

a casual post on Apple’s Web site signaled its relaunch as a platform supported by third-party native applications. Apple’s attempt to protect the security of a wireless network by encouraging Web 2.0-based applications taking advantage of Ajax technologies could not realistically mimic the capabilities provided by native applications, at least without some way to provide offline functionality using developing technologies such as Google Gears. Furthermore, there were a host of utilities that have evolved on other smartphones (such as system-wide search or alternative input methods) that were beyond the scope of such an approach.

So, come February, Apple will return to its PC heritage and extend its party to third parties. Developers get their iPhone. Users get their applications. And normally reticent bloggers emerge from their keyboards and podcasting microphones like woodland creatures after a storm, just a little more likely to share their timid opinions with the world. Unfortunately, the rationale of all iPhone hackers cannot be swept away as easily as a fingertip switches among open Web sites in the iPhone’s Safari browser.

First is the still-remaining issue of carrier lock-in. While support for the iPhone in the three largest European economies has reduced some of the incentive for this, there are still scores of countries with compatible GSM carriers that do not offer the iPhone. And indeed, in many countries with GSM networks, there are competitive carriers with which Apple has not struck a deal (such as T-Mobile in the U.S.). Exclusives are nothing new in the U.S. celluar industry and often help bring down the price of devices, but the iPhone raised their profile particularly among a group that historically has had a direct and deep relationship with their hardware provider.

Second is the new code-signing requirement, which is certainly a better compromise than limiting the functionality of the iPhone, but doesn’t necessarily guarantee freedom to do what a PC developer would. Here, Apple has little control over the supply of hacks, but may be able to sway demand for them depending on how willing it is to certify applications that could conceivably compete with its or its partners’ revenue streams. Examples would include voice over IP programs such as Skype or a native version of the Amazon MP3 store. Indeed, one need not go very far down the most-wanted list of iPhone applications to see this conflict as native instant messaging — supported on many other smartphone platforms — could cannibalize SMS revenue, one of the few upsell opportunities that AT&T has at this point.

Apple could have controlled the distribution of iPhone applications by using iTunes as the exclusive distribution point for loading, much as it has for games on the iPod. Code-signing has the opportunity to encourage a much richer ecosystem of applications, but while third-party applications may function beneath your fingers, Apple could still hold developers under its thumb.

---

Ross Rubin is director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group,. His blog can be read at http://www.rossrubin.com/outofthebox. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jobs praises Nokia’s 3rd party app scheme, but he has it wrong

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

In chatting up Apple’s sudden change of direction today on the whole native iPhone SDK issue, Steve Jobs did a little name dropping by mentioning that he digs the way Nokia does things with S60’s support for third party applications. It seems apparent from the get-go that Steve has every intention of offering apps through some sort of official, money-generating conduit — iTunes, we’d wager — and with that comes the promise of digital rights management, authenticity verification, and all those nasty little technologies that set the hacking community ablaze. To that end, Steve mentioned that he digs Nokia’s approach of requiring that apps be digitally signed so they can be traced back to their developers, an effort to stem “viruses, malware, privacy attacks” that he thinks will flourish on a “highly visible target” like the iPhone. There’s a problem, though: there’s no telling when the last time is that Steve touched a phone not of his own creation, but we’ve used S60 devices pretty recently (like, today) and we have it on good authority that you can disable certificate verification for installed apps. Think iPhone users are going to have that option? Probably not. Apple’s still visibly concerned about keeping the iPhone under its perceived draconian control (even though it’s been busted wide open time and time again), and we’ve no doubt that trend will continue in full effect with the SDK. It’s a huge, landmark upgrade from the web-based SDK developers have now, yes — but we’d recommend Steve screw around with an N95 for a while before he heaps any more love on the way Nokia goes about its business.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

What iPhone apps do you want to see?

Filed under: Cellphones