Apple to developers: We're no longer suicidal

http://counternotions.com/2010/04/13/suicidal/

by ahoyhere • 16 years ago

93 34 16 years ago

chc4• 16 years ago

This isn't a bad article, but it's not a very smart article either. The ideas are essentially the same ones people have been repeating for days, it takes a long time to express these ideas we've already heard and it employs even less logic and methodology than many writers (for example, John Gruber) in coming to its conclusions. Not trying to be excessively negative or anything — it just seems very much like a "me too." Does anybody else see an original idea here?

Psyonic2• 16 years ago

I thought the article was mostly useless.

It's summed up by this paragraph, "Today, Apple is more concerned about having to re-live its recent history — getting jerked around by Microsoft or held hostage by Adobe — than what it thinks would be manageable damage by a few developers that may leave its platform. Some may regard that as being arrogant. For Apple it’s the price of being in charge of its own destiny. To capitulate at the height of its newly found vigor would be suicidal."

Which doesn't even attempt to address why requiring all programs be originally developed in objc,c, or c++ is a good way to prevent being held hostage by Adobe, and nor does it address the huge repercussions it could have. It's not a "few" developers that would be effected by this change if its strictly enforced. It's practically every 3d game on the market.

In short, a lot of words, not a lot of content.

ynniv• 16 years ago

doesn't even attempt to address why requiring all programs be originally developed in objc,c, or c++ is a good way to prevent being held hostage by Adobe

Sure it does - it provides a legal footing for denying apps based on Flash. That pretty much prevents Adobe and Microsoft from establishing a mobile platform that would

nor does it address the huge repercussions it could have.

There have been a lot of keys struck in anger since this was announced, and I find it to be too naïve. Apple would never enforce such a clause against something that was beneficial to them. So far, there have been no killer apps in the mobile space (sorry guys). While I enjoy the massively discounted offerings on the AppStore, the core OS and applications that Apple provides are the only things that affect my device buying decision.

When someone makes a killer app that cannot be released on the AppStore, then this will matter. Until then... Sorry, no one was going to buy your Scheme-based app anyway.

jxcole• 16 years ago

Could they at least acknowledge the fact that they intentionally destroyed an adobe product for no real reason? I would be much more interested in hearing why they thought Flash CS5's export to IPhone capability shouldn't go to market rather than about how apple is "the good guy". The laundry list of things apple has done well were particularly infuriating. Take any company, no matter how destitute, and they could easily have marketers spin up a list such as this. Microsoft, Adobe, and Google have done at least as many things right over the years. In either case, they really skirted the issue at hand.

It is true that adobe literally said "Screw you apple". But sticks and stones can only do so much. Just consider what Apple threw their way. And we shouldn't forget all of the open source projects that have gone down because of Apple's lazy cannon ball.

chc4• 16 years ago

Considering how poorly Adobe has treated non-Windows platforms for the past several years, I would accept "sheer spite" as an answer to why they're screwing over Adobe. The better question is why Apple would do this to all other developers as well.

pyre2• 16 years ago

I'm more interested in how Adobe is a competitor to Apple (in a Windows-vs-Mac way). Though there are a couple of areas that Apple and Adobe products compete, I would hardly say that it's in Apple's best interests to screw over Adobe. Do you think that the Apple faithful will be especially pleased if Adobe pulled all of their products from the Mac platform? I'm betting that it would tick off a fair amount of Apple users, who could direct their anger at Apple if they feel that Apple started the whole thing.

araneae• 16 years ago

This article says absolutely nothing about suicidal tendencies. His entire argument is that the iPhone is well-established. But plenty of people who seem to have it going for them are suicidal; just look at celebrities.

cubicle672• 16 years ago

er, I think you may have missed the point slightly

cubicle672• 16 years ago

[edit: or that's some sort of bizarre sarcasm you're using]

itistoday3• 16 years ago

Like all of the articles praising Apple's actions, this one focuses solely on the conflict between Apple and Adobe, as if that's all there was to it, as if those decrying Apple's actions are doing it out of love for Adobe and not because Apple's actions and public statements on the matter are inconsistent, hypocritical and are causing huge collateral damage to various companies and individuals who have nothing to do with Adobe or Flash or Microsoft and have only been adding value to the App Store.

I found this piece on Ars Technica to be more insightful and closer to reality (i.e., outside of the Reality Distortion Field):

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/04/steve-jobs-weighs-...

wdewind3• 16 years ago

I agree with what was said below, it wasn't a great article, but you must not have read the entire thing. His main point is actually that Apple is providing a hell of a distribution platform for developers that is going to be very expensive to leave.

itistoday3• 16 years ago

I did read it, but you're right about what his main point was. I was mainly referring to the last two paragraphs.

His main point boils down to, "Baby, look how sweet it is up in here, look at this bling bling, now shut up while I smack you about." Sure, I agree, Apple has a wonderful, beautiful setup. I don't think anyone disputes that, but I fail to see how that's supposed to make me respect their actions.

buro9• 16 years ago

Like Blur vs Oasis, Apple vs Google makes it seem like they are the only boys in town and so they both get all the press. We could be being played here. Neither Blur nor Oasis were bigger than the pop/dance music scenes, and neither Apple nor Google yet threaten Nokia and RIM.

qeorge• 16 years ago

Perhaps nitpicky, but I took issue with this:

"No other vendor dominates mobile games like Apple now. With over 50,000 games in the App Store, it has 10 and 20 times what Nintendo and Sony offers respectively, and this before Apple’s Game Center has even shipped."

The Nintendo DS is the best selling gaming system of all time, mobile or not. Its not even a competition - they've sold over 2x as many DS's as Apple has sold iPhones.

Not to discredit the iPhone's success in any way, but no one has come close to toppling Nintendo off the gaming throne.

Linear• 16 years ago

To add to this, consider the number of online flash games there are. By the same logic the author is using, the best mobile gaming platform would be a laptop/netbook.

This of course completely ignores the quality of these games and the advantages that dedicated gaming platforms like the DS and PSP have.

izendejas• 16 years ago

Exactly! Quality not quantity, please. I'm not a big gamer, but it bothers me to read nonsense like the quote above.

Some of the iphone/itouch games (or for that matter, other smartphone-based games) are garbage.

Qz• 16 years ago

Not sure if the article writer is American -- in many other countries 'mobile' is synonymous with cell phones, and thus 'mobile games' could be interpreted as 'cell phone games'.

travisp• 16 years ago

The article writer can't mean this because he is comparing Apple to Nintendo. It would make no sense to do so if he meant the market that Apple is dominating to solely mean "cell phone games."

hboon2• 16 years ago

If DS sales is 2x of iPhones, then Apple did beat them, because iPod touches sold more than iPhones (not sure by how much).

reitzensteinm• 16 years ago

No, it sold less. First link I could find says 50 million iPhones and 35 million iPod Touches:

http://www.examiner.com/x-8134-SF-Gadgets-Examiner~y2010m4d8...

(Which may not be correct, but I think the burden of proof is on you if you disagree).

tpiddy• 16 years ago

the only reason i'm jealous of people with iphones is they can play words with friends and turf wars, which all my friends play. apple knows if popular apps are easy to release on multiple systems at once, it will make their exclusive offerings less compelling.

Zak• 16 years ago

Apple's troubles in the mid '90s were not the fault of third-party developers. Windows NT was a better OS than classic Mac OS (and I was a Mac guy at the time). Macs of the day were uninspired and expensive. The recent switch to PowerPC had caused issues with a number of applications; most still worked, but it wasn't exactly fast. The phased introduction of PowerPC meant a lot of people considering new Macs waited, and some jumped ship.

Apple's recovery didn't have anything to do with playing hardball with developers. Apple recovered because it started making better products. Apple can retain its position in the smartphone market by continuing to make the best product. All they'll get from acting like a bully is ill will.

acg• 16 years ago

Apple can retain its position in the smartphone market by continuing to make the best product. All they'll get from acting like a bully is ill will.

I disagree, I think blocking flash is a good strategy for Apple. They stand to gain a lot and Ill will passes.

If they are able to block the platform and kill it then people will quickly forget if they continue to grow their market share. Apple is not interested in allowing development multiple mobile operating systems easily. Apple sells a platform and they want as many exclusive applications as possible. Exclusive applications retains the value in the handset rather than elsewhere (for example the network). Apple does not the handset to be commodity hardware driving down profits. The applications and their delivery is the unique selling point: hence the advert "there's an app for everything".

The hardware can be emulated.

Apple to developers: We're no longer suicidal

Related Stories