iPhone on the outside, Symbian on the inside

This article made me think of an interesting question: Will Apple ever sell their UI under licence to other manufacturers?

Apple's Macintosh home computer interface/OS was widely praised back in the 1980s, but it was ultimately sidelined by the similar-looking Windows interface/OS because Steve Jobs refused to sell Mac OS licences. The Mac faded away, almost died, and even after a revival it still only has a market share of a few percent.

Could the same thing happen to Apple all over again in the smartphone world? Could the iPhone become influential but, in the long term, not very widely used?

It's worth noting that the Symbian, Windows Mobile and Linux operating systems are all available to any manufacturer who wants to buy a licence, as are the S60 and UIQ interfaces. If these OS and UI makers start offering an iPhone-style platform to all existing phone makers, it could well be Clone Hardware vs Mac Hardware all over again, which is something Apple ought to avoid at all costs.

This article made me think of an interesting question: Will Apple ever sell their UI under licence to other manufacturers?

I've nothing against any Apple products, or Apple as such but why do some of their followers need to be in peoples faces all the time screaming how great their stuff is?

If it's so great then fine go ahead and be happy with your smooth user experience. But personally I'll spend my money on my social life.

To comment on topic, I do believe that the iPhone will be widely emulated, but I don't believe we need it. It's the marketing and hype over substance that will force the issue. Some phones on the market are easier to use than others but I haven't found one yet that I can't just make a call on. These are, at the end of the day, just tools not jewellery.

Is there anything to sell beyond the 2 finger pinch/stretch thing ?

The screen technology is not new as far as I'm aware.

Can't see anything particularly patentable. Just a case of make it snappy without too many clicks to get things done ?

Again gets trickyer as you put more 'options & settings' in. But the easy stuff should be 'Easy'.

Zuber

Steve: In my opinion you are wrong when you say that Symbian as an operating system is better than OS X. Don't forget that the iPhone runs a 700MB subset of the _real_ OS X. In my opinion Nokia will never be able to copy the core technologies of OS X they are so advanced and polished. And slowly, Apple will bring those technologies to iPhone. Don't forget you've played iPhone 1.0.

I'm a Symbian developer and waiting for Apple to open their platform for 3rd parties and I'll be never look back.

I pretty much agree: the relatively open Mach/BSD-based MacOSX is a way more practical choice than the closed source, severely overengineered Symbian.

Re: screen technology, yes it is new. It's bright and robust. Capacitive, rather than resistive etc.

re: OS X. Yes, this is larger than Symbian but the latter has all the real time comms routines for HSDPA etc. And Symbian have been doing this for a long time....

steve (via E61i)

Hi all,

Well as some one that only moved away from touchscreen devices just over a year ago I'm really not so sure i want to go back. But having said that it is no secret that Nokia are working on at last one touchscreen device and also very recently licensed a tactile feedback technology. Add to that next year should see the arrival of the OMAP series 3 chip and just how mature S60 is and i think we shall see some very interesting devices some even may be touchscreen. As long as Apple keep their devices locked to only their apps they will really only appeal to Mac users and fans but that is enough to sell plenty of units. I still think S60 and all that it offers is a better more customisable OS for most of us IMO.

Marc

"Re: screen technology, yes it is new. It's bright and robust. Capacitive, rather than resistive etc."

I was thinking more in terms of new as in something Apple can license/sell rather than first time on a phone...

As in anything stopping someone else doing the good bits from Apple in a year from now.

Zuber

steve,
i guess the symbian developer did not talk about HSDPA or bluetooth in terms of operating system features, but things like apples "core" family: coreaudio, -text etc and of coufse coreanimation. these and other "realy" operating system things make developer's life much easier.

if they someday will be opened to third party developers, of course... 😊

Funny, how iPhone haters now suddenly see it as the future of mobile computing LOL. Yes, Nokia/SE/Moto will try to copy the interface and user experience but the result will be just that, more or less poor copy of the real thing. Just like MS Vista or the Zune.

Oh give it a rest, Macboy. I've never been an iPhone 'hater' and have only ever raised constructive criticism of it. And the iPhone itself isn't the future of mobile computing, please read the article. The iPhone simply points the way forward in some areas.

I am SHOCKED that the iphone can't even send files to via bluetooth. All the Mac OSX laptops Ive used have been able to do this for years. I wonder if this is just an example of US feature crippling (to ensure network data income) rather than actually a limitation of the phone?

Having said that, the inability to copy text between applications must be just that, a shocking limitation of the phone. Copying text is one of those smartphone features we completely take for granted - something I've got used to doing ever since my first 9110 Communicator.

No,

Sorry but I still hate the iPhone. Even though I acknowledge it did have a few plus points.

Actually, it's not the phone, its not that special but I hate the whole Apple Bandwagon thing. I wonder how long before the wow pretty thing wears off and the lack of features complaints start to surface.

Does that mean I wont consider an iPhone 2.0. Not at all, I'll consider it if it is any good. Because I'm not an unpaid fanboy/marketing machine and my loyalty is to what works for me 😊

At the moment, I think it will go the E90 though with a couple of reservations.

Zuber

I am not expecting any complaints about the lack of features from the iPhone users. Remember, we are talking about the US market. People in the US are used to dumb, albeit shiny, phones (examples: Blackberry, LG, Motorola). From the point of view of a average American non-power-user, the iPhone is very versatile and easy to use.

I am sure, rightly or wrongly, all phones will eventually follow the no buttons, touchscreen concept of the Iphone because it will be the cheapest, easiest to manufacture and most reliable type of device. No buttons means no complicated/flimsy parts to manufacture and less chance for moisture/dirt ingress into the device. The costly? screen issue will eventually follow the same path as the exponential decrease in the cost of Plasma/LCD screens to manufacture. So I can see touchscreens eventually in all devices, not just medium to high end ones.

I think most people are missing the point, I want functionality rather than glitz. I'll stick to my Nokia E61 until I get an E90. Then i'll be able to surf the web, use Widsets, edit Office Documents, phone landlines to 40 countries free using Truphone, take decent Video footage, take memorable photos, video call, use lots of 3rd party apps, find my way to somewhere, make a call by pressing 1button to get me to the phone log, buy an extra battery for long trips, buy as many Micro SD cards as I like etc etc.

If the Iphone had the above functionality I would probably buy an Iphone but for me functionality is more important than bells and whistles, if you are actually going to use the phone that is and not stare at it adoringly!!

I find symbian easy to use and the 7 shortcuts and 2 keys give me access to all my favorite apps, try it rather than moan about it!!.
Nick

Steve,

Can you clarify what you mean when you say :

The iPhone is five years ahead of other smartphones in terms of concept and vision

Not used one, so perhaps I'm not getting it.

Apple have done some things better than others (simpler, easier, better looking), but apart from using the better tech touch screen, the other stuff is not new from what I can see ?

Is it just less buttons (prada)

Big screen (devices galore)

Finger based touch screen (several attempts, just not as deep or well done. I was thinking HTC Touch, possibly Prada - not used either)

Something else ?

Zuber

steve, its sad that it took a bloody iPhone for you to realize the potential of touchscreen. That potential has existed in uiq and wm devices for the longest time but you rejected it predominantly for the simple fact that its difficult to view in daylight? Tsk tsk... Better late than never i suppose.

As a current and not too unhappy (except its buggy, slows a lot when it shouldn't and no good as a phone) Windows Mobile user, I have to say that touch screen on Windows Mobile is a pain.

The bit I like is the powerful apps.

I'm forever trying to get away with not getting the stylus out (ehrn on the move, too much else on, feeling lazy etc.) and so trying to use my fingers. Apart from TomTom and Phone (both designed for big finger operation, it is hopeless).

So if touch screens are designed for use with fingers, then I'm ok with it. Stylus should be strictly an optional extra.

Another reason I'm hopining the E90 will do what I want. When both hands are not available, just use it like a (heavy) phone...

Zuber

Steve, good commentary on your iPhone vs S60 Symbian views.

I tend to agree one some of your points about features. But then again, everyone agrees that the iPhone is missing some features to be expected on a mobile.

What I don't agree with is the perception that the iPhone really has to catch up to S60 (or any OS layer) for that matter. What the iPhone has done has been what many hardcore (and not so hardcore) Symbian users have asked for since God-knows-when, and that is for the OS to be designed for maximum usability whether touchscreen or not; take advantage of the perception that people don't want to "learn" how to use a device, they just want to use it; and have a consistent UI. The iPhone seems to hit on this aspect of user perception and experience better than any phone has to date. Sure, the US-centric focus and iPod reputation are not bad asides, but one has to be impresed that someone has delieverd a device that while not as high a seller or as capable as some Symbian handsets, has given a breath of fresh air that is not simply a feature-oooh ahhh that only a few will ever use primarly.

Looking at the compairson of OSes (Symbian vs OSX), one has to be impressed (yes) that Symbian has done a lot with a less of a space footprint. The question is whether they can do more graphically pleasing, experience fostering actions in that same amount of small space, or will that too have ot be comprimised to match up with what is now considered the minium level of grace that a GUI should have. IMO, the Symbian UI is horrible, it has very little flow and is quite inconsitent from device to device. While its graciously capable, figuring out that capacity for more than the basics of voice and SMS is more than most will dare to open into. The OSX experience on the other hand gives an open door to exploration to parts of what makes the device tick, and this revelation of what a device can do isn't at all new, it is just something that was never approached at from that angle before.

I think your timelines are a bit hasty for Apple to be honest. Outside of a release of the iPhone this year in EU and possibly Asia, I would gather that it would be a good deal longer before the next editions of iPhone, and more than just a passing shot of a device is leveled by Nokia et al.

Thanks for the delightful read on this Sunday though. I do enjoy your writings.

This is interesting. The trend in comments here is lack of features but in previous article by Krisse and that article's comments it's said that the iphone is not for general population as it is (a) too expensive (b) too complicated (c) can't use important functions one-handed. The 90 or so people in my dept who I work with, who have expressed most interest in iphone, wouldn't want a "smartphone" but they are interested in an ipod / contacts / phone / camera combination with a great screen and ease of use. Steve's current video podcast makes it look like one-handed use is feasible (or at least more feasible than with my E61 which is possible but rather awkward). Steve, do you think that a touchscreen numeric keypad with T9 would be better for texting?

There was an interesting interview on the bbc world service digital planet programme this week with SE walkman head man talking about ease of use etc. He could not see the problem with organising music oneself on pc and downloading by mounting the phone as usb device and dragging and dropping. These people don't just get it for ordinary people (who would never read this site and comments). I think this is the sort of thing that Steve is getting at here with touchscreen that works and is accessible.

Steve, I agree with your evaluation of the iPhone...

However, you have to remember that the iPhone's OS is a couple of years in the making, while Symbian (and other mobile smartphone OS's like WM) is several years in the making - as such the iPhone's a stunning achievement by Apple!

Other than the missing 3G support and limited camera hardware, the iPhone is only restricted in features by it's current software implementation - there's a lot Apple can (and hopefully will) do to remedy this.

My iPhone blows away my N95 from a usability perspective and it's only first generation hardware and software. The only time I find myself reaching for the N95 lately is to take photos or record video - the iPhone is significantly more productive for browsing the web, doing email and handling media...

I even find the Google maps application on the iPhone more intuitive to use than the GPS-enabled mapping software on the N95.

As for the missing (software-based) features, Apple probably ran out of time to implement them or chose not to include them (yet?) - it's not so much a lack of expertise on their part (OS X for desktop supports a rich set of Bluetooth profiles) as it is a desire for simplicity. That being said, I definitely think some of these missing features need to be added soon!

Something wrong with your N70 steve? :P

Nokia went that way with the release of the series 90 platform almost 2 years ago, it got discontinued probably because there wasnt much demand in europe that it mostly cares for or they wanted to focus on s60.
Yes, some of the features the iphone lacks we actually use in europe (no mms, no 3g and limited bluetooth support just to name a few), i dont care if it will have them in the future, it just cant deliver right now no matter how much people try to prove that 3g or mms is of no use.
Yes, os x maybe a great os but 700 mb's of it on a phone doesnt sound all that great to me, considering the fact that it needs a 600+ mhz cpu to operate, plus, i see nothing open about the iphone's os, not even an sdk for that matter. The iphone is NOT a smartphone, it is a feature phone and as such it should be treated.
Keep in mind that when the original s60 was designed, it was designed for the advanced users out there and it was never meant to be simple, it has been updated a lot since then but keeping the same basic structure trying not to confuse its many users out there, s90 on the other hand that was designed to be a lot more user friendly was much easier than s60, even uiq is so much easier on its current form than a generation before. (I actually owned a 7710, p900 and m600 as well)
Symbian users and smartphone users in general dont ask for devices that have an easy interface, feature phone users do because they are simply users who dont even know or wanna know what an os is most of the times, let alone learn how to use one, smartphone users ask for high end devices that they can customize to their own needs, just as they do with their computers and at that, apple fails so far.

I personally dont hate the iPhone but I hope iPhone haters have checked out this video
http://symbian.avinashrathod.com/2007/07/iphone-haters.html

"People in the US are used to dumb, albeit shiny, phones (examples: Blackberry, LG, Motorola)."
Man, you really pulled the Americans down, but I agree with you. They are that way.

I am not sure what the future looks like, But i do believe one thing - there is no way one can generalise how phones would be in the future. There are millions of users of phones out there and they each have different needs and preferences. I know people who are using something as advanced as the e90 and also people who are very happy using something as simple as the Nokia 1110. There are people that like the feel of a button (me for one), and there are people that find a touch screen easier to use. Though technology will keep getting better, I think the options required by people in types of phones will only increase...

I have to say that some of you haven't really grasped what I was getting at. Maybe my prose wasn't clear enough, or maybe you need to go back at read it again 8-)

A few specific replies: "its sad that it took a bloody iPhone for you to realize the potential of touchscreen. That potential has existed in uiq and wm devices for the longest time but you rejected it predominantly for the simple fact that its difficult to view in daylight?" - No, it's totally different. Pecking around hopefully with a stylus on menu items and icons with a target area of only a few millimetres, compared to confident stabbing with a finger on well-designed and error-tolerant target areas is no comparison at all. The iPhone is simply the touchscreen done right after all these years. And don't get me started on the incredibly intuitive gestures in most apps on the current iPhone. The robustness of the glass screen (cf fragile and squishy resistive screen on UIQ and WM devices) and the fact that you can actually see it in sunlight are bonuses.

"Series 90"? This was a step in an interesting direction, but the form factor on the 7710 was too big and the aspect ratio wrong. It took them four firmwares to even get a portrait telephone dialling option, for goodness sake. And text entry was too fiddly. I appreciate I'm sounding a bit fanboy-ish, but until you've actually played with an iPhone you can't imagine how good a job they've actually done on the interface.

But, as I said, the iPhone is only a big pointer in the right direction for hardware and UI, there's a long, long way to go for both Apple (OS/comms, camera, security, 3rd party) and Symbian licensees (UI simplification and extension, investigation into capacitive touchscreens and buttonless hardware).

Looking at my E61i next to the iPhone, it's clearly much more functional (extra built-ins, 3rd party apps, Java support, Office apps, video recording, etc etc). While the iPhone is more elegant (in every sense of the word) and more futuristic. As I wrote, what's needed is to combine the best attributes of both.

Damn,

And everyone was saying how hard wearing the screen was 😊

Zuber

You are wrong about the operating system. Apple's version 1.0 even on day 1 has far more hidden robustness than Symbian. The BSD kernel is used in nuclear reactors, manned space missions, life or death hospital equipment. Symbian is not. Building a phone on top of Symbian is like building a city on quicksand. That is the strength of the iPhone. The features are great but for Apple it is just version 1.0. Apple has the OS of the future and Nokia will switch to a kernel similar to Apple long before Apple ever switches to Symbian. In fact, Nokia Multimedia is already working on it. Hopefully, fanboys (like you) will not force us to be stuck with a patched up Symbian for years when Nokia knows it can do better. Nokia knows wireless but only recently have they realized that they need serious operating systems.