#summary Reasons why we are developing something "for" the iPhone #labels rant,iphone,rationale = Why The iPhone?? = Some questions that people have asked go like this: "Why are you targeting the iPhone? Not many people have it yet, and it costs too much. What about everyone else, and what's so special about the iPhone? Are you selling iPhones, or making money off of this somehow? What's the angle?" I'm not selling iPhones, and I have no direct financial gain tied to this site or to Apple. I just happen to think that the iPhone is the type of device we are going to be seeing a lot more of in the future. Apple plans to continue to promote the device, and other companies are going to copy these efforts with varying degrees of success. In any event, there will soon be a competitive market for devices with _at least_ the type of features already present in this device. The tech market is not known for its backward leaps, and it appears likely that smart-phones are going to become more prolific devices, eventually at varied cost and under various features. The iPhone is a target, a reference platform, but represents a significant frontier of design and usefulness. Rather than sell you an iPhone, I'm trying to anticipate the near future given what I have in my hand as a somewhat satisfied iPhone user. I suspect that the same design principles that are going to work well and be solved by adopting to the iPhone interface and usage model will hold true for a variety of devices or situations, just as it has already for me. Pricing, model numbers, manufacturers, its all a numbers game in the long view, but what it demonstrates for me is that there is a market, and it is growing. deep sigh. The iPhone is a step forward into something a couple of people have thrown a lasso around and called "Web 3.0" [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/business/12web.html?ex=1320987600&en=254d697964cedc62&ei=5088 NYT article]. What these people are doing is saying that, in the future, we are going to have useful applications at the exact place and time that we need them, with the ability to do many of these things with a single device. Convergence is the more generalized name given to the trend that multi-national corporations are adhering to in creating ever more intricate and complex devices. They make money on some and lose a fortune on others, but still they continue to play this risky game. Why? Because ultimately, people are only going to chose to carry a single device. Right now, the function that represents the most daily utility to people is the phone. The mobile telephone, yes, the modern cellular, I mean cell-phone itself. And that is why Apple has thrown it's hat into this risky and complex partnership game to get into the hands of consumers. They are using a device that most people already own, and are accustomed to buying. Devices like, say, music players in the late 90's. Apple is committed to the iPhone, and is surely going to spend some untold palace fortune to develop their business model that is represented by the iPhone. Some people already own devices that perform some of the same functions of the iPhone. Not all at the same time, or with the same level of sophistication, but still it's something important that there is a market here already that Apple is entering into, and it's not exactly a de-facto monopoly. More like a bloodthirsty sport, with lots to lose and international play that spans continents and currencies. Mobile handsets are a billion dollar industry worldwide, yet smart-phones such as the Motorola Blackberry remain a small percentage of the market. That market is going to grow, as data plans become mainstream and people decide that having Internet access everywhere is worthwhile. = Community = Another important aspect of any device is the "scene" or community efforts devoted to it. The iPhone is a very tantalizing target for a large number of hackers, as evidenced by the many many sites already reporting such things. The scene has already progressed to the point that homebrew code is running, and GUI tools are beginning to pop up in a "meta-development" cycle that is making it easier for command line newbies to accomplish. Yes, you will be able to SSH from your iPhone, if you cannot already. This page is not really about that. In order to be as widely accessible as possible, this project is currently an evolution of existing legal and usable solutions currently available. = Details Add your content here. Format your content with: * Text in *bold* or _italic_ * Headings, paragraphs, and lists * Automatic links to other wiki pages