i came in third

so i am just re-posting a blog post from a blog i frequent, iPhone Therefore iBlog. I found this blog the day Apple dropped the iPhone 3G, Mobile Me, and massive update for the 1st Gen iPhones. I am not one for just using someone else's posts but i liked it a lot and couldn't find other information on the program itself. if you have an iPhone I think you'll like it. Drop a line and let me know what you think.

Qik, streaming video and the iPhone's future

Monday, Oct. 20, 2008 -- 11 a.m. -- on my couch

Seems these days that if Digg founder Kevin Rose sneezes, someone blogs about it. He's had some interesting inside tips lately and actually led me to this post.







First off, if you haven't seen it already, you should check out this YouTube video. Kevin has a demonstration of a not-yet-released app for the iPhone from Qik, which does streaming video. This app, IF approved, will allow for something you've been asking for since day 1 and that's live streaming video on the iPhone with integrated instant chat.

Up until now, as Kevin points out and we all know, to have this kind of functionality you've needed either a Nokia phone or a jailbroken phone. And while folks who have had their phones jailbroken will be quick to point out that this news really isn't news, it's huge for those of us with stock iPhones. Live chat that utilizes GPS is about as cool as it gets.

According to Kevin, Qik has submitted the app to Apple and is waiting for Apple's response. And that leads me to why I'm really writing this post.

Up until now, Apple has made it pretty clear that the camera is off limits. There are apps to do all kinds of things to the photos you have taken, but nothing to interacts with the physical camera in any way. Obviously, what Qik is doing requires that, so whether or not Apple will allow it is anyone's guess.

But considering that Apple recently saw the light of day where horizontal e-mail composition is concerned, it leads me to believe that Apple is softening its stance a little bit. Not a lot, a little bit. Apple is still very selfish when it comes to what gets in the App Store and what doesn't -- some (me) might even say it's an unhealthy brand of selfish that detracts from the iPhone experience and denies users the chance to use their iPhone at its full capacity.

Of course, if Apple is planning some sort of mega app that integrates iChat and video streaming, which is should have had on the iPhone the day it came out in 2007, then that's different. But considering BeeJiveIM and AIM are in the App Store living in harmony, I'm pretty sure Apple realizes that it can turn its attention to other ventures and leave that kind of stuff to other companies. That doesn't mean Apple won't come back and steal the thunder and come out with an app of its own someday anyhow -- it's done that before -- but this is about now.

I used to the kind of person that only used Apple software. I was weird in that way. I thought ... well, I can't use Lightroom because there's Aperture. And I can't possibly use Firefox when Safari is in my dock. And how can I use Microsoft Word when there's Pages? Of course, I'd do a lot to avoid using Microsoft software, but at the end of the day, you can't compare Word to Pages. You can try and Apple wants you to try, but it just doesn't work.

The iPhone is such a different beast. On the iPhone, we're talking about thousands and tens of thousands of developers that are bringing their own brand of fun and productivity to the world's greatest gadget. Of course, each of those developers is at the mercy of Apple's sometimes incoherent approval process, but I applaud them for doing what they do. Even if we don't like an app, each app shows the passion that goes into doing this -- a passion that I have but lack the technical skills to pull off.

So that said, I have to hope and believe that Apple is going to let Qik into the store. First off, if you look at the video, you'll see just how fabulous it is. Second, Apple knows its competition. Apple knows Nokia and BlackBerry can record video. And it knows that Android phones will almost certainly do the same sooner rather than later. Like I said before, if Apple is in the final stages of working on something, then fine. But if Apple has no plans to extend the functionality of the iPhone to things it can easily do - like video capture - then it needs to step aside and allow someone who can bring us that functionality.

And yes ... you can jailbreak your phone. If you do, all this is pretty much moot. And I've softened my stance when it comes to jailbreaking. But this is about the bigger picture. This is about the people who don't want to jailbreak to have the things they have a right to have. This is about Apple letting go of its crazy rules and realizing that adding functionality -- especially when reputable companies with proven track records do it -- is a win-win for the community and the company. An iPhone that does video, in my mind, is a bigger seller than an iPhone that doesn't.

While I don't want to have to use 5 apps to have voice chat, video chat, live chat and all the other kinds of chat ... if developers see Apple opening its eyes and its arms to new and innovative ideas, they will create and we will be the beneficiaries. If Apple continues with this ridiculous approval process, developers are going to go elsewhere because they are going to think it's a waste of their time.

And with new competition like Android out there, Apple can't afford to alienate a single developer. Somewhere out there is the next huge thing ... the next MySpace, the next Facebook or Twitter ... and Apple can't afford to let that end up in someone else's hands first.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for calling.