blog.wired.com — Apple's recent rejections of some iPhone applications from its App Store raise a question: Will the company's restrictiveness spark a mass exodus of coders opting to develop for the supposedly open Google Android platform? Yes, no and maybe so.
Sep 24, 2008 View in Crawl 4
mueritzSep 25, 2008
It´s just a phone, not a revolution.
Closed AccountSep 26, 2008
Restrictive, no. Sensible limitations, yes. And devs wont switch over to Android simply because it's "open". I think they'll be looking for one of a few things, things the iPhone is arguably overstocked with: reliability, exposure for their applications, ease of development, hardware and software power/capabilities, innovation and end-user satisfaction... the list just goes on and on. Android is okay, but it's heavily flawed, much as are the phones it lives on are.
jbeardslSep 26, 2008
I don't even disagree with the control - it's Apple's approach and it works for them. More power to them, it's not a dealbreaker for me or for most people I'd bet. But AT&T exclusivity is a dealbreaker, and Apple risks giving away market leadership because of it. I hear what you're saying about using their success to go to other carriers, but the thing I wonder about is how locked up they are with AT&T. When the deal was cut Apple didn't have a phone and a market, much less the uber-hype that exists today. If AT&T locked them in as a condition to bring them to market, well it's going to be tough to carry that success to other carriers. Only time will tell I guess, but my original point still stands - Apple stands to lose not because of developers but because of a self-imposed limited market of AT&T users.
clickmyfaceSep 27, 2008
I see two trains of thought here:Android makes it easy for programmers / developers to do whatever they want, letting them build interfaces and apps to their standards based on Googles framework (potentially only being limited by individual network carriers.)Apple programmers / developers get to create whatever they want, building everything from the ground up to satisfy their standards and control what apps are available. (but also limited by AT&T). Personally, I lean towards Apples approach. Wether you personally like Apple or not, their devotion to the user experience is unparalleled. <a class="user" href="http://developer.apple.com/ue/">http://developer.apple.com/ue/</a>
directrix13Sep 27, 2008
@peedstandingup:Yes, that is *exactly* the way it works for Linux. Far more so than Windows or Mac.@HolyChimp:Linux is every bit as consistent as Windows. Probably more so. You never noticed all those programs with completely graphical interfaces (instead of using actual Windows widgets)? Mac has their Human Interface Guidelines and so does Gnome. Following that is up to the developer no matter which platform(s) they choose to develop for.