Is Apple Going to iApp Itself Into Irrelevancy?

va1entino · August 13, 2003 11:04PM

http://www.applematters.com/comments.php?id=87_0_1_0_C

I think Apple needs to give it a break with all of the apps they keep introducting, and focus on improving what they already have. iCal for example...

What do you guys think?

cubedude · August 13, 2003 11:58PM

The thing with the iApps is that Apple has only intoduced an iApp into a product category where all the others sucked. Maybe not so much so in the web browser arena, but switchers tend to just use what's on the computer(IE), and since IE for the Mac sucked, Apple made their own browser.

iPhoto's category is a bit of the opposite right now.

iDVD is one-of-a-kind.

Quicktime was introduced so long ago.

AIM sucks, so Apple made iChat. I'm not even sure why AOL is still offering the AIM client for the Mac.

I'm not sure about the MP3 player scene before iTunes.

Apple may be walking a fine line, but if a product is superior to all others, does it matter who makes it?

ipeon · August 14, 2003 12:14AM

Quote:

Originally posted by va1entino

http://www.applematters.com/comments.php?id=87_0_1_0_CWhat do you guys think?

Yawn

All I get from the above article is moaning and crying for the sake of moaning and crying.

The author is clearly clueless. Quote: "Microsoft could look at Apple and say, ok, you have killed IE for the mac"

Whaaaa. Geez, Yea right! M$ was already planing on dropping IE. It's actually dropping IE on both the Mac and PC.

Back to subject. There's no reason third party developers need stop developing for the Mac just because Apple as an app out there. Apple has shown it can do a better app. That's what that guy is crying about. If you can do it better, then do it. If you can't then shut up already.

I'm very happy with the integration of the iApps. Matter of fact I'm happy with all Apple software I've used. When compared to other developers, Apple's always a step above. Sure some apps need some attention, but when have you seen a perfect app for any developer?

Thank you Apple for finally taking matters into your hands and creating kick a** apps.

frawgz · August 14, 2003 12:33AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CubeDude

I'm not sure about the MP3 player scene before iTunes.

It was pretty decent - Audion and SoundJam. Audion's still around. But iTunes was the first app on either platform to offer such powerful library organization plus playlist burning in one simple interface (for free).

neutrino23 · August 14, 2003 2:59AM

I agree with much of the above. I don't get the hand wringing that crops up from time to time about how Apple is encroaching on developers. The only way Apple could not encroach on developers is if they didn't make any apps at all. In that case Apple would probably be dead already.

For the most part Apple creates an app when there is no really strong app in that area. Can you imagine Apple making a Photoshop challenger? No way.

Also, Apple does not exclude competitive apps like microsoft does. If you don't like iPhoto you are welcome to use any of a number of other programs.

The one thing that could be construed as unfair to developers is that Apple does not release all of the interfaces for OS X and iPod. Independent developers cannot add features to iPods and would have a hard time doing some of the integrations that Apple does between their iApps and the OS.

wrong robot · August 14, 2003 3:45AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CubeDude

I'm not sure about the MP3 player scene before iTunes.

soundjam pwned all, those that know the history know that the two are connected.

but, on the windows side, there is no tantalizing mp3 solution that is as functional as iTunes, nothing even close.

musicmatch is the first thing that comes to mind, but it's still hideously hainus in comparison.

whenever I talk to windows users casually about the things iTunes does, they are always like "wait? what program do I need to do that? what do I need to download? all I have is winamp? all I have is windows media player...etc" it's really pathetic.

frawgz · August 14, 2003 4:06AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wrong Robust

whenever I talk to windows users casually about the things iTunes does, they are always like "wait? what program do I need to do that? what do I need to download? all I have is winamp? all I have is windows media player...etc" it's really pathetic.

Indeed.. I know a Windows user who's dying for iTunes to get ported. And he's preparing himself for an iPod right when that happens.

jll · August 14, 2003 4:30AM

" Another big player is Adobe. Apple has essentially killed the high-end video editing market for Adobe with Final Cut Pro (and the low-end market with iMovie). Now they are offering a trade in program for Premiere."

Premiere and high-end?

cosmonut · August 14, 2003 7:36AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JLL

Premiere and high-end?

You typed the words right out of my fingers.

Fact of the matter is, the FREE, simple iMovie app is a nice program for people who know little about video editing. In no way does it give competition to FCE, FCP, Avid XPress DV, or Media 100.

iPhoto does not compete with Photoshop, and iTunes and iDVD seem to be in a wonderful category of their own.

ast3r3x · August 14, 2003 7:38AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CubeDude

AIM sucks, so Apple made iChat. I'm not even sure why AOL is still offering the AIM client for the Mac.

I hope you are joking...iChat sucks, AIM rules compared to it! I used other programs but I prefer AIM the most.

giant · August 14, 2003 9:10AM

logic competes with DP and pro-tools

thuh freak · August 14, 2003 9:35AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ast3r3x

I hope you are joking...iChat sucks, AIM rules compared to it! I used other programs but I prefer AIM the most.

aim definitely has its benefits (like profiles, better handling of being away, and more), but ichat is a nicer gui, and its shortcomings (for me) aren't too strong. although i dont use it very often, i really like the idea of audio and video chats being available.

cubedude · August 14, 2003 11:18AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ast3r3x

I hope you are joking...iChat sucks, AIM rules compared to it! I used other programs but I prefer AIM the most.

For some, but I was never able to get AIM to run for more than ten minutes, so I gave up and switched to Proteus, which didn't support all of AIM's features(I don't need them, but my "AOLer" friends are obsessed with them).

ast3r3x · August 14, 2003 11:34AM

Quote:

Originally posted by thuh Freak

aim definitely has its benefits (like profiles, better handling of being away, and more), but ichat is a nicer gui, and its shortcomings (for me) aren't too strong. although i dont use it very often, i really like the idea of audio and video chats being available.

Yeah video would be nice, but I never use that feature so that sways my opinion alot.

Quote:

Originally posted by CubeDude

For some, but I was never able to get AIM to run for more than ten minutes, so I gave up and switched to Proteus, which didn't support all of AIM's features(I don't need them, but my "AOLer" friends are obsessed with them).

Can you expand what happened?

I can see how that would be annoying though. The only short comings that AIM has is how the app basically can't do anything else when you are messaging file with Direct Image connections, and that damn banner. I remember in OS 9 you could get rid of the banner I wish some body would figure it out for OS X.

amorph · August 14, 2003 11:40AM

Quote:

Originally posted by giant

logic competes with DP and pro-tools

Yup. That's the one exception. But there's a reason for that too: Apple had just introduced Audio Units, the plug-in architecture for Core Audio, and adoption was s-l-o-w. There were lots of articles about how AU was pretty, but since it was new and Mac-only it might not go anywhere. That's probably what did it, because Apple doesn't do pretty, irrelevant tech anymore. So they forced the issue by buying a major pro audio developer and making Audio Units a competitive feature that way (as well as having some very nice plugins made by the eMagic engineers). Now they're starting to appear elsewhere.

The thing to remember here is that Apple is a platform vendor. It's not enough to have gorgeous hardware and a gorgeous OS if you can't even find a decent web browser! So if third parties are not offering something Apple needs to make their platform attractive and relevant, Apple steps in.

Apple is, if anything, far more supportive of third party developers than they used to be. Their software kiosks in CompUSA are a boon to third party developers, and so are the retail spaces in Apple Stores.

cubedude · August 14, 2003 12:04PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ast3r3x

Can you expand what happened?

I can see how that would be annoying though. The only short comings that AIM has is how the app basically can't do anything else when you are messaging file with Direct Image connections, and that damn banner. I remember in OS 9 you could get rid of the banner I wish some body would figure it out for OS X.

I would attempt to log in, and the App wold just crash. I don't know why, but when it happened I didn't feel like solving the problem, so I moved over to Proteus.

iChat may have its shortcomings, but it worked.

According to every PC user I've ever met, however, iChat is completely worthless because of the size of the avatars. Dorks.

hmurchison · August 14, 2003 12:30PM

Not only do I applaud Apples iApp ventures but I hope they come out with more.

Consolidation is key. Operating Systems should be renamed Operating Environments.

All too often I see companies that don't take advantage of Mac technologies because they wish to keep their codebase as neutral as possible for their Windows versions or possible Windows version. This doesn't do a Mac user any good. Apple should show the way.

Without the iApps Apps would already be "irrelevant".

spart · August 14, 2003 2:02PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hmurchison

Consolidation is key. Operating Systems should be renamed Operating Environments.

Ah, yes. Mac OE X. Has a certain ring to it, don't you agree?

Is Apple Going to iApp Itself Into Irrelevancy?

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