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Day One, A.iP. (After iPhone)

by Patrick Ruffini :: January 11th, 2007 12:03 am

David Pogue probably has the most readable review of the iPhone. His conclusion: the web browsing interface is game-changing (I agree; it throws a serious wrench at SMS and Web standards). Main downsides: Apple ignores the practicality of the keypad and tactile feedback; think of how you jab your finger at an ATM machine because you’re not sure if it’ll read right. (I still want to know what that glass does when it goes crashing onto the sidewalk… Again, Wii strap, Wii strap, Wii strap.) Also: lack of extensibility. This thing can only be programmed by Apple.

And most insightful on this point goes to Nick Carr who writes:

Like the iPod, the iPhone is a little fortress ruled over by King Steve. It’s as self-contained as a hammer. It’s a happening staged for an elite of one. The rest of us are free to gain admission by purchasing a ticket for $500, but we’re required to remain in our seats at all times while the show is in progress. User-generated content? Hah! We’re not even allowed to change the damn battery. In Jobs’s world, users are users, creators are creators, and never the twain shall meet.

Which is, of course, why the iPhone, like the iPod, is such an exquisite device. Steve Jobs is not interested in amateur productions.

That’s true. Geeks who believe in stuff like open source and user-generated content are the ones who worship at the Altar of Steve. But Jobs’ strategy is the old Bill Gates strategy, except done right: build walled gardens and charge admission. The ethos that creates great extensible success stories like Firefox is alien to iTunes or the iPhone. But open source Mac acolytes won’t care, because Steve is a benevolent dictator.

UPDATE: Scoble is dialing back.

Tagged: apple iphone steve jobs

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