“The rise of gadgets like the iPhone, Blackberry and Xbox threatens to unravel the decades of innovation that helped to build the Internet, a leading academic has warned in a new book,” Peter Griffiths reports via Reuters.
“Professor Jonathan Zittrain says the latest must-have devices are sealed, ‘sterile’ boxes that stifle creativity and turn consumers into passive users of technology,” Griffiths reports. “Unlike home computers, new Internet-enabled gadgets don’t lend themselves to the sort of tinkering and collaboration that leads to technological advances, he says.”
“Zittrain contrasts one of the first mass-produced home computers, the Apple II from the 1970s, with Apple’s latest gadget, the iPhone. He says the iPhone is typical of what he calls ‘tethered appliances,'” Griffiths reports. “‘They are appliances in that they are easy to use, while not easy to tinker with,’ he writes. ‘They are tethered because it is easy to for their vendors to change them from afar, long after the devices have left warehouses and showrooms.'”
“They are a world away from the ‘generative Internet,’ a term Zittrain uses to describe the open, creative, innovative approach that helped build the Internet,” Griffiths reports.
Full article here.
If Zittrain’s so smart, why hasn’t he changed his name?
The answer to the headline is an emphatic “No.”
Is he thinking that the future is based on people being able to change the apps, hardware, and so fourth.
This is crazy. We don’t get car improvements because I can tinker with my car.
What a load of horseshit.
From the same article:
“The rise of viruses and fraud has also led to tighter controls on PCs, particularly those in schools, universities, offices and public places, Zittrain says.”
He’s obviously never used an iPhone or a Mac.
Hey, jackass, the iPhone and devices like will put the power of the internet in the hands of everyone on the planet. That power will transform this culture in ways that we have not dreamed about. The social aspects of these devices is staggering.
This was obviously written before the release of the iPhone SDK, which promises to remove some of the “sterility” that he bemoans.
As to the ability of a “box owner” like Apple, Microsoft or RIM to push updates to the consumer, I think on balance that most consider this a good thing in a time when people demand improved security and rapid update of features to their devices. I will admit this also can be abused – turning off “jailbroke” iPhones or Xbox’s hacked to run Linux being a couple of examples.
How many “consumers” out there really are the sort of tinkerers that he says are being cut out of this opportunity to “advance”? Are they really going to let the evolution of things like Xboxes and iPhones stop them? The number of threads about jailbreaking iPhones seems to indicate….”no”?
I tinker with my iPhone just fine. And so do thousands of others. Just ask the iPhoneDev Team
Publish or perish. This guy published and his idea will probably perish.
There is lots of room for various devices. Recently, the public likes Apple products better than just about anything else.
But then that’s the result of a free market, not a tenure system.
The iPhone will surely break the InturWebby. The iPhone will remove all those beautiful IE-only sites. Surely, Gatesy and Ballmsy can fix the problem.
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@twodales
“Hey, jackass, the iPhone and devices like will put the power of the internet in the hands of everyone on the planet. That power will transform this culture in ways that we have not dreamed about. The social aspects of these devices is staggering.”
We just don’t know if the change will be for good or bad yet.And we won’t know until the change happens.
Marshall McLuhan would have identified the iPhone and the other devices mentioned as hot media. they are definitely interactive and compelling. They are totally different from the TV which is a cool medium and does not demand interaction.
Certainly the iPhone brings a very high level of interaction including the ability to create and distribute new software for its use in an easy and very accessible manner. This feature alone will spur incredible creativity in how people interact and use information.
It’s very exciting!!
This guy’s just trying to get an audience by being a naysayer!
His argument is ridiculous because devices like the iPhone aren’t <i>replacing/i> computers, they’re being used in addition to them. The tinkering that has always gone on will continue to go on.
I read this article a few days ago and re-read it just now. It’s not that I disagree with this guy – I just don’t even begin to understand what he’s talking about. What’s more, I don’t think he does either.
“Unlike home computers, new Internet-enabled gadgets don’t lend themselves to the sort of tinkering and collaboration that leads to technological advances, he says.
OK? But if I can’t tinker with my iPhone, how does that affect the internet? And even if tinkering with my iPhone was in some way relevant to internet innovation, it’s not like computers and other devices that we can “tinker” with are going away.
Does this article even begin to make sense?
How do people like this actually become Professors of anything, when their intelligence is well south of a 6th form debating society. Most of the innovation on the PC was/is done by Apple, or on the Apple platform despite it being argued time and again this was a ‘tied’ platform. The so called ‘open’ platform that is windows has simply stagnated or copied the more innovative platform that is the Mac. equally all the tinkering has led to it as experts are beginning to recognise a bloated fur ball of an operating system that actually fears real innovation for the damage it can do to its innards. The iPhone has already innovated more in its short life span than mobile phones have in many many years. Sometimes it actually really helps to open your eyes before your mouth.
This guy’s thinking is very short-sighted. I would agree that if desktop and laptop computers vanished tomorrow, that yes, the internet would suffer if the only way to access or design for it was with iPhones or other mobile devices.
But that’s not going to happen — just like these people who say that the desktop computer will not exist in 10 years are thinking with half a brain cell. That’s bull.
There will always be a need for the desktop. There will always be a need for the laptop — even as it’s form factor changes. And now there will be very good reason to have the internet in your pocket, too. They overlap, folks. None completely threatens the demise of the other.
In fact, taken together, a beautiful desktop (iMac, perhaps), with a gorgeous ultra-portable (Macbook Air, anyone) and a small multimedia device (ahem, iPhone, ahem, Touch) is one hell of a great 1-2-3 punch.
The internet is going to be more than fine. In the U.S., all we really need is better broadband and wireless. THAT’s what is stifling innovation here.
Does he not understand that most iPhone owners ALSO have computers that are “tinkerable”? iPhones promote more people using the internet, or using it more often than just at their computers. That provides the demand for tinkerers. There is also the fact that people that tinker, do so because they enjoy it. They will still tinker. What about the kid that cracked the iPhone shortly after it was released? People are going to open and tinker with even the “closed, sterile boxes” that Apple and RIMM don’t want you tinker with. “kill the internet”….Creative people MADE the iPhone. Creativity cannot be killed by the iPhone. It will probably inspire creativity, even “in the internet”.
If he was talking about consoles he might have an argument…
Actually the iPhone has caused at convergence of sort it’s destroying the artificial idea that websites must be Mobile Browser segregated. This is causing a flurry of talk and innovations around browser standards and standards of HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Without the iPhone web designers would have happily gone along with Microsoft’s idea of Mobile Browsing in making everything boring and fitting it to cell phone screens. The iPhone and with it the iPod touch are changing the game by giving users the Full Internet in their pocket.
This “theory” overlooks the simple fact that the preponderance of users have little or no interest in tinkering or modifying, and that for those users that do, there are any number of platforms and options available.
Yea, I can’t “tinker” with my commode either and that has really constipated my creativity although it hasn’t slowed down the primordial urges issuing from between my loins.
Same goes for my blender and my toaster.
The guy really hasn’t done much homework has he.
Calling Unix ‘sterile’ is a bit much. Can’t see him getting many takers for this opus magnum.
I agree with Professor Zittman. I would never have come so far on the internet if I didn’t have an expansion port on my Apple ][ for custom hardware, or the ability to write my own software.
But thankfully Apple had the foresight to think to the future then. Now I, with the help of a hand made cable and a custom built driver, I can use iPhone as a wireless modem AND a screen to read MDN from my Apple ][.
What?
This guy needs to lay off the coolaid.
Please save it MDN.
You know he has a point. You could be polite and actually admit that. There is a growing danger here.
This is a retarded argument. The iPhone gives more access to the internet, everywhere. It’s not a substitute for a desktop, but adequately fills the role when needed. Never before have you been able to have a full internet browser in your pocket. In case you’re listening, Jonathan Zittrain, that gives more access to the internet, not less. And you can still go home and fire up your Apple II to get down and dirty.
“Professor Jonathan Zittrain…” “Professor” is just another word for “woefully out of touch with reality.”
HMCIV:
That was hysterical!
Professor Jonathan Zittrain thinks not being able to tinker with his iPhone “threatens to unravel the decades of innovation that helped to build the Internet.”
Then get your fellow professors, who you think are responsible for this innovation, to build you something for you to tinker with.
Some of us see the iPhone as the best evidence of the continuation and acceleration of innovation with respect to the internet.
Olternaut: “You know he has a point. You could be polite and actually admit that. There is a growing danger here.”
Maybe they don’t know that.
But <u>PLEASE</u> explain why you think there is a “growing danger”. I see the opposite happening especially with the SDK and the potential for collaborative mobile applications.
Yeah, we all know how “productive” those folks are who spend their days “tinkering” with their PC. They’re just trying to keep them stable enough to do something useful. The iPhone and iPod Touch are providing a stable platform and the tools to build on that platform. How will that not spark streams of creativity?
The next name should be “Cage” in OS X all the cat’s are in the cage.
This is your typical computer geek who is crying fowl because more and more people are interested in using the technology instead of tinkering with it. They had to tinker with it back then because either it wasn’t well built or it needed to be built by hand. Zittrain…this isn’t the 70’s, it’s the 21st century.
I don’t care about opening and tinkering with an iPhone, I rather just use it.
At the bottom of this guy’s article is this:
Current rating: 1 by 10 users
Look, Oxford may be a great university in many areas, but in the area of the internet, it clearly is a laggard, based upon this nut’s nonsensical ramblings.
If tinkering equals innovation, then why is Linux not the most popular OS in the world and why does it still look and handle like it came from the late 80’s/early 90’s.
We need to get back to the good old days of tribal warfare, survival of the fittest, living simply off the land and the flesh of our enemies. Technology has threatened to bring an end to all of that, but I foresee a day (maybe not in my lifetime, but certainly in some of yours) when it will be technology that returns it to us.
In the meantime, I’ve made a wooden handle to tie my iPhone to when the power goes out and I need the iClub.
The people who mention cars make a good analogy. Cars started out as hobbyist-type things, needing plenty of tinkering and extra care to get them to work. Then, as the technology improved, they grew out of the hobbyist/tinkerer arena into technology people can use without having to think too much about it.
Computers and the internet are following the same path. From starting out needing lots of tinkering and attention, to becoming more user-friendly and self-sufficient – the end result is the same, an information superhighway people can use, rather than having to necessarily tinker with.
There’s nothing wrong with tinkering, but in my opinion something that *needs* a lot of tinkering isn’t fully mature technology. I don’t mind the *option* of tinkering, but it shouldn’t be a necessity.
WHAT?!
The iPhone has increased productive and innovations for me. I can check ideas, patents, or companys before it goes into the ether. Sorry, like the calculator- progress speeds forward. New tool and we are the ones in control of the ideas or methods.
GGGggggezzzzzzzz.
“We need to get back to the good old days of tribal warfare, survival of the fittest, living simply off the land and the flesh of our enemies.”
Man, oh man. What kind of scary ass neighborhood did you grow up in?
Is this the same moron who, many years ago, whined and complained about the complexity of modern computers by using an iMac as an example of “complexity”? 4 goldarned connectors was too much for this moron.
Further, these jerkoffs simply don’t get it. The iPhone is a tool. The creativity, the floodgates of which are about to open, is in the applications that will be installed on these “sterile” gadgets to get them to do the neato super cool things they are capable of…
I have nothing but contempt for this kind of expert moron whose is so far behind what is happening with technology he thinks he’s ahead.
zunetang and zittrain sitting in a tree….
@Gabriel…Hobbyist is the perfect word for his kind of thinking. That was the exact word I came up with when I tried out Ubuntu recently.
This is the same dude that thought the Altair 8800 was the pinnacle of personal computing because all you could ever do with it was tinker. It is the software you, asshat, I can’t believe that someone gets paid for this crap.
@Ampar
Explain my point? I thought it was pretty clear in the article. First of all I love the iphone SDK and all it has to offer and all that.
BUT………
The sdk does not totally open up the iphone to all of its features. I don’t have time to go through everything but you must know what I mean. Bottomline is that there will be an ongoing need to jailbreak the thing if apps need to get full access to it.
In truth the iphone is really a misnomer and its actually a minuturized mac…..but they named it iphone and treat it as a phone. Tell me….can you play an .mp3 on a iphone without first converting the tile? I don’t want to type forever but thats just one example of a closed system. As the future becomes more and more mobile the desktop will become less and less important…..even laptops will become less important.
And if the dominant form of computing becomes closed mobile systems then I think thats going to be a big big problem.
Gawd I hope the mactouch or itablet isn’t treated the same way as an iphone.
“I don’t have time to go through everything but you must know what I mean.”
And we will probably always disagree on whether or not it’s important.
“can you play an .mp3 on a iphone without first converting the tile?”
Never thought about. Never had to think about. Don’t care. Don’t need to care. It plays my legally purchased downloads and syncs beautifully.
For me, the iPhone is a sophisticated tool that exceeded my expectations. The new apps as a result of the SDK will continue to make it more useful and amazing. I don’t tinker as others here have also said. I’m guessing that the vast majority of consumers also are not tinkerers. There’s also nothing wrong with wanting to jailbreak your iPhone if you want to add some hack. That’s your prerogative. Just don’t expect support after that from Apple.
The iPhone does have a few minor annoyances that I’m sure will be fixed with updates as some already have with past updates.
I tinkle while holding my iPhone.
OMG – Is this guy serious?
@NGC598: By the way, have you seen any astronomy software for the iPod Touch yet?
@Olternaut,
Yes of course, any iPod device will play native .mp3 files – next.
@Olternaut,
And technically you don’t “full” access to any computer unless you happen to be fluent in raw naked machine code.
“MacDailyNews Take: If Zittrain’s so smart, why hasn’t he changed his name?”
Actually, his name used to be Smith. But everyone in his family has suffered at some point from severe acne. Growing up, whenever the family would go out together, folks would point and say “hey, check out the zit train”. Sadly, it kinda stuck.
“We don’t get car improvements because I can tinker with my car.”
No, but you do get car improvements because racing teams tinker with cars, sometimes starting with stock models.
“This “theory” overlooks the simple fact that the preponderance of users have little or no interest in tinkering or modifying, and that for those users that do, there are any number of platforms and options available.”
You don’t need everybody to tinker, just for the tinkerers to be able to create something new and get their stuff out to the sheep on platforms the sheep use. Then of course somebody buys the tinkerer’s technology and takes it to the next level. Seems like 99% of this forum are content to be those sheep rather than those who lead innovation.
“For me, the iPhone is a sophisticated tool that exceeded my expectations. “
Which just goes to show that stupid people are easily satisfied.
That’s probably why you’re still dating your left hand.
“That’s probably why you’re still dating your left hand.”
I heard your left hand turned you down so you went with a microscope and tweezers instead.
Your 11th birthday is going to be so special.
@However
While I love apple products I don’t want to be a sheep either. The real tragedy is that Apple has no real competitor. For the most part the computer industry…..desktops,laptops,cell phone/pda makers are a bunch of unimaginative closed minded drones.
Steve Jobs is taking advantage of this and is ACTUALLY innovating when he has his company produce their products.
Yes, he deserves his growing empire. But I would MUCH rather there be several Steve Jobs running out there that would bring some much needed balance to the industry. And to have their innovative products be truly open.
But I guess thats on some fantasy planet. 🙁
“Another IT Guy…
This “theory” overlooks the simple fact that the preponderance of users have little or no interest in tinkering or modifying, and that for those users that do, there are any number of platforms and options available.”
we have a winner, everyone can go home now….
The Internet isnt knowledge, its a source of knowledge.
the Internet isnt an activity, its a source of possible activity.
the Internet isnt political, its a source of political info.
The iPhone isnt the Internet, its a way of accessing the internet.
The computer isnt clever, its a potentially cleverly-used tool.
This Zittman guy is a tool, too, but he isnt a very good tool.
@ Olternaut
I want more ice cream.
I want an iPhone with a 23″ screen.
I want nine Steve Jobses, precious.
I want.
Whats it like to want, Olternaut?
BTW, tragedy is war in Iraq; no competition for Apple is simply a business condition.
@Silliest thread ever – this could be it.
Don’t belittle sacrifices being made by brave people and please don’t turn this into political thing. Yes its tragedy but no with Apple its not simply a “business condition”.
With Apple (and with the rest of the industry if they don’t wake up) its a tragedy for the future.
It will be even scarier than the 20 year microsoft tragedy. Because this time around people will be complacent and satisfied with their apple products to the point where innovation will again slow down.
My wanting Steve jobses (plural) running around is not a want to be dismissed. Once Steve Jobs achieves true dominance there will be a couple of kids somewhere in a garage inventing something that shock the world and have Steve Jobs truly clueless and utterly astonished.
It’s fun to follow these spots. MDN is the best site for mac news but isn’t the best for objective commentary.
When Apple was in partnership with IBM/Motorola, MDN called clone manufacturers well, ‘cloners’ un-innovative.
So here we are with Intel… nary a negative comment.
Steve Jobs saved us from Microsoft, I’m excitedly waiting for the next guy who’ll stick it to Apple In the end I benefit.
Before anyone starts on me, I’ve used all Macs from the Mac Plus.
Since we’ve gone down this road I’ll reset my course too and say what I’ve always said, the way the world works, commercially speaking, is competition – almost everyone has finally come to grips with this – China, Russia, etc. (not necessarily in the best possible way, but the way none the less). To compare Apple side by side with MS is not entirely accurate. MS did not invent much of anything – if anything. Apple, on the other hand, is dominant in a market niche that they arguably created – okay first there was Palm, but… I think the organic way in which Apple evolves and adapts would have lead them and us to the iPhone and the iTouch even without Palm. It’s time for handheld computing and Apple figured a way to fill the bill with a useful and marketable device. Palm could’a, would’a, should’a, done it – but they didn’t – bottom line.
Right now I don’t think that Apple’s dominance is self destructive like MS’s is, but indeed, I believe that it is only a matter of time, and the only real possible competitor right now is Palm, but they just don’t seem to want to get off of their collective asses and do something.
Longer story shorter, the sooner that a real competitor comes along in the handheld computing arena then the better for Apple and the potential competitor, and ultimately for us.
Of course the real starting point of this thread was based on some ridiculous premise that not having to constantly fix and repair and make my computing devices work was going to be the ruin of modern civilization, but the ultimate direction of the thread has become a question well worth pondering.
Steve Jobs is not the demon here. Dogs are dogs, cats are cats, oranges are oranges, and Apples are Apples. Steve and Apple Inc. are just doing what they are here to do, (i.e., what they’re good at), the fact that competition is a required element for capitalism to succeed over time is a reality that Apple itself has been no small example of, and in the best possible way. They have market dominance in a very small niche, and for that niche to work it’s got to be platform transparent, which it is over the two most used platforms. Competition is good and will be good for Apple, but somebody has got to come to the plate, and not in the name of yet another corporate world domination a la Microsoft (what an ugly twisted paradigm MS created for big business to try and follow).
Here’s another way to look at it: I think that MS really is/was trying to literally take over the world (and holy crap have they come close), in contrast I think that Steve Jobs is out to create excellent product for the purpose of creating excellent product and to reminding the industry and us that quality does matter, and to bring an above average return on his time/money investments for himself, his company, and his investors.
Mr. Peabody
Since we’ve gone down this road I’ll reset my course too and say what I’ve always said, the way the world works, commercially speaking, is competition
Hear Hear!
Well written. Good job.
OMG. Like for sure, this iPhone is like very, very radtageous. Just think: all those fingers on the screens (and who knows where they’ve all been!) leaving like little oil spots and dirt like such as that will go into the tubes of the internets and clog up like for sure everything. We’re gonna need like a ginormous bottle of like such as Drano.
Old school web guys were saying the same thing about CSS when it was really gaining steam; I used worked on websites at the time, and any project that required us to collaborate with a 1990’s HTML crusty the project was invariably delayed due to their unwillingness/inability to embrace emerging standards. It’s just paranoia, people. The content for these devices has to be made by someone, and very little content is actually created on the end use device in any medium.
Actually Ampar for my 11th birthday I did Jane (your mom) and your sister at the same time. They both were terrible! At least your sister sw@llowed
1) MDN take hilarious. Zittrain. Haha.
2) Doh! Tinker? Didn’t we have a whole bunch of guys tinker with the iPhone to jail break it?
3) And the Intel Macs to boot Windows? (Before Boot Camp).
4) And what about all this tinkering I’ve personally been with with the SDK thang that I just downloaded?
Huh…
5) About the only thing that has NOT received tinkering has been (drum roll) the ZUNE. Reason? None of the five people who have a Zune are programmers. (Well, maybe Gates, a while back. Not sure about Ballmer and the other three.)