tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post6450525570132164647..comments2024-03-11T07:06:28.190-07:00Comments on Mobile Opportunity: Why did Apple give in?Michael Macehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-91628835276786131362010-11-01T16:20:18.941-07:002010-11-01T16:20:18.941-07:00"This leaves us with the question of why Appl..."This leaves us with the question of why Apple changed its policy"<br /><br />I think it was simply a matter of timing. Apple saw what was coming with Adobe and their flash cross-compiler, and they were probably still smarting some from (often deserved) criticism so they put a blanket ban in place. I doubt it was their intention to do it permanently (just like it's obvious they intended to release an SDK and app store from day one).<br /><br />I think once they had time to develop a strategy and revised policy, the ban was reversed.<br /><br />This is key. Apple didn't really reverse themselves, they refined the rules of the app store. They didn't just say "OK, you can now use third party tools", if you read carefully they said "you can use third party tools, but the results can't suck".<br /><br />Some may see it as splitting hairs. I doubt Apple does - indeed, there is no need for speculation, their updated policy is pretty clear (and refreshingly, in pretty plain English!). And if developers think they are going to be able to recycle some flash or java mouse-based app for iOS, they need to brace for the inevitable rejection.EricEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-88917087031612005992010-10-09T01:40:21.995-07:002010-10-09T01:40:21.995-07:00I recently came across your blog and have been rea...I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mobilephonedealsuk.org.uk/virgin-mobile-phones.html" rel="nofollow">Virgin contract</a>johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09313094088856448912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-7864760991606539232010-09-19T23:12:49.065-07:002010-09-19T23:12:49.065-07:00I believe it's quite simple. Apple was the top...I believe it's quite simple. Apple was the top player in the field and everyone believed that they can make no mistakes. This was true as late as 3-4 months ago. When you're on top you:<br />1. Can make capricious decisions in the name of "quality."<br />2. Try to put roadblocks in your competitors' way to stop them from catching up.<br /><br />The second point is the crucial one. Apple had way more apps than anyone else, and if you can develop across device your advantage goes away.<br /><br />The exact reverse happens when you become number two, three or worse. Compatible tools help you rather than help you. When Android becomes the dominant player, incompatibility means that some apps won't make it to I IOS. Apple not only saw the writing on the wall, but decided to do it early enough so that it's not totally obvious.<br /><br />Finally, I believe that they were taken aback by the strong reaction to this decision. Again, if you're not the king of the hill, you need to pay attention to the developers.drorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09547034404067917685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-5469423576814526952010-09-10T13:34:39.498-07:002010-09-10T13:34:39.498-07:00Excellent point, Glenn. I should have said someth...Excellent point, Glenn. I should have said something like "problem reduced, I hope."<br /><br />This is why our engineers keep me on a short leash.Michael Macehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-88171580615860700512010-09-10T13:12:37.169-07:002010-09-10T13:12:37.169-07:00Hi Michael - long time fan of your blog, always lo...Hi Michael - long time fan of your blog, always look forward to your posts! Just had to comment on this:<br /><br />"We're doing a lot of development work in Java, and I'd been worried about the rework if we decided we needed a native client on iOS. Now the problem's solved (or at least it should be by the time we ship)."<br /><br />Your developers will probably tell you this, but just because there may be java support in iOS at some point in the future shouldnt make you feel "problem solved" in terms of needing to rewrite code for a native iOS client. Even if Apple allowed pure J2ME/J2SE apps to run on iOS, its almost a certainty that you would still want to (or be forced to) rewrite portions of your app to make it work and look reasonable on iOS. Look at BlackBerry. Technically yes you can run a pure j2me app on a RIM device, but the results are pretty generic-looking and don't look or work like native BlackBerry apps.<br /><br />All the best,<br />Glenn BachmannHi there!https://www.blogger.com/profile/12609707273887413501noreply@blogger.com