Scott Berry

The Downside to iPhone Success

Well, for my idea to be impossible, it seems at least one of the following have to be true:

1. Apple is perfect and never allows anything *that could be susceptible to* a virus get through its store.

2. No iPhone ever accesses any content from any other iPhone or the Internet that might be used to infect a susceptible app or phone.

So which one is it? My point was simply that more phones + more apps + more connectivity = more viruses. It also means the virus is likely to be more widespread.

The Downside to iPhone Success

Wow, I haven't made so many friends since I suggested maybe WiMax wasn't the savior of mankind after all...

Good feedback from a few here. Others maybe ought to more carefully read what I read, and take off your AAPL-tinted shades. I'm not attacking the brilliance of Jobs or his engineers. Though I'm continually dismayed at the thin skins on some of his fans.

Frankly, I have nothing but respect for Apple's design and usability. In fact I said that. The point remains that no matter how good it is, they are now a MUCH bigger target (the iPhone, not Macs). And hackers aren't only interested in kudos or in attacking "affluent" markets. Just ask any of the many whose PCs have been co-opted to become spam generators.

Nowhere did I say hacking iPhones would be as easy as Windows, nor did I say it would be easy at all. Only that it would happen.

I also didn't state that anyone would be attacking the App store directly (though I suppose I did imply it, and am happy to be educated here) . There could be other entry points, particularly as people start using "non-certified" apps on unlocked phones. Regardless, there *will* be viruses striking iPhones. How frequent, how damaging, and how easy all remain to be seen. To suggest otherwise just isn't sensible.

And last, I'm not "pro-RIM" or "pro-Android" and "anti-Apple". Reread what I said. I expect Android to be much more vulnerable to viruses for the exact reason many commenters said--lack of central control of the market. However, there is no scale in either RIM or Android (yet).

I do believe strongly that there are disadvantages to Apple's closed ecosystem(s), but most of them accrue to users and to the device market, not so much to Apple's business. If the iPhone continues on the growth track that is making my thesis more likely, that can't help but improve AAPL's stock price, despite fallout from any virus issues.

Does Apple's iPhone Increase Browsing?

Actually, the title is what set me off: "Does the iPhone Increase Browsing?" That sure implies causality to me.

After re-reading, I agree that the article itself is neutral. Mea culpa for being too quick on the trigger.

@jimmx, no, that's not what I meant. I believe that people who already did a lot of browsing (on any platform) were more likely to be early adopter types, which is the same type who would naturally be attracted to the iPhone in the first place.

I believe this is likely to be a much stronger contributor to increased browsing than people who bought an iPhone, all of a sudden "discovered" they could surf the internet better, and then decided to do it more.

Does Apple's iPhone Increase Browsing?

This post, like so many others, suffers from the 3 C's: Confusing Correlation with Causality. It is equally possible (and a simpler explanation) that people who browse the internet a lot are drawn to the iPhone, not that the iPhone causes additional browsing.

In fact, given the sales ramp of the iPhone, it would be amazing NOT to see a rapid rise in mobile internet browsing. For a fuller explanation, see scottjberry.com/2008/0.../ .

Music Downloads: You Can't Regulate One Industry and Leave Another Alone

I'm with Fred here. Content providers can solve their problems by providing what their customers want, instead of forcing them to buy things they don't. (This applies to supplying singles vs. albums, and single episodes of TV shows vs. paying $50 or more to get a "season".)

It's unfortunate that it's taking piracy to get media firms to see that truth. Most other industries figure that out on their own via competition (and let's face it, piracy is just a form of competition here.)

As for the iTune burn/rip two-step, yes it can be done but it's a huge pain. Instead of a choice between restricted transfer and a major hassle, how about just selling the music without either?