Like my colleague Eddy Perez mentioned in a previous post, Apple’s new AppStore is the hot new thing. The iPhone’s future success relies on the AppStore's sale of third party applications. It’s also getting hot for another reason, and Apple had nothing to do with it.
Ever since the first iPhone came out, users have “wanted it their way.” So did a group of programmers called the iPhoneDevTeam. They opened up the filesystem (jailbreaking) so you could install applications without Apple’s oversight. They took it a step further by rebelling against AT&T with code that allowed users to “unlock” their phones from AT&T’s contractual grip and jump ship to another carrier.
A cat and mouse game has ensued ever since. Apple updates the phone, the iPhoneDevTeam finds a way back in.
Now with the release of the iPhone 3G, Apple also rolled out version 2.0 of the iPhone’s software. The iPhoneDevTeam blew it wide open within hours. You may say, at what point does this end?
My guess is that it will probably end soon. Why? Because the AppStore represents millions of dollars in revenue for Apple. A jailbroken iPhone means you can purchase and install applications without ever involving the black turtleneck and jeans wearing middle man. Losing revenue from contracts is one thing. Losing huge money from millions of sales through your own store is another.
Will Apple continue playing cat and mouse game with the iPhoneDevTeam by having to issue software update after update to protect its turf or will they take legal action against this group of people? If Apple goes down the update path, they might wreck the user experience with endless minor updates which will certainly frustrate users.
However, if they keep adding snazzy features to entice people to upgrade, people won't mind the time consuming update procedure.
If Apple takes legal action, a cold front will blow through Early Adopter Valley faster than fall turns to winter in Michigan.
What does this mean to Jack Morton clients? It means that no matter how amazing your brand message is...No matter how beautiful your product is...No matter the level of customer service...your customers will want a real say in what they purchase and even what your product should be. Don't be shocked when it happens either. Take it as an opportunity to learn. Let it soak in for a minute. Let their voices be heard and see if what they want might actually help you the next time you engage them.
Comments (2)
Embracing the feedback - and giving up the control of one-way conversation - is one of the scariest and BEST things for a brand to do today. Having said that it does not mean every site needs a blog and every brand needs a facebook page. :)
Posted by Elisa C. Thomas on July 22, 2008 4:25 PM
You left out the part where the Dev Team bricked everyones phones and let Apple take the blame for it until a mutiny created the splinter "Elite" Team.
The Elite team revealed the real cause of the bricking (but not before "Apple is doing it" became the Official Truth) and quickly got to work on the "unbricking" solution.
The Dev Team continues to take sole credit for opening the phone (when in fact four teams found their way in), and still apes work from the Elite Team's Erica Sudan @ TUAW.com.
The iPhone hacking community will neither shrink nor grow. It will thrive as long as the platform exists - but they will never be mainstream. While their number may grow - their percentage of the installed base will shrink.
Posted by Tedious on July 22, 2008 6:37 PM