1 responses to “Apple’s Growing Arrogance”

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  Ste October 8th, 2007 at 13:11

  I don’t know that I’d say arrogant so much as less experienced. Look at it this way, the iPod is only an accessory really to the computer. Sure, it basically created a new category of gadget that previously belonged to the few people who were geeky enough to want more than a CD player. But even now, it’s not one of those items that is *required* to live in the digital age.

  Computers and cellphones, on the other hand, are. And the thing is, Apple’s very good at the one and very NEW at the other. Having played with the iPhone a lot (and having *hated* cellphones pretty much for a decade or so), I can honestly say that they nailed what it would take for most people to *want* a phone. The problem is, they underestimated the amount of people that would want to do even more with the phone.

  The other problem is that software development for phones is nowhere near the level it is for computers. Most of the commonly used software out there, whether for Mac or PC, is being developed by companies that have been around for decades (and will continue to be around). If you look at phone applications, on the other hand, there’s very few established companies, and *most* of those also make the phones their applications run on. For Apple to completely open up the iPhone for software developers, regardless of the fact that it’s based on OS X, is to open up the platform to an even playing field where novices can seem the same as proven experts.

  Who’s to say that x application is really going to be stable and dependable? Especially on a device where stable and dependable is essential. Lose your computer for a few days, it’s a pain but survivable. Lose your phone for a few days and, for many people, that can be much worse.

  Don’t forget to factor in energy efficiency. (Oh wait, all my extra software is a huge drain on the battery life? It must be Apple’s fault!) Steve Jobs has said he’d love to have 3G on the iPhone but not before it’s battery efficiency is proven.

  Arrogant? Nah, not really … I think they’re just learning by doing.

  And yeah, I’ll be getting a MacBook Pro sometime soon, too.