Comments on: A stress crack in the iPhone brand platform http://tenayagroup.com/blog/2008/09/18/a-stress-crack-in-the-iphone-brand-platform/ Brian Phipps on next-generation brands: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:25:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Brian Phipps http://tenayagroup.com/blog/2008/09/18/a-stress-crack-in-the-iphone-brand-platform/comment-page-1/#comment-85594 Brian Phipps Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:59:24 +0000 http://tenayagroup.com/blog/2008/09/18/a-stress-crack-in-the-iphone-brand-platform/#comment-85594 I wasn't aware of the iPhone NDA issue. After looking into it a bit, it certainly plays a larger role than the App Store processes I wrote about. It's hard to understand why Apple, via the NDA, would be putting such a lock-down on its third-party developers. It raises the question: is Apple a brand of innovation, or a brand of control? If the latter, then any brand ecosystem for the iPhone would seem destined to be thin, and fragile. I wasn’t aware of the iPhone NDA issue. After looking into it a bit, it certainly plays a larger role than the App Store processes I wrote about. It’s hard to understand why Apple, via the NDA, would be putting such a lock-down on its third-party developers. It raises the question: is Apple a brand of innovation, or a brand of control? If the latter, then any brand ecosystem for the iPhone would seem destined to be thin, and fragile.

]]> By: steve http://tenayagroup.com/blog/2008/09/18/a-stress-crack-in-the-iphone-brand-platform/comment-page-1/#comment-85565 steve Sat, 20 Sep 2008 11:45:54 +0000 http://tenayagroup.com/blog/2008/09/18/a-stress-crack-in-the-iphone-brand-platform/#comment-85565 Indeed - there is a problem. I'm an advisor to a small company that is doing some iPhone development and have had a good look at the experience. Understanding Apple's business guidelines would be very important, but I doubt it impacts many people. There is a lot of bad code out there and Apple needs some mechanism for identifying and testing this. The NDA issue is, in my mind, the biggest problem as it effectively cuts communication in the community. On the other hand many people have managed to get apps out. Getting apps onto other cellphones is completely non-trivial and can be an expensive process. Small companies and amateurs are generally completely excluded from the process. Android, if it works as promised, will be the competition for the developer's mindshare. There are many issues beyond what I've mentioned that will drive that choice, but Apple should tighten up what they are doing before Android starts to take off. The most important step would be dealing with that NDA. Indeed – there is a problem.

I’m an advisor to a small company that is doing some iPhone development and have had a good look at the experience. Understanding Apple’s business guidelines would be very important, but I doubt it impacts many people. There is a lot of bad code out there and Apple needs some mechanism for identifying and testing this. The NDA issue is, in my mind, the biggest problem as it effectively cuts communication in the community.

On the other hand many people have managed to get apps out. Getting apps onto other cellphones is completely non-trivial and can be an expensive process. Small companies and amateurs are generally completely excluded from the process.

Android, if it works as promised, will be the competition for the developer’s mindshare. There are many issues beyond what I’ve mentioned that will drive that choice, but Apple should tighten up what they are doing before Android starts to take off. The most important step would be dealing with that NDA.

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