The iPhone is a Platform, Just Not Yet

Ethan Kaplan over at blackrimglasses has started iphonehints and he has posted a great little response to all those "but the iPhone doesn't have..." articles.

He writes:

"Its important to think of the iPhone not as a cell phone, Internet device or iPod, but more as a general purpose computer who's software and operating system enable it to function as all three. Without any software, what the iPhone consists of is:

• A 600-700mhz computer


• Dedicated 3d graphics processor


• Cellular modem


• Wi-Fi network adapter


• Accelerometer


• Ambient light sensor


• Proximity sensors


• Multi-touch haptic touch screen display


• Audio input and output


• High speed data support (USB 2.0)


• Bluetooth communication adapter

Ethan continues:

"Apple's 1.0 product release strategy is quite simple: get it perfect with as many features to get a feel for use, then expand from there. If you were around for OSX 10.1, Final Cut 1.0, iPhoto 1.0, Aperture 1.0, etc. Each was barely usable, and got a feel for a market without over-extending the engineering behind it. Apple has focus with software development, in a top-down pyramid structure. Get the core perfect, extend from there."

I can't help but agree with the guy, the iPhone is a platform for Apple, akin to the iPod but with a much greater degree of flexibility because of the inclusion of OSX. Hasn't anyone noticed that the Apple TV was, within a week of its introduction, hacked to extend its capabilities? And, does anyone think the iPhone will be any different?

The iPhone is a platform.

Link

EDIT: Apparently, Uncle Walt (better known as the Wall Street Journal's tech columnist Walter Mossberg) has been told that Apple will include Flash on a future iPhone update. Link