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Why We Still Need the iPhone App Black Market

gizmodo.com — We need more than Apple's official app store —we still need jailbreaking, Installer.app and the best unauthorized third-party apps to make the iPhone an ultra-powerful open platform we really want. Here are the roadblocks.

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  • ProjectGSX, on 07/23/2008, -2/+61Incredibly insightful article. Im a new iPhone owner and definitely appreciate the experience. This article explains a lot of the nagging issues with the app store.
  • clak, on 07/23/2008, -26/+7The bigger issue here is why people expect so many changes in TWELVE days. For Christ's sake, Apple just pulled off one of the biggest releases in their history: iPhone 3G, App Store, MobileMe and everybody wants a million little changes that comply with their own quaint little idiosyncrasies. Let the people at Apple catch their breath, why don't you. Let them work out the bugs with MobileMe and the iPhone activations.

    Oh, Boo Hoo, you can't run an illegal game emulator on your phone. Get a grip, people.
    • RTFishUL, on 07/23/2008, -3/+5quaint little idiosyncrasies? hardly. If you only had any idea how many people have their phones and touches jailbroken.
    • bigdee973, on 07/23/2008, -8/+3ur a total fag dude
    • BlueStarr, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5ProjectGSX.... you're absolutely right. But we live in a society of whiney little bitches. Check out bigdee973 for the best possible example of this. We're spoiled, greedy and ungrateful bunch of users. Sad but true.
    • javaroast, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3People have been asking for this for over a year not just 12 days. And as a total Apple fan boy you should be asking for a more open iPhone SDK as well.
    • digjam, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Steve Jobs?
  • redheadguy719, on 07/23/2008, -7/+9no one expected apple to totally free up the device to developers. I think it's given a lot of real companies the chance to develop high quality apps and games, yet the majority of jailbreak apps still trumped those in functionality.
    At least WinPWN 2.0 is coming soon...
    • logandurand, on 07/24/2008, -2/+4I think anyone who paid for the phone should expect to be able to run whatever they choose on their device regardless of what Apple feels about it.
  • Volde, on 07/23/2008, -4/+31It's ironic, but I have severe buyer's remorse after upgrading to 2.0 because only after I upgraded did I realize 90% of the functionality that I loved about my touch came from jailbroken apps like Instinctiv Shuffle. Something about that doesn't seem right even if Apple has to make business decisions, I've always assumed that they were also champions of the end user (in this case my jailbroken apps)
    • digitalarcanum, on 07/23/2008, -3/+13Just as the article says, Apple is in this race for Apple and its shareholders, no one else, not even the end user. Once you come to realize that, the company isn't as nearly as awesome as everyone makes it out to be, huh? All bull ***** aside, I find it funny that the SDK adds more road blocks to unlocking the possibilities of "the jesus phone" as so many of you jobs-loving ***** seem to love to call it.

      I'm no programmer, but as far as I know an SDK is supposed to provide a look into how things are done on a certain platform, not introduce another wall of complications or rules you have to work around to get your application to work.

      I realize this. This is why I hate Apple. Their marketing brainwashes people, or at least makes a vocal minority that ruins the experience for everyone else and makes everyone else hate them altogether. So yes, I'll take my so-called "inferior" phones, hardware and operating systems, so long as it means I get to run them the way i want to.
    • RobotBuddha, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2I upgraded for pandora, and have felt similar pangs. The app store has a fair amount of what I used, but there's still enough goodies to make me seriously consider the hastle of downgrading. One thing that really gets me though, is the no background process thing in regards to 'playing music'.
      • Blizaine, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I agree with the music issue. It seems like apple could open it up so that any app could utilize the music 'resource' and run in the background, not just the iPod.

    • lvlln, on 07/24/2008, -0/+7"I've always assumed that they were also champions of the end user"

      HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
    • rakous, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1That isn't irony, sorry but I am sick of people thinking ironic means something totally different than the actual meaning.

      Irony - The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.

      /Grammar Nazi
      • VanishingLex, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0so you are sick of people thinking the meaning of ironic is ironic? That's a bit of a headspin!
      • enignock, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
        Jump to: navigation, search
        "Ironic" redirects here. For the Alanis Morissette song, see Ironic (song).

        Irony is a literary or rhetorical device, in which there is an incongruity or discordance between what a speaker or writer says and what he or she means, or what is generally understood.

        In modern usage it can also refer to particularly striking examples of incongruities observed in everyday life between what was intended or said and what actually happened.

        There is some argument about what is or is not ironic, but all the different senses of irony revolve around the perceived notion of an incongruity between what is said and what is meant; or between an understanding of reality, or an expectation of a reality, and what actually happens.

        --------------------------------------

        So shut up tool. His perception was that he would have more functionality with upgrading to 2.0 but in reality it crippled his phone. Go get some sun. I ***** hate the irony police.
      • rakous, on 07/25/2008, -1/+1@enignock: Way to wiki, use a dictionary next time.
  • brodsky13, on 07/23/2008, -7/+28I think the argument being pushed on us by Apple is that a restricted SDK helps cut down on the number of bad apps out there. Of course, there's no magic way to prevent people from building crappy apps, but this SDK does make it hard (and sometimes impossible) to make many good ones. As a long time MS hater, it's strange to see Apple put something out there that is so oppressive and makes WindowsMobile look like an attractive developer platform.
    • Remmiz, on 07/23/2008, -9/+3Because Windows is well known for it's inability to develop for. Give me a break.
      • admdrew, on 07/23/2008, -3/+6Wait, what? It is? I have been living a lie as a .NET dev!
      • Remmiz, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5Me too. We should probably move over to Mac right away before our jobs are taken out by iPhone SDK!
      • javaroast, on 07/24/2008, -2/+4You missed brodsky's point entirely. But keep up the high fiving I don't want to interrupt.
    • Ryan2845, on 07/23/2008, -2/+16It's not THAT surprising. Remember Apple is the company that limits what hardware you can install their OS on. They have a philosophy as a company of implementing limitations in order to provide better, less buggy products.
      • AirRaven, on 07/23/2008, -1/+7...Or, in this case, preventing programmers creating certain classes of apps.

        Notifications for new messages from a constantly-running messenger app, anyone?
    • homer420032003, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1you know, a lot of their current apps are buggy
  • n0c0ntr0l, on 07/23/2008, -7/+7I always knew this would happen, apple are not the type to let people run riot running what ever apps they like, allowing each iphone to be individual. It's all in hte business decisions they make, they are more closed source than Microsoft.
  • waydee, on 07/23/2008, -17/+1iSpam, buried.
    • ScottoGato, on 07/23/2008, -1/+4You realize that you're in the Apple Section of digg, right?
    • MAGZine, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Yes, you do spam. We all noticed.
  • petaganayr, on 07/23/2008, -11/+0Incredibly insightful article....nah who cares?
  • Owwmykneecap, on 07/23/2008, -12/+14So what your saying is the i phone is no pancea that it does not live up to its hype, price and stupid contracts?

    I though we all loved championing open source here and love bigging up the little guy that comes up with better products and cutting through the crap.

    But as soon as someone dangles shiny shiny on front of ya, y'all lap it up.
    • ZigVicious, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3you said "yall".
      your credibility=gone.
      • pinchduck, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1Good idea, no one ever did anything intelligent south of the Mason-Dixon. Or, more likely, you are a bigot. Phrased in language you will find offensive: y'all a bigot.
  • joshefosho, on 07/23/2008, -8/+1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXNO4AIDFRE
  • Almadiel, on 07/23/2008, -0/+13First off, cydia is not the same thing as installer.app, its a different application and is better than installer. Hopefully they add the source editor soon, since that seems to be the last real obstacle to general adoption. Anyway, as a windows user, I have no other option if I want to make apps.
  • UberNick, on 07/23/2008, -1/+4I can't wait to see what kind of stuff gets built at iPhoneDevCamp next week!
  • JeffMaster, on 07/23/2008, -0/+11I'll be honest... I mean, some of the app store apps are cool... but come on! Touchpad Pro, Orb Live, Intelliscreen... etc. The BEST apps are still on the black market.
    • speakafreaka, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4Browser Copy + Paste and Video Recorder were in 1.1.4.. havent upgraded to 2.0 yet because of it.

      Apple wont have those in thier app store because theyre saving the features for the next iteration of the iphone.

    • Firespray1138, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Exactly, Summerboard and Customize are just awesome and all they do is change the damn theme. PocketTouch by Skylar is another one of my favorite apps along with MxTube.
      • JeffMaster, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1oh totally, MxTube is awesome, if only it synced with the videos section within the ipod app...
    • skyshock1, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2I'd love to see a port of VLC available for iPhone
    • fudged71, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1oh god, touchpad pro is ***** incredible
  • mogebier, on 07/23/2008, -10/+3Can you get an app for the iphone that makes you less of an arrogant elitist prick and hold it for everyone to see all the time??
    Just wondering.
    • clak, on 07/23/2008, -4/+7Well, we know that you can be an arrogant prick without an app, just by your comment, so why bother waiting for Apple to write one?

      Jealousy. I LOVE IT!
      • mogebier, on 07/24/2008, -5/+3Jealousy?? Nope. I have a penis. I don't need to buy an expensive "penis replacement" toy to show everyone around me.
        :)
        And then get tricked into buying another one a year later.
      • samimnot, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Ouchhh...lol, that was actually a very clever comeback. Way to go, clak
      • dupontflames, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Sorry, dude. I am just as annoyed with all these iPhone posts as the next guy, but you can't just lump everyone that owns a certain product together like that. It's ignorant ***** is what it is.
      • enignock, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1I think people pull it out all the time because they are using them. Imagine that. Look at you all smug, typing on your shiny computer all day for all the world to see. User.
  • samimnot, on 07/23/2008, -5/+0I for one am willing to let Apple 'develop' the Apps. Store. It's not at the level of Apples other products at this point, but it's still brand new (for them and developers) and as with all things Apple, they will make it better. Personally, I wish they would show MORE over site...actually cut down the quantity / and improve the quality. Way to many useless, duplicate and buggy Apps. currently on the site.
  • neodude237, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Awesome article. I could really not agree more, I love the App store, and there is some great stuff there, but Apple is just ruining it in some ways... Devs need to be able to put out fast updates, and Apple has to "review" them. The background processes kills things I love like themes, and MobileScrobbler. Emulators are fun, and no way those will ever be in the App store... Those are some of the many reasons why I Jailbroke 2.0 on my iPod, and I am loving it.
  • superkendall, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Of course it's always going to be good to have Jailbreaking as an outlet for stuff that cannot be done through the App Store. It's like yin and yang...
  • godinster, on 07/24/2008, -8/+0STOP DIGGING IPHONE STUFF. There is enough of it in the past week to last a lifetime, I swear to christ there isn't a webpage on the internet with the word iPhone somewhere in it that hasn't been dugg 300+ times.

    BURIED.
    • Gee1004, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5Learn to use the filter to block out Apple News. People want to ***** read it, otherwise why is this website called DIGG!
    • Atomic1fire, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1You see that Apple catagory in the digg tech section
      you can block that you know,
      the customize button is there for a reason
      its really handy for blocking topics you don't like the news of or disagree with, you should consider trying it and keeping the capslock off
  • philodygmn, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4Just like with music store DRM, I think people forget that Apple cannot defy its partners, and could easily be sued for offering infringing apps. I think they should anyway, because such suits are ridiculous, but Apple remains too much of a lightningrod for industry ire.
  • fuelcarddotorg, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3That copy paste app they mentioned actually got me excited. Kind of pathetic that something as simple as that would get me excited because apple couldn't implement it in time. I am dying without it on my iphone
  • flarn2006, on 07/24/2008, -3/+9I just don't get why Apple doesn't make the iPhone a 100% open platform. Their computers are!
  • skyshock1, on 07/24/2008, -3/+12Solution? ANDROID!!!

    Hurry up and release the damn thing already Google!
  • hermes369, on 07/24/2008, -1/+8Give me a Terminal!!!
  • Koadan, on 07/24/2008, -9/+3I'm tired of reading comments about how the App Store is the software equivalent of Stalin's Russia. Why Apple doesn't make the App Store completely open:
    1. Pr0n: This was specifically mentioned by Jobs, if Apple takes 30% from all of their paid apps they would also be doing so for these. Therefore Apple would be indirectly part of the pr0n industry and that doesn't look good from any perspective. Soon the iPhone becomes known by parents as the ultimate pr0n machine and anyone who owns one is soon branded "pervert," "digg user" or some such deviant.
    2. Quality Control: This one is simple. They don't want to compromise the user experience for any reason. In the end Apple is held responsible for what is on the iPhone and malware, highly unstable software, overclocking programs etc. could void the warranty, steal your personal information, or ruin your phone.
    3. AT&T: Yeah AT&T has been pushing Apple around for a while and there would undoubtedly be a major backlash if an App was created that used 3G data to make VoIP calls and send text messages via the internet using the existing SMS app.
    4. Web Apps: Apple doesn't control web apps or web sites. The App Store isn't creating some bubble of information straight from an Orwell novel, use Safari or your computer, Apple isn't trying to control your thoughts and/or bowel movements.
    BURY THIS^
    • tomz17, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Interestingly enough, several VOIP apps exist (and work well) on WM6 phones...
    • reformation, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1They forgot the quality control part.
    • mCanada, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1(1.) is the worst argument I've ever heard of. By that logic why don't they lock down OSX since people could possibly be browsing 4chan?
  • digitalxn3, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3Oh look another iPhone article.
  • takua108, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Cydia > Installer.app!
  • jamesmcm, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1A lot of these losses are annoying, yes but there has to be a compromise between usability and system stability.

    For example, allowing apps to run in the background meant that poorly designed apps could fail to quit, etc. taking the iphone's memory and running down it's battery.

    It's a similar problem with integrating functions into the OS.

    The review process is a PITA but it is necessary (although could be done better) to prevent malware.
  • Cargo8, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3PWNFTWSDKFTL.
  • chall5, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Yep great article, discovered Intelliscreen from it which is exactly what I was looking for. Until that app together with Boss Prefs hits the Apple store I'll be sticking with 1.1.4
  • Cargo8, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1^ Why do you need bossprefs? You can turn of 3g and wifi in the normal settings. and roaming edge, but edge doesnt eat up the battery that much anyway...
  •  

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