Apple helps launch $100 million iFund venture capital pool

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 34
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by backtomac View Post


    ...And the costs to develop for the iPhone seem reasonable, but I'm not a developer. There isn't even a lot of bitchin' at Ars, which is unusual. They usually rag heavily on the iPhone over there.



    Given Ars is usually so far up its own arse (yes, I am on fire today)... This is really unusual for them. Must be Apple's iPhone "Enterprise" push, this is quite unexpected given how much "Steve Jobs hates business users".
  • Reply 22 of 34
    ronboronbo Posts: 669member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatesbasher View Post


    They had someone from Kleiner Perkins onstage and they didn't ask them about EEstor? Would anybody be interested in a 200-hour battery for the MacBook Air?



    Watch the video, and you'll see why. This wasn't a free-for-all. There was no Q&A while that man was talking. I'll go on record myself here and say that listening to that guy (Jim Doerr) was easily the most memorable part of that video for me. I love SJ to death and think his keynotes are some of the best things in life. But listening to Doerr, you suddenly feel like history is really happening. Not just The Next Cool Thing. But a genuine epoch-changing moment in history.



    Q&A was done after the affair. At the end, refreshments were offered outside the auditorium, and reporters were invited to stay. Jim Doerr probably hadn't stayed. But even if he had, would you really have asked a question like "When do I get a 200 hour battery for my MacBook?" Surely you're smarter than that. Every single person on this forum knows what the answer to that is. Hopefully if you were there, you'd have asked a genuine question and not wasted everyone's time.
  • Reply 23 of 34
    ronboronbo Posts: 669member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    I'm incredulous there aren't more comments about this iFund. This is really huge news.



    I don't think there's enough information about it yet, except for the amount. When Jim Doerr was talking about the iFund, there was no discussion about details of how to apply. I think it was sufficient to say it's there and it's happening.



    To realize that it took $8 million to start Amazon, and $24 million to start Google... if that doesn't make you pause to think about a $100 million fund... yeah, you're right. It's huge.
  • Reply 24 of 34
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    How much money would it take to fund a startup to write apps for the iPhone?



    I wouldn't think it would take a lot from what I've seen so far. $99 to get onto the apple app store. Free SDK. Apple doing the distribution, ect..



    Would 5 million do it for most? If so then the iFund can seed 20 companies. Not bad.
  • Reply 25 of 34
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    Watch the price of RIMM tomorrow. They should be getting very, very nervous.



    UPDATE: I just checked their stock price... whoa. Not good.



    People are selling RIM stock and buying APPL?



    No, actually they aren't. I would have expected Apple's stock price to jump at this news, but I guess the stock market is just dumb.
  • Reply 26 of 34
    ronboronbo Posts: 669member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Akac View Post


    As a WM and BB developer - and now iPhone - I can tell you right now that RIM's is the one that in real life is least robust.



    Are you serious? I have absolutely no knowledge on the matter but would appreciate you expanding on this. If RIM is the least robust, then why is it everyone seems to speak about them like they have the most robust platform? (Since this is the internet and you can't hear my tone, this is a genuine question)
  • Reply 27 of 34
    akacakac Posts: 512member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ronbo View Post


    Are you serious? I have absolutely no knowledge on the matter but would appreciate you expanding on this. If RIM is the least robust, then why is it everyone seems to speak about them like they have the most robust platform? (Since this is the internet and you can't hear my tone, this is a genuine question)



    Oh, they have a robust OS. Its the development side that's far from "robust". Here are some of my reasons:



    1) Installation of apps is pathetic. Unlike ActiveSync or iTunes, installation of BlackBerry apps from a desktop is very weak, has a lot of steps, and especially for anything that syncs, is too fragile. If you're doing most simple apps - its OK. But when you add a sync conduit, its a nightmare.



    2) RIM changes things under you. Here is an example. One of our apps uses the Java Media kit on the 8300, 8800, and 8100 series models to record audio. Depending on the device you have certain audio types allowed. When RIM introduced CDMA devices they changed some of this stuff under us without telling anyone so that it just simply crashed. No docs.



    3) The way you have to have multiple SDKs installed and multiple JDEs because if you write an app under 4.2 it won't run under a device with 4.1. But you can't conditionally access an interface that is only in 4.2 under 4.1. So you end up having to have two separate builds.



    In normal C/C++/Obj-C apps I can test for a feature/API and then use it if it exists or not use it if it doesn't without having to have 5 builds of my app.



    So those are just 3 things that personally bug me.
  • Reply 28 of 34
    akacakac Posts: 512member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by backtomac View Post


    What's your impression of the SDK, enterprise features and development platform of the iPhone?



    I watched the presentation at Apple's website and came away very impressed but I'm not a developer and have limited insight into that area. Maybe I'm just easily impressed...or the events of today were impressive.



    Your thoughts.



    First impression is very good. Its hard to say until we get into it more. Enterprise features I think, based on the presentation, not based on what I can personally see, mean that its fewer reasons for BB or WM devices. Which I think is great. I personally believe that half our income will be iPhone based by the end of the year. And frankly, I love the new App Store and iTunes distribution. Its not much different than what we end up with on the dark side, yet its much more open and usable I think.
  • Reply 29 of 34
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    Since I am not an AAPL shareholder, I'll be an a55 and say this is good use of Apple's massive cash load. 100 million is a drop in the lake. The fact that it is a long-term investment, especially in times of US and Western "OMFG China is going to leave us in the dust!11!!" thought, is quite astounding.



    Most impressively, the iFund does not involve any of Apple's cash.
  • Reply 30 of 34
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by backtomac View Post


    How much money would it take to fund a startup to write apps for the iPhone?



    I wouldn't think it would take a lot from what I've seen so far. $99 to get onto the apple app store. Free SDK. Apple doing the distribution, ect..



    Would 5 million do it for most? If so then the iFund can seed 20 companies. Not bad.



    If you're a one or two man shop, your cost to develop could be very low. One never knows where the next big thing will come from.
  • Reply 31 of 34
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ronbo View Post


    Q&A was done after the affair. At the end, refreshments were offered outside the auditorium, and reporters were invited to stay. Jim Doerr probably hadn't stayed. But even if he had, would you really have asked a question like "When do I get a 200 hour battery for my MacBook?" Surely you're smarter than that. Every single person on this forum knows what the answer to that is. Hopefully if you were there, you'd have asked a genuine question and not wasted everyone's time.



    Sorry, I didn't realize this was a humor-free zone.
  • Reply 32 of 34
    ronboronbo Posts: 669member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatesbasher View Post


    Sorry, I didn't realize this was a humor-free zone.



    No, I apologize. If you'd shown evidence of humor, I'd have picked up on it. Providing a link to something that might potentially be a target for wry observations is quite different from actually having made such an observation yourself. I'm sure you were saying something very funny at the time; you just forgot to type it.
  • Reply 33 of 34
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    Most impressively, the iFund does not involve any of Apple's cash.



    I was talking to my dad today explaining to him the iFund. Then it hit me. Apple is not using *any* of its cash!!! Oh iLord, thy brilliance is indeed all-encompassing...



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by backtomac View Post


    How much money would it take to fund a startup to write apps for the iPhone?



    I wouldn't think it would take a lot from what I've seen so far. $99 to get onto the apple app store. Free SDK. Apple doing the distribution, ect..



    Would 5 million do it for most? If so then the iFund can seed 20 companies. Not bad.



    Or 100 companies each at 1 million. Like someone mentioned if it is say, a 3-person company, given all hosting and marketing is done by Apple, and that the iFund itself will inject more cash if things are promising... how does 1 million USD sound? nice.



    I was thinking of drawing up something to apply. This could be big in Asian countries (excuse being iPod Touch as platform)... 1 million USD can get you a good setup, bright people, and so on. Even 100k USD is pretty impressive.



    In Australia I helped a friend with a small business government fund. They had a pretty easy template to fill out though, for the business plan. The iFund, now, that is totally different. Competition is going to be stiff.



    I am working with an Apple Premium Reseller here in South East Asia, I have some access to the managment, I wonder if they would be interested in the iFund through say a subsidiary or partner new company to push the iPod Touch (and soon MacBook Touch?) platform through the next few years. Big ideas include tourism, education...



    A long shot. In the meantime I am downloading the iPhone SDK. Will be nice to demonstrate and test iPod Touch/ iPhone stuff on my Mac without needing them. I wonder how calls and SMS are simulated on the laptop?
  • Reply 34 of 34
    mikeymikey Posts: 1member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ronbo View Post


    I don't think there's enough information about it yet, except for the amount. When Jim Doerr was talking about the iFund, there was no discussion about details of how to apply. I think it was sufficient to say it's there and it's happening.



    To realize that it took $8 million to start Amazon, and $24 million to start Google... if that doesn't make you pause to think about a $100 million fund... yeah, you're right. It's huge.



    Looks like you can apply here: http://kpcb.com/initiatives/ifund/index.html
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