“As the App Store evolves from a kitschy catalog of novelty applications into what analysts and aficionados describe as a platform that is rapidly transforming mobile computing and telephony, it is changing the goals and testing the patience of developers, bolstering sales of the Apple motherships the applications ride upon — the iPhone and iPod Touch — and causing Apple’s competitors to overhaul their product lines and business models,” Wortham reports. “It even threatens to open chinks in Apple’s own corporate armor.”
“Thanks in large part to the iPhone, introduced in 2007, and the App Store, which opened its doors last year, smartphones have become the Swiss Army knives of the digital age,” Wortham reports. “They provide a staggering arsenal of functions and tools at the swipe of a finger: e-mail and text messaging, video and photography, maps and turn-by-turn navigation, media and books, music and games, mobile shopping, and even wireless keys that remotely unlock cars.”
Wortham reports, “‘Apple changed the view of what you can do with that small phone in your back pocket,’ says Katy Huberty, a Morgan Stanley analyst. ‘Applications make the smartphone trend a revolutionary trend — one we haven’t seen in consumer technology for many years… The iPhone is changing our behavior. The game that Apple is playing is to become the Microsoft of the smartphone market.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: “Apple is playing is to become the Microsoft of the smartphone market” minus the brain-numbing stupidity and total disregard for the end-users’ experience.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “James W. and “Dale E.” for the heads up.]
Ditto on the MDN take. Apple may be(come) a wealthy behemoth, but they are not inclined to be a tasteless, wealthy behemoth.
I think those are bad choice of words Jenna “The game that Apple is playing is to become the Microsoft of the smartphone market.'” I know what Jenna means (referring to market share of MS), but still, I wouldn’t want Apple to become MS in every sense of the word or name, if you know what I mean.
Now it would be fine to see a store for all the freeware, shareware, donationware, whateverware Mac applications with reasonable pricing. Is that possible or am I promoting imagineware?
@nipa, I don’t understand. Freeware already has reasonable pricing. Shareware is often inexpensive. If you just need help finding stuff, try MacUpdate.com
Imagineware, the best thing anyone ever never made but creamed themselves over anyway.
^ Sounds like practically every Mozilla Labs project leader’s blog fodder.
@ nipa & chabig–
…or versiontracker.com.
Another dumbass, moron from lib NYT. The cesspool of all US newspapers.
This clueless asswipe says ‘kitschy catalog of novelty applications’. Listen, you moron lib assfool … from the gitgo Apple’s catalog represented great apps of all kinds. You NYT libs though make up your own myths and bullshit …. guess living in that shithole will do that.
it’s not the smartphone , it’s the entire portable space that apple are after
and tbh they just don’t have ANY worthwhile opposition
i reckon in 5-10 years apple will be bigger than ms could ever dream of being
@x
One less cup of java may help. Chill!
@X
While I agree with you that I wouldn’t want to live in New York, let those that want to or have to for career reason do so. Some like it many of us couldn’t stand it. That’s a free individual choice. What’s it to you?
Regarding the NYT piece – Jeez the comments are fair. There are a multitude of useful apps, but face it: there is a plethora of kitschy ones as well as some useless ones as well clogging app store (fart apps? )
The thrust of the article simply points out how the Iphone, has changed how we communicate and compute and how fare behind the competition is and probably will be for a while.
Now if we could ge the Iphone on T-mobile and AT&T;we might see better coverage, and competitive pricing between them
i’m so sick of hearing these whiny developers bellowing about how apple is mistreating them, those poor poor souls. either your app sucks or it conflicts with apple’s plans. either way it is APPLE’S prerogative. they do not owe you anything. they invented the device, its their decision. have some self-respect and stop your bitching!
“The game that Apple is playing is to become the Microsoft of the smartphone market.”
Pure BS.
Jobs and Company looked at the phones that they were forced to use, they were all crap, and said “We will make a phone that we will want to use.”
That’s what happened. The iPhone is a better device.
Apple does not play games.
“the Microsoft of the smartphone market”?? What does that mean?
They control the way all phones operate, get everybody to write to “promised” features, then change it all so that only their phones work or work the best; everybody else’s phone keeps crashing and dropping calls, we don’t know why?
Someone has a killer feature that IS their business. They charge for it.
So they start giving it away for free, and now every new phone comes with it?
People make a Decision to Buy an Apple iPhone.
They are not forced to buy Apple because that is, realistically, the only phone offered.
It’s a great device. People can tell that. People want that.
People pay for that.
That’s what is going on. No games.
I see no disrespect from NYT—in the print version, this was the lead article in its Sunday Business section and totals one and a half pages (can’t remember column inches)
RTA, it’s fair and informative for its target audience, Sunday drivers: who will understand that the reference to MS just means marketplace giant; not disrespecting Apple.
Also right, “whiny developers”, almost a tautology IMO. I’m one too, and I may be whiny too, but at least I don’t stalk Steve Jobs, plant rumors, give interviews to assassin blogs, etc.
Just wait until more companies start producing accesories that access the phone through the dock port. That will be the real game changer.
Like this:
http://www.applelinks.com/index.php/more/applelinks_iphone_news_reader_monday_november_16_2001/#3