iPhone defined by negative terms

In politics, some say the Republican party has become the 'Party of No.' Rather than find solutions to issues, its critics say, the GOP has instead decided to strike down anything and everything that the Democrats support. That technique, while somewhat effective, is being panned by pundits. The same might be said for Apple. Although the company is currently a leader in the mobile market, it has decided that it would rather say "no" to strategies that companies like Google offer in their mobile platforms than acquiesce to market demand.

That strategy starts with Flash. Currently, Adobe's Web standard is being used by the vast majority of games and movies on the Web. But Apple, unlike Google, has decided to wage a war on Flash by not supporting it in its iPhone operating system. Apple thinks that strategy will win the day. But now that Google has announced its support for Flash, the company might have been prematurely taking a victory lap.

It doesn't end there. Apple has made it clear that it wants to control every aspect of its App Store. The company recently announced that only Apple's development tools can be used to create applications for its App Store. Previously, the company allowed third-party tools.

Developers almost universally railed against the decision. The issue, they said, is that using Apple's tool forces them to develop a program for the iPhone and then totally rebuild that application for another platform with a different tool. According to one developer, it creates a scenario where the cost of building an application is incurred twice, rather than once, like it previously was.

For its part, Apple has indicated with its decisions that it's simply trying to bolster its App Store and ensure that the applications available in it adequately reflect the quality of its product. That's fine. But it's arguably hurting developers. And it could potentially cause trouble for Apple if Google's Android platform continues its successful streak in the marketplace.

There's also the question of whether or not Apple should allow users to download applications that aren't available in its App Store. So far, the company has said that it won't allow it, since it could cause instability and security issues. But some critics have said that since they own the iPhone, they should have the choice to download what they want, when they want. An entire jailbreaking community has grown out of that desire.

But perhaps the most hotly contested "no" from Steve Jobs comes in the form of pornography. Recently, Steve Jobs wrote in an e-mail to Ryan Tate, a writer for Gawker, that the App Store provides consumers with "freedom from porn." Some have said that not seeing porn in the App Store is refreshing, and it ensures that there's at least one place where kids won't be able to see adult content.

But those against Steve Jobs and Apple say that it's a mistake. Once again, they contend that they should be able to download any app they want, regardless of whether Steve Jobs thinks a particular application is ethical or not. They say that Apple shouldn't make decisions for them.

But so far, Apple has. The company has decided to nix Flash, in favor of newer technologies. It has removed the ability to develop apps with third-party tools. It has removed porn, and stopped users from adding applications to the iPhone that don't come from the App Store. And along the way, it has cemented its position as the company that says "no" when it might be better to simply say "yes."

Google has. And so far, it has mostly helped that company. While even it would stop short of allowing everything on to its mobile OS, the unveiling of Android 2.2 has already fostered the view that Google is defining itself more and more by what it can do – and that Apple, much like the image some have of the Republicans, is unintentionally defining itself through what it won’t allow.

Editorial by Don Reisinger

By Electronista Staff