The iPhone SDK release - Part Deux

I was gone for two days at a P2P summit, so I haven't really been reading all the tech news out there. The articles I did read made no mention of 2 subtle platform plays that Apple has made with the release of the iPhone SDK.

1. The SDK and tools are Mac only
2. I don't want to repeat myself but the thoroughness and richness of the SDK, the professional grade tools, and the Exchange support are sure to buy Apple some brownie points in the Enterprise space. Apple to date has focussed mostly on the Consumer space, eschewing the Enterprise because of whatever reasons (Enterprise customers are boring, not at the cutting edge, etc, etc).

The Halo effect of these 2 moves has got to fuel sales of the Mac. Developers are an influential community, especially the amateur kind that want to tinker with the SDK, but their influence is on the fringes. The real tour de force when it comes to computer purchases is the Enterprise. It isn't hard to foresee the curiosity corporate customers will have for the Mac platform once they get a taste of the iPhone's exchange support. Curiosity, if I remember correctly, killed the cat - it sure as hell won't kill the PC, but it might make the PC's life a tad harder. If corporate orders start pouring in, economies of scale will apply to Apple's hardware too. Hardware costs will reduce with increased production volume, and Apple can embrace the strategy it used with the iPod - reduce its profit per unit sold, and bring to market more cost competitive Macs. The new Mac tagline could might as well read - Coming Soon to a Desk near you.

Or, I'm dropping acid!

Christian Troy Endorses the iPhone

To the few of us that watch Nip/Tuck, Dr Christian Troy is the epitome of cool, an adonis whose tailspin into dysfunction keeps us riveted to the show. I know more than one guy who hasn't felt cheaper than when someone, a stranger usually, found a striking resemblance between the guy and Christian Troy. We want to dress like him, charm women like him, even fuck like he does. So when Christian whips out his iPhone in Season 5, it's no surprise that every guy that watches the show is gonna want one. I wonder if Apple had to pay the creators of Nip/Tuck for this endorsement, but I know that Arun's gonna be jealous that I have one!! :)

The Score to Date: Manoj - 2, Arun - 1...

If you've got cable, and you don't watch this show, you're missing out, BIG TIME!

Me and my iPhone

For better or for worse, my friends call me an Apple Whore. I'm a very atypical Microsoft employee - I use Firefox as my browser, my main computer at home is my Mac Book Pro, I have owned multiple iPods, and I recently swapped out my Smart Phone for an iPhone. When the iPhone first came out, I really coveted one, but I was skeptical about its keyboard. Not getting any tactile feedback while typing is an alien concept to me.

Aware that the 1.0 release of any product is riddled with bugs, I bided my time and pushed off the purchase for a few months. In the interim, I read every review I could get my eyes on, and everything I read pointed to AT&T being a fecez. I had been a happy T-Mobile customer since 2004, the biggest positives of being with TMob were the great service, decent phone reception, the best voice plans, and the phone selection.

It's been two weeks since I took the plunge into the iPhone realm, and using another phone now is a drag. The keyboard took a few hours to get used to - I'm a fast learner ;-) - and now my fingers fly on it, using the camera is a breeze, sending pictures via email or to flickr is damn useful, and the browser is beautiful. Here are my nits though:

1. Though Mail is good, it doesn't hold a candle to mail on the Smart Phone.
2. I can't save a Mail attachment to my phone - that's plain silly.
3. Give me a frickin' back button already. This is akin to no Second Mouse Button on my MBP. WTF?!
4. The screen gets dirty too easily (fine, I sweat, a lot)
5. AT&T is the network with the most dropped calls. Their tagline is the lie to top all lies!
6. Can't change the volume while listening to music by flicking my finger up or down on the screen.

With all of these being said, I'd still recommend that if you are an AT&T customer, the $400 price tag is worth the experience. If you do take the plunge, you'll be hard pressed to enjoy another phone again.

iPhone cracked: You Don't Say?

Lo and Behold, the iPhone has been cracked; I sure as hell didn't see that coming! Here is a breakdown of how this "hole" in the iTunes-iPhone partnership can be exploited:

1. Get Hex editor - easy (if you're thinking WTF is hex, skip to Step 8)
2. Open iTunes in said Hex editor - easy
3. Look for some magic codes - duh!
4. Re-write some values - it's not rocket science dunce hat
5. Save changes
6. Find and edit your hosts file
7. Install some .Net framework
As easy as "Lather, Rinse". If something goes wrong, "Repeat" else goto :next-para

8. Hello normal, non-geek person. Welcome to my blog!

:next-para
No article is complete without a post-mortem of sorts so let me keep with tradition, and ramble on. After going through all this hassle, you can't use the iPhone as a Phone anymore. What's left after activation is a WiPod(TM), a wireless iPod (yes, that's my term). It's a shame that the Jesus Phone will be reduced to a mere shadow of itself, those heathens I tell you.

"I think it's bit, shall we say, 'expensive' to buy the iPhone and not use it as a phone. But if you're looking for a widescreen iPod and a small web surfing device that you can use at WiFi hotspots without having to worry about a monthly bill, then you might want to check out what DVD Jon has in store.

Stupid Apple - they didn't think of this earlier, and start a similar gimmick themselves. Come to think of it, they are potentially making a $400 loss on their current iPods, at the current retail price of $250 (+tax). Considering that people are willing to pay $650 for an iPhone, and then downgrade it to a WiPod(TM), I am sure these individuals wouldn't mind paying the extra money to Apple directly if they were saved the headache of the aforementioned "Lather, Rinse, Repeat" cycle. For once, Apple has missed out on a real cash cow, it's a real shame. If I was a powerful person in the world, this analysis would result in Apple's share price falling a few points, but that's a pipe dream so Apple's shareholders can take pause, and heave a sigh of relief.

Here's the true rub - I wonder how these people who have so proudly "hacked" their iPhone into a WiPod will feel when Apple will release the Real McCoy WiPod(TM) for $299. For the rest of us budget-constrained folks looking for a Wireless music player that you browse the Internet with, the PSP is a great option at $169.