details of a global brain

iPhone SDK – a complete solution?

Apple has released the iPhone SDK. The 2.1 gigabyte download is free after registration and includes the latest Developer Tools as well.

I personally don’t use an iPhone. Being able to hack it (or get third party software for it) was a stopper for me. Another argument against the iPhone was the rather limited storage space — 4 and 8 gigs simply did not seem enough space.

Apple still wants to retain some control over which apps are pushed on the phone, but it seems the upcoming operating system of the iPhone has already been hacked. People may be able to install software independently from Apple (e.g. to remove a SIM card lock) on a hacked phone.

But looking at the developer site for the iPhone simply does it right. I get a clear product, a very readable documentation and easy to digest tutorials – developing hardware and software together again pays out in a consistent product.

The Android SDK on the other hand is lacking the simple question: How can I get started (I mean really)? What devices can I deploy an Android application on? In fact the Android FAQ states that there are no phones that Android is running on. So who is supporting Android? Why should I spend time on developing for a theoretical market? Android is nothing more than an approach to an upcoming problem that Apple has already solved from A-Z.

That is the reason why Apple is succsessful: They offer solutions – not concepts.

People that think the stylishness of their products are key to Apple’s success don’t know much about Design.

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Oliver Wrede

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3 responses to “iPhone SDK – a complete solution?”

  1. blog.buntgetrieben » Blog Archiv » Competing with the iPhone

    […] iPhone SDK – a complete solution? Apple has released the iPhone SDK. The 2.1 gigabyte… […]

  2. Tony

    “Why should I spend time on developing for a theoretical market? Android is nothing more than an approach to an upcoming problem that Apple has already solved from A-Z.

    That is the reason why Apple is succsessful: They offer solutions – not concepts.”

    Sounds like someone spoke (specifically, bashed Google) a bit too soon.

    The stylishness of Apple’s products ARE key to their success. You don’t think anyone who bought the iPhone bought it just because they think it looks cool?

  3. Oliver Wrede

    @Tony: First of all, when I wrote this post the Android SDK was announced a couple of month ago – and was not available to anyone. And to suggest that Google would make an own phone was speculative. In fact: Without Google pushing the hardware development itself and carriers with plans that compete with the iPhone, I think we would see a too slow adoption of the Android SDK in the market.

    I don’t think that the stylishness is the ONLY key to success. Likewise I don’t think the rather ugly design og the G1 phone is the only reason for its (yet theoretical) failure.

    I don’t bash Google – I wanted to highlight the fact, that software is not just about software likewise hardware is not just about hardware.

    There are many very stylish looking phones out there that are unusable. The “style” here is that apple introduced a complete platform.

    That said I have collected a lot of critizism about the Apple approach – but I need to be able to accept the fact, that they deserve their success, as most competitors made a lot of money with their less-innovative products.

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