Real Speak Technology

Apple’s iPhone seems to have taken the app mobile lead today, but let me tell you the War is not over and here are reasons why:

Our greatest strengths, also are sometimes our greatest weaknesses.   Apple has a controlled channel of distribution for applications.  It’s extremely locked down, and any distribution you’d like to perform as a freelance developer you are limited to use their store to distribute your applications.  On the surface, it seems like a good thing from several aspects:

1. Quality Perspective. No malware, malicious programs intent on stealing your data, or crashing your system.   This quality control process also keeps quality in check, and applications conform to a uniform standard of interface so we get the impression of a standard look and feel throughout.  BUT with an absolute control over your distribution channel you’ve created a bottleneck for your distribution channel, and stifle creativity. First, I don’t care what Apple advertises within 14 days, on average 80 to 95% of applications are TESTED.  They can and will reject you for any number of non-conforming reasons, and hey, if its a misunderstanding like say, the login info you provide.  Don’t care.  Back of the line buddy, and you’ve got to wait another 14 days -/+.    Don’t care?  Well you should.  Not just because you may be wasting months and thousands of dollars developing an iPhone app, only to be rejected, submit again, be rejected, submit, again, and again, but here’s the interesting part:  If you have a creative idea, but it’s non-conforming to their exact UI specifications, then guess what, Apple is actually preventing, progress.  Apple?  Aren’t they the creative folks? The Mac guys we, I,  use to be creative, yet simple?   Literally, if you don’t conform to one of several iPhone UI specifications, your hosed.    OPPORTUNITY ALERT: You want to be a mobile hardware vendor, the single platform for communications, mobile applications, and music, don’t limit your options, just enhance the distribution channel of your own to make it more attractive.  As a purchaser of applications and music, am I most likely going to use iTunes and the App Store if I have the iPhone; well, I really do not have other options.  As a mobile hardware vendor who wants to OWN the market, make it easy for the consumer to buy, but also give your partners, the developers, options.   Empower your partners to distribute to the world on their own. It will help you and them.   It will help you because you can focus your energies on not being the bottleneck, but on core design evolution.  
2. One Stop Shopping –  Anyone remember the Palm OS?  Wow, now that was a revolution, but one of the biggest challenges and missed opportunities for them was an application channel distribution on the device.   It would have been cool to have an app store on the Palm OS way back when they first started.  I searched around a few web sites to find Palm apps, but it was great that I had the opportunity to go all over the world wide web, and get any mobile applications some developer dreamed up, and guess what, if the app happened to crashed my Palm, no problem!!!   I have a backup on my PC, and its a reset and a sync away.   As a developer, if I had access to that kind of channel of distribution, wow, approved Palm Apps downloaded directly from the device, but also had the capability of distributing and promoting my own apps, and allow for additional channels of distribution?  Aren’t we supposed to create opportunities?  What ever happened to buying through channels?   Not in the iPhone’s business plan.
3. Advertising – The marketing power of Apple is huge, and sexy, and wow!  It pays to partner with them and take advantage of their spend in the media.   Full stop.    The only negative I have about their advertising is how they pitch ‘there’s an app for that, and just about everything’.  As a developer, or even a subliminal consumer message, it almost implies a stifling of creativity.  It implies, it’s all been done.  Anti-traditional Apple has been known for: creativity, and freedom of thought.
4. Design Factor – iPhone has a great, thin design, great real estate screen size, however, as everyone probably knows, the text entry capabilities are not as easy as a raised keyboard.  Touch screen is not the best way at this point to enter text fast.  Why?  Same reason why I can type without looking at my PC keyboard.    Is typing essential on a communication device with email, texting, and business apps,  duh!    Designs like the Sprint Palm Pre is a very nice compromise of good real estate screen size, and a touch keyboard.  Wow.  Not sure if the interface is yet perfect, but NOW we’re talking.  Listening to music, there are several design opportunities, which the iPhone could also be lacking, but if their focus remains, others can close the gap.

Don’t get me wrong, I hope Apple one day accepts my application, and every two weeks I’m not rejected for one minor thing or another.  Maybe not only can the world benefit from my creativity, but also I can make a few bucks.  Guess that’s what attracted me to the platform in the first place.  The Mac branding, one of creativity, and ease of use.

Might I have made the wrong bet?    If you have an idea for mobile software, search for a device that has an open platform of distribution, and offers there own promotional store, while still showing themselves as being progressive in form and factor.

And, one more thing Apple.  There isn’t an app for just about everything.  Are you saying creativity is dead.  It’s all been done?  Nice way to encourage innovation.  I would change your slogan, and say, You never know what application tomorrow will bring, instead of limiting your customers, and development partners vision for tomorrow.

Shall I remind everyone about the Palm OS, on top of the world just a few years back.  Popularity changes faster than the change of the wind, and Apple, has had significant success, and has deserved it. There is always potential for change, I’d like to hope.

I was shopping around for other devices since my contract was up, and saw, what I believe was a very interesting idea, Verizon Wireless on the Blackberry has an application store of their own in addition to the Blackberry store.  Now is this a subset of applications, or a superset?  As a subset, it does help the carrier company promote specific applications, and make their deals with application partners lucrative on both ends, and is a positive.  If it’s also a superset of applications, it could also be beneficial, but it should be qualified with a disclaimer,e.g. these applications may not confirm to the device manufacturer standards.   Now if Verizon Wireless was able to do that with Apple, man, think it may even be worth the penalties to switch from AT&T.  That would be the Apple company I’d like to see, and the Verizon company I believe is progressive, such as with FiOS.

Hey, there are several cellular carriers and hardware manufacturers out there, and deals are happening all of the time.    Just one spark of innovation is all it takes.  Enjoy the ride, I’m trying!