Filed under: Internet, Apple, iPhone
No killer app for iPhone?
That's sort of like saying there's no killer app for the Internet. Oh wait, there is! It's called a "browser." Erick Schonfeld of TechCrunch bemoaned the lack of a "killer app" for the iPhone but wound up admitting "...the app I use the most is Gmail, followed by Web browsing." So email and web-browsing? Sounds like the killer apps that launched the current explosion of technology and brought computing home again for the average user (would people really get off the Xbox 360 if their computers had no net access?). Today's killer apps are stored in the cloud, not locked away in your hardware.The fact is that modern computer user habits are staggeringly fragmented once you move out of the email/browser/office apps arena. Just like browsing habits-- who goes to a generalized portal like AOL.com or Yahoo.com on a regular basis? Computer use is now specialized. A video editor will use apps pertinent to his job, while a cook would likely use a suite of apps for food planning and prep and purchasing. There's not likely to be a killer app outside of your specialization, unless it has to do with massaging data-- something along the lines of syncing your contacts, for example.
Ultimately the new killer apps are fixes for existing applications. One of the reasons 90% of iPhone users browse the web on their phone? Mobile Safari is hands-down the best portable web browser out there. It still isn't as robust as the desktop equivalent (hence the plethora of iPhone-tuned pages out there), but it is much better than the competition. The ultimate killer app is your window to the web, and the competition keeps making things better all the time. Hear that Mozilla? We're ready for mobile Firefox already!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Todd said 12:30PM on 8-13-2008
Mobile's "killer app" isn't really an app, but a attribute for an app... location awareness.
I ask any iPhone developers if the SDK provides you with access to the GPS, or tower location, that let's you imbue apps with location awareness. If not, there will never be an iPhone "killer app".
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totoro said 2:13PM on 8-13-2008
eh? There is an entire Navigation Category in the Apps Store.
Just played with one: Here I Am. Clicked the icon, it asked permission to use my location, then brought up Mail, with my GPS located Google Maps location link attached.
YourTechSupport said 12:35PM on 8-13-2008
One of the major obstacles holding back the 'Killer App' is Apple itself. The terms for making apps restrict people from talking about coding for it, won't let people exchange tips, and restrict alot of the functionality of the device.
If one true killer app will come out this year it will likely only be available on jailbroken models.
Apple is new to the phone business, and sadly new to the 3rd-party application business. When they get around to discerning their ass from their elbows they'll end up taking over the pda market.
I bought an 8gb Touch a couple of weeks ago and so far I haven't regretted it, but I know it will be a bit of a wait for said ass/elbow conflict to be resolved.
Where the hell is my full screen keyboard? Beuller? Steve?
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iampriteshdesai said 2:31PM on 8-13-2008
Opera Mini and Opera mobile are lot better than the iPhone's Safari. No virus, less data charge and other benifits,
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soniiic said 4:32AM on 8-14-2008
"Mobile Safari is hands-down the best portable web browser out there."
don't say that with such objectivity! that's only what you think :P i personally haven't tried mobile safari but what do you have against opera? the speed of navigation my htc diamond is instant and the autoresizing of paragraphs to fit the width of the screen is incredibly useful.
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soniiic said 4:38AM on 8-14-2008
http://wmpoweruser.com/?p=204
Victor Agreda, Jr. said 8:22AM on 8-14-2008
Hm, haven't had a shot at 9.5, but I have the latest Opera for BlackBerry and I would hope they've got field data entry and drop-down selection implemented better. On the iPhone the experience is much better.
Also, while testing standards is one thing, that's a lot like the "ideal" MPG rating on a car. In reality, you're going to see differences. So a lot of my claim is based upon the fact that there are sites I can interact with using Mobile Safari that Opera can't or won't access-- they simply aren't compatible.
Still, competition breeds innovation, so it's good to see all this!
Opera on the Mac still has numerous quirks (like changing focus to the app only happens fully if you click the window title bars, NOT if you click in the window itself).
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