OT: Steve Jobs' Walled Garden is Crumbling

[Michael Haney]

The iPad would indeed be the "Netbook Killer" that Steve Jobs
fantasizes it to be if it were more versatile.  There is no room for
expansion, no USB ports and no SD card slots.  The fact that they
added an micro-SIM slot was a shocker, but I think that was to appease
some of their critics for going with AT&T rather than to really give
customers a choice of carriers.

Apple's totalitarian grip on the App Store and the approval process is
a double edged sword.  On the good side, it keeps the overall quality
of the apps on the App Store relatively high.  So, yeah, we have a lot
of quality Fart apps.  On the flip side though, it stifles innovation
and turns the business of investing large amounts of money into the
development of Apps into high-stakes game of Poker.  Apple could not
approve your app, they have no appeal process you can go through as a
part of the system, so all that money you invested gets flushed down
the toilet.  Hand over your chips, throw down your cards, you're done.

Section 3.3.1 makes things worse.  It hamstrings developers by forcing
them to use Apple's tools and only Apple's tools.  If they want to do
something that the "official" tools don't support developing a certain
feature then developers have to "hand-code" it.  That can take a long
time, and depending on what the developer is trying to do it can be an
exercise in frustration.  Developers are also limited to the highest
level of functionality the current development tools allow thus
stifling innovation.  The C4 Mac Coding Conference has already been
cancelled in protest of this.

Steve Jobs's Walled Garden is starting to whither and I don't think
its just because of the SDK license agreement.  Android has overtaken
the iPhone in sales for the first time ever, and is showing no signs
at all of slowing down.  There is huge momentum behind Android, a new
version with lots of "highly-desired" features is coming soon, and
more and more developers than ever are creating Apps for it.  I also
believe Apple's ban of Porn apps has something to do with it.  Sex
sells, Its a market that eclipses the movie, music and game industries
combined.  I knew the iPhone's momentum was going to slip, but I
underestimated how fast it was going to start.  I doubt very much that
its going to stop now that's begun, unless there is a serious shake-up
in Apple.

As Kosh said, "The avalanche has already started, its is too late for
the pebbles to vote."  Now I don't ever see the iPhone going away, but
it won't be the huge power-house that is today.  Not unless Apple puts
Steve Jobs on a leash and changes things right now.  Otherwise,
they'll never be the King of the Hill ever again.

-- 
Michael "TheZorch" Haney
"The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking
of morality by religion." ~ Arthur C. Clarke
"The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion and
politics, but it is not the path to knowledge, and there is no place
for it in the endeavor of science. " ~ Carl Sagan

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