Can the iPhone act as a GPS 3rd party or built in? Not
yet but a 3rd party dongle is in the works.
http://www.tuaw.com/2007/12/17/gps-dongle-coming-for-iphone/
A proof of concept. Who says Apple won't cripple it? Or that it will ever see the day of light?
Can the iPhone record video? Not
yet, but people have managed to make proof-of-concepts and get small videos running. (And this is just me, why is video recording even useful on mobile devices other than recording something funny to show other people? Is there a functional purpose?)
http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/13/iphone-gets-video-recording-capabilities/
Ah, yes, another proof-of-concept. What good does that do? As of now, there is no iPhone that can record, and the ones that say "the iphone is capable of recording" by means of that proof of concept, doesn't really get it: It doesn't record. Full stop. The mere notion that "it can in theory" should somehow mean that it is a real feature is hilarious, to say the least.
Was the iPhone lacking in features initially? Yes.
Still is.
Did Apple intentionally hold them back? To an extent but I was surprised they actually shipped the thing on time. If anything, they intentionally held things back so they could release the product on time. Anything they left off software-wise can be implemented via a new version/firmware. Flash? Software update. Video recording?Probably software update (since the proof-of-concept hack shows that it's possible to an extent). A2DP? Software update. Editing Office/iWork docs? Software update. COPY AND PASTE? Software update.
Wow, you certainly have a lot a trust of in Apple. I think that is the best I can say about that quote. Although some things might be considered time-restraints, it has now been more than a year. And lest we forget: Apple certainly had the time to cripple the thing, just like they had the time to cripple the Touch.
GPS can be solved by a 3rd party add on if you want it.
Really? Show me where I can buy one for the iPhone. That statement has o base in reality whatsoever.
Hell, I'm sure someone if they were bored and smart enough could figure a way to make a 3G add-on.
Way to go. So your solution for a product that is crippled and doesn't have features the competitors have is to hack the firmware, hack the hardware, and basically bring a 3rd party add-on to market, just so you can enjoy the same features like the competitors?
And with the SDK if Apple doesn't put it in via an update, and the terms allow 3rd party devs to do it, then someone could write an app to do it.
That's a whole lot of ifs, should you ask me. As it stands, noone knows, and why would apple, who intentionally crippled the Touch and the iPhone suddenly provide a more or less open platform?
There's a reason Apple is pushing web apps: You don't have to fiddle with the firmware and look at the insides.
I see where you're coming from with the whole "hold back features to sell future versions" argument, but you should know what you want in something when you buy it. If it doesn't have the features you want, then don't buy it and complain that it doesn't do something this other phone does.
Sigh. Yet another person who can't handle critique of the products being pushed by their favourite company. It's beginning to sound like a JW-meet, where their "discussions" are JW's-only. I guess it easier to shut out reality and pretend everything and anything is the best thing since the assembly line (yes, you're allowed to use "sliced bread" there the assembly line was variation).
