Its over

Apple just announced the new iphone at $199.

Posted in The Future at June 10th, 2008. No Comments.

Iphone 2.0 Software -Game Changer

Today Apple released the IPhone 2.0, this is truly a ground breaking device and I find it hard that the likes of Microsoft and Rimm to compete.

This is just another example of how a company has innovated to create a remarkable product and a marketplace backed by a community to drive it. This is the point of change.

During the keynote speech a few examples of applications were showcased by various developers. Some of my Favorites:

Loopt, which turns your phone into a social compass.
Some interesting Medical applications from MIMVista, who plan to release a dozen applications for mobile devices. This is a huge untapped marketplace. There were also some body-part learning applications that will be interesting to trial.

Software is available on July, looking forward to trialing it.

Posted in Businesses, The Future at June 10th, 2008. No Comments.

Apple and Closed Systems

Apple has achieved success with its closed model of computing. Apples vision of computing as an appliance (hardware + software) calls for a closed system.  This approach could be creating one of the companies greatest catch 22 situations.

With the released of the Iphone and the consumer reaction to the closed system of providers and software platform, this has seen an uprising in an open-source community creating thousands of applications for the Iphone at little or no charge.  The consumer reaction to the device was positive, but to AT & T and a closed system; quite the opposite.  

Now Apple faces itself with a catch 22 dilemma. Psystar a company that has just started up in California now offering reverse engineered cheap hardware that will run Apples operating system. In other words Mac clones.  This opens up Apples software and takes away Apples control.  Naturally Apple will file suit with Psystar.

Perhaps this approach is not the best?

The future will be Open Systems and I see parallels in the Iphones hyper adoption and Apples latest OSX issue.  If Apple wants to be a large player they could simply certify other hardware providers to run OSX and increase their marketshare.  To keep their niche Apple would reject the notion of open and play the way they always have; closed.

Only time will tell.

 

Posted in Businesses, The Future at April 23rd, 2008. No Comments.