In Insight #17 (AAS Podcast 66) Rafe, Steve and Stefan talk around Apple's recently announced SDK and Application Store and what Nokia and Sony Ericsson do in this area. We also talk about our favourite form factors where we recognise that device robustness is the most important factor.
Read on in the full article.
... but about the number of devices sold to people who want to install software on their device. There might be 300 million Symbian devices out there, but if only 1 percent of those devices is being loaded with additional software, your target market consists of 3 million devices, not 300 million.
The thing that got developers excited was that of the 4 million or so iPhone buyers almost 1 million 'jail brook' (or whatever) their iPhone. That's one in four. If that same figure holds for people actually installing and buying software, it would be a miracle if developers were *not* excited.
And, with the ability to install software in the iPod Touch, that device suddenly becomes interesting too as a PDA, extending the market even more.
I have to say that the use of iTunes and the on-device store should solve a lot of the piracy issues that still plaques S60 and UIQ, and also provide a central place to find applications.
I think there will be a good selection of software too, even if only 1000 developers out of the 100,000 that have downloaded the SDK produces applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch, thats a lot of applications/games.
I would never have an iPhone in its present guise, partly due to its lack of functionality and partly because O2 coverage is totally appalling in my area, but I do have a 32GB iPod Touch and it is a great device, I could never be bothered with the BBC iPlayer on my computer, but I use it daily on the iPod Touch.
As a phone, camera and even for the internet I still prefer using my E51 and N95 8GB, but I can see the day when maybe that changes.
I know the "E51 Toilet Incident" wasn't really the point of this insight I wanted to say that a phone (or any other electronic device) that's been submerged in water is 95% doomed in the long term. My old 6600 spent about 5 seconds at the bottom of the pool. I immediately removed the battery and then left it for the next 2 days in the South African summer sun but, alas, it was dead. My wife on the other hand put her old N71 through the laundry...45 minutes of tumbling in a jeans pocket at 60 degrees C. She didnt remove the battery or make any effort to dry it out and carried on using it as normal. Except for a few little blemishes on the screen, you would never have known what had happened. Then after about 2 or 3 months it started to play up and eventually died. We took it to Nokia who inspected it and told us that the thing was water damaged inside and totally corroded.
It doesn't seem like anyone has mentioned the fact that carriers may well get annoyed by not being able to control the s/w on the phone. Isn't it true that Nokia have some resistance on that front? Of course, it might be that Apple come to some agreement with the carriers on that issue - give them a cut of the 30%, for example, but I wonder.
Ah, I see Stafan mentioned this issue. It's a little unfair, I think, that Nokia will get push-back from the operators, while Apple probably won't. Is the iPhone *that* great? Perhaps Nokia represent such a huge chunk of the market that it is much more of a big deal.
I've heard a few times that operators don't want to become just like ISPs.
'I have to say that the use of iTunes and the on-device store should solve a lot of the piracy issues that still plaques S60 and UIQ,'
I don't agree with this because most people I know will go to lengths to avoid iTunes, it seems to be generally disliked. It feels much better to buy the real CD from a low cost retailer and rip it, I've been doing this and it's been cheaper in the end.
Where there is too much control by the makers I think that consumers, with the exception of the usual mindless sheep, will dig their heels in.
Unregistered wrote:'I have to say that the use of iTunes and the on-device store should solve a lot of the piracy issues that still plaques S60 and UIQ,'I don't agree with this because most people I know will go to lengths to avoid iTunes, it seems to be generally disliked. It feels much better to buy the real CD from a low cost retailer and rip it, I've been doing this and it's been cheaper in the end.
Where there is too much control by the makers I think that consumers, with the exception of the usual mindless sheep, will dig their heels in.
Music wise I agree with you, but we are not talking about music we are talking about applications, there won't be any boxed versions of iPhone apps, just as with symbian there will only be downloads.
If you look at Symbian, most applications are available cracked within hours of being released, it has ruined symbian in some ways, many developers have given up on the platform because of this.
If selling apps through iTunes can go halfway towards solving some these issues then I think it will be a success, lets face it at least the consumers and the mindless sheep will know where to get their software, most users of S60 devices don't even realise they can install extra applications on their phones, and if they do don't know where to get them.
Doesn't anybody like the E70 form factor <sob> ? I think it combines the best of both worlds - querty when you need it but otherwise a robust candy bar phone (a bit large, perhaps). What's wrong with it? Will there be a sequel?