Harsh Reality: Installer.app has brought more to iPhone than Apple ever will...

[GTiPhone]

Some may feel its prudent to state this, given the potential future of iPhone (longterm) and even possible major upgrade following Leopard (short term), but I feel that the Community Sources via Installer.app are already lightyears ahead of Apple's iPhone software improvement program. I also strongly believe that it will continue that way; as Apple slowly rolls out new features, developers will be way ahead as far updates to their existing apps as well as newer and more creative and useful apps.

The most improvable, upgradable consumer product on the market and going into the holiday season we have what fron Apple? A starbucks button and a useless wifi media store on the way? I say useless for two reasons: 1) I spend about 5% of my iPhone time on a random wifi network. The rest is on EDGE or my home or office wifi. If I feel the urge to buy music at home/work, it will be done from the computer then synced. 2) The fractional usefulness of this app is cripple further by these 4 and 8 gigabyte drives.

Of course, Apple does the ability to create and release apps with stunning functionality and integration with the rest of the phone... However, how many of these have they done so far? 16 apps shipped on the phone, and some are a far cry from stunning.

So what can we really expect? 1 new app per quarter with a usefulness potential ranging from 0 to 10.

What do we get from installer.app? New apps and updates daily.

Developers, the future of iPhone v.1 is in your hands.

 

[mpuck972]

Great post. As a first time Apple product buyer, I expected it to be Apple with something like the installer.app right out of the box.

What's going to get frustrating is when their new firmware releases accidentaly erase all the add-ons. That interview where he gave the disclaimer about them not intentionally going after 3rd part apps was crap. Why dont they buy the technology, and exploit the crud out of it, and make it a pillar of this device? Maybe beacuse they can't put it in iTunes and sell it?

I find myself opening the installer.app every few hours to see if there is something new. And with Apple updates, I'm anxiously awaiting wifi iTunes and international keyboards? What a let down for me by Apple so far.

 

[GTiPhone]

I too imagined that there would be a continuous steam of updates from Apple that would either come through iTunes or (more logically) accessed through a software update.app (hmmm, why does that sound so familiar?).

Considering 3rd party developers have done so with 2 months experience on the device, its certainly well within Apple's capability.

I do realize that concentrating energy on a no profit update or feature is not very realistic for a company, but i consider it to be a necessity that was built into the hundreds that i spent on this device, just like updates for OSX on the Mac.

Some may say that we shouldn't expect updates any more often than normal Mac OSX updates, but this is not a Mac. It is not built to be fully changable, upgradable, or even improved in any of the thousands of ways that a Mac can be right out of the box. It is also not complete or satisfactory right out of the box either. Many of the included apps are unnecissarily crippled and desperately in need of upgrades. Not to even mention the list of apps that are not included that belong on this device.

The wow factor of the iPhone cannot carry it for long.

 

[Andrmgic]

Did any of you guys grab the Widgets program for the iPhone that lets it run some OS X widgets?

Apple needs to remember that the community of devoted mac users and developers are a big part of what made OS X what it is..

What these folks have done is create their own development kit for the platform, and the things they are accomplishing are amazing.. think of what could be done with an official sdk from Apple.

They need to open the platform for real third party apps, not just the web 2.0 stuff.

Great post.

 

[JPyre]

I would've expected apple to release a licensed game by now at least, even if they charged for it I'd want it, kinda dissappointed, but installer.app has more than made up for that ten fold.

 

[TheRuggedLion]

I also completely agree with you. Before installer.app was released I was plugging in my iPhone every week to check for a software update, only to be disappointed. After installer.app was released I couldn't care less about software updates from apple. All we get is a stupid iTunes store, and some starbucks crap. I hate starbucks. If the next update breaks the mods on my phone, and it most likely will, I am gonna skip this update, and possibly a couple more.

 

[EricBrian]

I believe the iPhone will be 'out' when Google Releases their GPhone.

Link

 

[powderblue17]

I believe the iPhone will be 'out' when Google Releases their GPhone.

Link

Or their Gphone could bomb considering that Google has never done anything hardware related in the company's history. Unless they have something up their sleeve that has never been done on a phone before like what multi-touch was for the iPhone I don't see how it will be any different then every other phone on the market. They are good at one thing that makes them a ton of money so the Gphone is no sure thing if it even exists.

 

[Bernie-Mac]

Or their Gphone could bomb considering that Google has never done anything hardware related in the company's history. Unless they have something up their sleeve that has never been done on a phone before like what multi-touch was for the iPhone I don't see how it will be any different then every other phone on the market. They are good at one thing that makes them a ton of money so the Gphone is no sure thing if it even exists.

^ I agree, what could google have in a phone that is so amazing? Its being manufactured by HTC and its 3G, thats all we know so far...so? there are a lot of phones out there that are made by HTC and are 3G, like powderblue said unless it is truely revolutionary, like a joint deal with dominos where you press one button and pizza is instantly delivered to your door using the gps in the phone to locate your position...i dont see it being an "iphone killer"

 

[EricBrian]

^ I agree, what could google have in a phone that is so amazing? Its being manufactured by HTC and its 3G, thats all we know so far...so? there are a lot of phones out there that are made by HTC and are 3G, like powderblue said unless it is truely revolutionary, like a joint deal with dominos where you press one button and pizza is instantly delivered to your door using the gps in the phone to locate your position...i dont see it being an "iphone killer"

They will let owners do whatever they want to do with it.

 

[powderblue17]

They will let owners do whatever they want to do with it.

I'm sorry to burst your bubble but most people don't ever install any extra apps on their phones even if they can. Heck, most people who have smartphones don't even install extra apps on them. At my company the only thing any employee has ever installed on their windows mobile phones or palms is GoodLink so they can receive their email. Other then that they wouldn't think or care about putting anything else on it. What's more sad is that some of them don't even use the phone part of their smartphone. They carry a flip phone with a different # that they use to receive calls on.

 

[carfac]

When I installed install.app, I just did it to get the stuff on to unlock the iPhone. Cool. A couple days go by, and I push the button, just for fun. I start seeing all these apps- GOLD! More every day- I just added that Cel Phone Triangulation thing like GPS (which SHOULD be on the iPhone, IMHO)... and now I check out the list every day.

It is an easy to use interface, and works very well. I tink the description of some of the Progs could be better, but that will come. But as said as above, THIS is what Apple should have done in the first place.

So, yes, this IS the Future of the iPhone unless Apple gets their butt in gear. It does what I expected Apple to do, and what thusfar Apple is FAILING to do.

 

[Bernie-Mac]

They will let owners do whatever they want to do with it.

Apple doesnt? Apple doesnt condone nor reject the idea of modding, they arent going to go out of their way to break the hacks but if a new software release breaks it, oh well then hackers will just come up with a new version 3 1/2 minutes after the release like always, and i doubt google will be able to update their phone via software updates, are they going to develop an online music store too? To me, the iphone with apptapp is one of the best if not the best phone that has been released within recent years and the best part is, this is only iphone version 1

 

[patrickvanzandt]

GTiPhone, great post. You are so right. When I paid my $600, I did so assuming (and rightfully so) that significant new apps and features would come from Apple in the near future. Steve promoted the fact that Apple can add apps anytime via iTunes. And he's still saying this (watch the UK press conference from this week). I was even told by my salesperson at the Apple Store that iChat, horizontal keyboard in all apps, etc. were likely coming with a week or two. 2.5 months after launch, we still have nothing.

I do still think that the iPhone is a great product, but what has Apple been up to since January?

Thank goodness for Installer.app!

 

[Robbpell]

I was thinking this just the other day. If it wasnt for people hacking and developing software for my iphone i might think the 600$ wasnt worth it. I mean after almost 3months the biggiest upgrade was ringtones which some of us have been having for over 2months. It just goes to show apple if they dont develop there product someone else will and they will loose out on profit. just think about it if ringtones were availible when iphone launced how many people would have payed for them yep almost everyone but we all get free ringtones now and they wana add the feature to buy them what are they thinking. I hope they are working on a top secret super great upgrade that will make all of our jaws drop.

 

[GTiPhone]

Glad to see so many agree. Like I said, harsh reality, and there only is one reality... this one...and its harsh

Seriously though, the one thing we do have to look forward to is the fact that, at any time, Apple can release mind blowing app or set of apps that no 3rd party developer could manage (ie: iTunes Music Store [but something more useful, like apps with Google integration]), and thereby again change the way we look at and use the device.

Also, sadly, in the more distant future is the prospect of new iPhones. New iPhones with large storage, fast data, Leopard OS and FULL desktop apps (not Steve's definition of desktop class).

 

[poppe]

I'm sorry to burst your bubble but most people don't ever install any extra apps on their phones even if they can. Heck, most people who have smartphones don't even install extra apps on them. At my company the only thing any employee has ever installed on their windows mobile phones or palms is GoodLink so they can receive their email. Other then that they wouldn't think or care about putting anything else on it. What's more sad is that some of them don't even use the phone part of their smartphone. They carry a flip phone with a different # that they use to receive calls on.

Plus, I would bet the Gphone will be highly integrated with all of their online programs as well.

While I agree with you about people rarely putting apps on their phone, perhaps google will make it a simple solution something very close to what installer.app with an even better GUI and google plus the community constantly adding applications. Make a pretty damn user friendly and delicious user interface and that will hook them in to the phone, then provide a amazingly simple application to download, update, and change programs and you got a damn killer phone. -- Basically what our phones are now (that apple doesn't want)

What I think apple is completely missing here is the amazing community its fan base creates. Sure my MBP at times has become unstable because I put crazy third party applications on it, but it has been the best computer (stable or not) I have ever had. And how many wonderful applications have been created by some joe blow on the street and then apple adopted it because it just made sense (Coverflow anyone).

 

[IDANNY]

While I agree with you about people rarely putting apps on their phone, perhaps google will make it a simple solution something very close to what installer.app with an even better GUI and google plus the community constantly adding applications. Make a pretty damn user friendly and delicious user interface and that will hook them in to the phone, then provide a amazingly simple application to download, update, and change programs and you got a damn killer phone. -- Basically what our phones are now (that apple doesn't want)

What I think apple is completely missing here is the amazing community its fan base creates. Sure my MBP at times has become unstable because I put crazy third party applications on it, but it has been the best computer (stable or not) I have ever had. And how many wonderful applications have been created by some joe blow on the street and then apple adopted it because it just made sense (Coverflow anyone).

I totally agree, same thing with the widgets apple got those from someone else