21–30 of 78 posts
"Let's protect the user, by keeping control of [...] which entities can distribute apps (implies: signing infrastructure, policies, etc...)" Imagine an alternate universe where this foundational goal of the iOS SDK was interpreted just a little more loosely, with something closer to MacOS notarization, and an App Store that had to compete just like the Mac App Store.
"Let's protect the user, by keeping control of [...] which entities can distribute apps (implies: signing infrastructure, policies, etc...)" Imagine an alternate universe where this foundational goal of the iOS SDK was interpreted just a little more loosely, with something closer to MacOS notarization, and an App Store that had to compete just like the Mac App Store.
Easy to imagine it. It’s the google android play store situation.
Man, that is a classic "Jobs" reply. Detailed, well-reasoned email, acknowledged by a curt one-sentence reply. But that only happened in email. I don't think Jobs liked the written medium. He could talk up a storm. One of the best declarative public speakers I've ever heard (but not an "emotionally eloquent" one, like many preachers).
With the amount of “important” emails you get in a position with any kind of responsibility, writing thoughtful elaborate responses to each and every one would leave you with no time to do your actual job.
So you communicate the core message clearly and bluntly, and move on to the next fire.
People on HN have repeatedly said to me that Apple actually originally intended for web apps to be the only apps for the iPhone, forever. I never believed it. Glad we have some evidence that that was never the case. Clearly web apps were a stop-gap until they got their SDK done.
People on HN have repeatedly said to me that Apple actually originally intended for web apps to be the only apps for the iPhone, forever. I never believed it. Glad we have some evidence that that was never the case. Clearly web apps were a stop-gap until they got their SDK done.
How is "never the case" derived from this email? This email was sent after iPhone shipped and doesn't say anything about shipping Cocoa Touch as a goal before this point.
No. Clearly web apps were a stop-gap until they got their SDK done. They always planned on having an app store and pushing web apps to the side once they got their gatekeeping mechanism in place.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
How is "never the case" derived from this email? This email was sent after iPhone shipped and doesn't say anything about shipping Cocoa Touch as a goal before this point.
You think Apple planned to run forever with just web apps at any point during the development of the iPhone? No. Clearly web apps were a stop-gap until they got their SDK done. They always planned on having an app store and pushing web apps to the side once they got their gatekeeping mechanism in place.
If they "always planned" the App Store, why would Bertrand, one of Steve's direct reports, be writing as if this were a brand new idea?
One of the original iPhone's "killer features" was a full, desktop-equivalent web browser in the days of the "mobile web" and WAP. They invested significant engineering effort into making it performant, adding UI affordances for zooming and panning around pages that couldn't fit on a 3.5" screen, and so on. It's completely believable they thought this solution was enough for third-party apps.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Easy to imagine it. It’s the google android play store situation.
And it just... sucks. So many avenues for exploitations for average developers that I'd never trust and install a 3rd party app on such a device that I carry around with me every day. Sure, Apple model is far far from perfect but the only solution I can think of for such a personal device.
I just realized that more time has elapsed since the iPhone launched (about 14 years: 2007 - 2021) than had between when Jobs returned to Apple and the iPhone launched (about 11 years: 1996-2007). Yikes. Also, the three month deadline helps explain why the iPhoneOS SDK was such a mess when it first launched.
"Let's protect the user, by keeping control of [...] which entities can distribute apps (implies: signing infrastructure, policies, etc...)" Imagine an alternate universe where this foundational goal of the iOS SDK was interpreted just a little more loosely, with something closer to MacOS notarization, and an App Store that had to compete just like the Mac App Store.
Easy to imagine it. It’s the google android play store situation.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You think Apple planned to run forever with just web apps at any point during the development of the iPhone? No. Clearly web apps were a stop-gap until they got their SDK done. They always planned on having an app store and pushing web apps to the side once they got their gatekeeping mechanism in place.
This claim is directly contradicted by this e-mail exchange from October 2007, the very e-mail exchange in which they decided to move forward with a native app SDK. The iPhone was announced in January 2007, a full 9 months earlier, and was in development for a few years before that. If they "always planned" the App Store, why would Bertrand, one of Steve's direct reports, be writing as if this were a brand new idea?…
Please. It's an idea they'd obviously been discussing.
There is no way in hell that Apple, a company that has always, always, always kept very tight control over their platform ever actually planned for web apps to be the one and only type of app for the iPhone.
> One of the original iPhone's "killer features" was a full, desktop-equivalent web browser
Nobody is disputing that. Of course they needed the web...until they didn't - and they absolutely planned the switch from web apps to native apps from the get go. Anyone who actually believes otherwise - I've got a bridge to sell you.
Looks like I underestimated the amount of stockholm syndrome surrounding this company though. Oh well - enjoy your dystopian new world order!