Apple Launches WebApps Directory

[Anonymous Freak]

You are not aware.

You download a webpage every time you visit it. Web apps and downloads do belong in the same sentence.

I am not "aware"? Yes, technically speaking, a web page is 'downloaded' when you view it. But when referring to web apps, nobody ever uses the term "download", you use "download" when referring to native run apps.

For example:

I installed Microsoft Office (from a CD)
I downloaded OpenOffice.org (from their website,)
I run Google Apps (from their website.)

I do not "download" Google Apps in the same manner that I "download" OpenOffice.org

 

[Bodypainter]

web apps are not a substitute for "real" apps

ok - the iphone can not save pictures from a website. you can not make copy & paste and you do not have access to the folders of the phone. it is locked and you can not install new apps. and why? because the phone has to be simple to use, not confuse the poor user etc. when jobs introduced the iphone he said that it is a small os X computer. but what is it really? has anyone EVER let os X software run on it? nope. because it isn't an os X computer. maybe some parts of os graphics routines have been taken from the main OS, but that is as if bill gates would say windows CE is a pocket vista OS. however, back to the web-apps. i have an ipod touch and i was happy to hear about the web-apps. after 30 minutes of wasting my time with them i can say that this is some kind of joke. web-apps are very limited. you have to be online to let them run - even if you want to play a boring game. the graphics capabilities are very limited. you always have to let them run on safari, which means that you see the huge adress-bar on top and the icons on the bottom. if you want to access them, you have to go to your bookmarks etc etc. it is really terrible, the user-interface of these apps is bad (how could they be, they are html-files...), it is difficult to start the apps, they are slow, they are limited in what they can do and you have to be online etc. is this really jobs vision for the magic iphone? even on my old palm for 129$ i had better apps back in 1999! this is yet another disapointment from apple. this is NOT how an app should be, this is some kind of weak alternative, but nothing more. for me the iphone is currently loosing its magic image. you are too limited with it. you can not even change the position of the icons on the start-screen...

 

[EricBrian]

Ok, I am going to say it again,..... Steve, you fracking suck.

 

[minik]

I think it's great. Now I don't have to go out and hunt down all these WebApps since it's or gonna be on one place.

Kudo, Apple!

 

[zombitronic]

I don't see any "real" apps here, just web sites.

From Wikipedia:
Application software is a subclass of computer software that employs the capabilities of a computer directly and thoroughly to a task that the user wishes to perform.

It says nothing about that software having to reside on your machine. Have you ever networked your Macs and opened up an application that was on a machine other than the computer you were working on? Same deal. Just because it's written in html doesn't mean it's not actually software, or executed code.

Hence, WebApps.

 

[lkrupp]

Cute but not a SDK.

Get over it, please.

 

[mac-convert]

It says nothing about that software having to reside on your machine. Have you ever networked your Macs and opened up an application that was on a machine other than the computer you were working on? Same deal. Just because it's written in html doesn't mean it's not actually software, or executed code.

Hence, WebApps.

I don't intend to belabor or argue the fine points here, I am just stating that I would much rather have apps ON the device instead of needing to visit a web site to run something. Yes, html and the other code is an app, but I don't think this is exactly what some of us were looking for. Also, some of them are pretty lame. Send me money and you can use this for a while...

 

[ghall]

C'mon Apple, you can do it. Just release an iPhone/iPod touch SDK and we'll all be happy.

Seriously though. Apple needs to cut the crap, and release a real SDK. The iPhone can hardly be considered a real smart phone if it doesn't have 3rd party apps.

It's quite annoying, Apple could save a lot of time and effort with this cat-and-mouse game with hackers and release a real SDK. Everyone wins, the iPhone doesn't get hacked, and everyone gets 3rd party apps!

 

[phillipjfry]

I JUST WANT AN APP THAT LETS ME MAKE A QUICK NOTE ON THE FLY!

Although sudoku is very nice

 

[zombitronic]

I don't intend to belabor or argue the fine points here, I am just stating that I would much rather have apps ON the device instead of needing to visit a web site to run something. Yes, html and the other code is an app, but I don't think this is exactly what some of us were looking for. Also, some of them are pretty lame. Send me money and you can use this for a while...

I agree. I'd rather be able to store the apps on my phone and some of these ARE pretty lame. I'm completely fine with WebApps, however. The way I see it, Apple wants these WebApps to eventually be Widgets for the iPhone.

Dashboard Widgets are created using a mix of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.

Most apps on the phone seem like Widgets to me, especially Weather, Stocks, and Calculator. That makes me think that the iPhone has something similar to the Dashboard server. It probably does, with the claims of it running a true version of OS X. If these WebApps could be developed according to Widget instance standards, I think we'd have the right kind of secure apps that Apple is hoping for. It would be nice to hear this conformation from Apple, though.

I find it funny that people are already dismissing the possibilities of this less-than-four-month-old phone, based on them not completely opening it up. Hopefully apps will make their way to the phone in the form of Widgets, and hopefully we'll see some kind of a home button in a future iPhone update, maybe even a browser/installer to access these.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

You guys are whining about iPhone apps, meanwhile the real meat of the Project [WebKit] is multi-platform with GTK+/Qt packages even in Debian Linux [my distro that is notoriously conservative in bringing in the latest code], is on Windows and so what you have are versions of GNOME Web Browsers using WebKit, KDE obviously moving to the merging WebKit/Qt and with this you will see not only Apple's foundation in the iPhone, but in Linux Phones which will be arriving in part due to Trolltech, Google, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, etc.

When these new Smartphones are available using WebKit there will be more thin client apps that are not these "webapps" but more Web Services apps that deal with the enterprise markets and consumer markets that use backends warranting such a toolkit.

 

[twoodcc]

well this is cool and all.....but bring on apptapp i guess.

 

[kagharaht]

http://www.apple.com/webapps/?sr=hotnews?sr=hotnews.rss

Pretty cool site...I am definitely bookmarking it now

Enjoy!

I have an iPhone. I just heard about this new page being launched as web apps directory.

All I can say is, that this is the most retarded thing Apple has done so far. These aren't applications. They are websites to look nice on your iPhone. They are not real applications. No WiFi, no EDGE, no web sites. I can't wait for my iPhone to expire. I'll sell it to the next bigger Fanboy than me and get myself a new iPod Touch. They should be double the size by then.

Good job Apple for giving RIM and Palm the ammo they need to kill off the iPhone in the near future.

 

[nickbates]

I JUST WANT AN APP THAT LETS ME MAKE A QUICK NOTE ON THE FLY!

You mean, like the Notes app built into the iPhone?

 

[/dev/toaster]

I really hope Apple wakes up and realizes webbased apps is *NOT* the solution customers want.

 

[kagharaht]

I really hope Apple wakes up and realizes webbased apps is *NOT* the solution customers want.

Oh they will once RIM and Palm get their new stuff out in a few months for 08 launch. These new devices from them have really stepped up since the iPhone launch and will definitely kill off the iPhone if Apple continues this insane direction.

 

[Yankees 4 Life]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/3A109a Safari/419.3)

yea that site is pretty cool, I might want to bookmark it soon

 

[/dev/toaster]

Oh they will once RIM and Palm get their new stuff out in a few months for 08 launch. These new devices from them have really stepped up since the iPhone launch and will definitely kill off the iPhone if Apple continues this insane direction.

That is what I am beating on. Apple challenged them by raising the bar, now they are going to raise it on Apple.

The iPhone is so close to being a perfect phone. The hardware is there, the UI and flow is perfect ... the number of apps and options for things like ringtones just suck. (Why oh why can't I change the SMS ringtone)

 

[briand05]

What a horrible "effort", this isn't even formatted for the iPhone. C'mon Apple.

 

[chelsel]

Ridiculous... but... we will get an SDK, we just have to wait

We will get an SDK, but in classic Apple style it won't be released until there's a need to boost the stock price. Leopard is coming out soon so there isn't a need to excite the investors just yet. If we don't see it by December then it will be in June of next year... guaranteed.

 

[Rot'nApple]

I understand Apple needed to protect it's franchise but certainly it could start a licensing program like Sony has w/ Playstation, Nintendo has w/ Wii. etc. where Apple licenses the SDK to developers, but only Apple can distribute the app. The iPhone needs apps or it's going to be just another phone soon.

Is this webapps directory the same thing that was a story in the rumor sites a few days back when talking about the T-Mobile Sidekick way of dealing with phone apps?

If not, where does that t-mobile Sidekick way of things stand?

 

[Rot'nApple]

That is what I am beating on. Apple challenged them by raising the bar, now they are going to raise it on Apple.

You mean "betting on", right?

Unless you want to stick with 'beating on'!

 

[Roy Hobbs]

Web Apps are a start, but they need just apps. so i don't need to be online. Living in michigan the only place i have wireless is at home & work... and the nearest Starbucks in an hour away.

Good Lord, what part of Michigan do you live?
By the end of the year Oakland county will be blanketed in free wireless

 

[Sweetbike40]

these webapps are pathetic, boring, and silly.


EDIT: With some patience, there are some neat apps on there.

 

[suneohair]

these webapps are pathetic, boring, and silly.

Buy something else!

All this whining about an SDK. Tell you what, you apply to Apple and tell them you can write an SDK in a couple days.

This stuff takes time folks. Until you hear Apple say, no we aren't doing it, nothing but webapps, whine all you want. You better sell your devices though, no sense in supporting a company who doesn't give you what you want.

Apple never promised anyone native apps. So to whine and cry as if they are doing you a disservice makes you sound like big babies. You knew what you were getting when you bought it. Don't buy something and play the "I bought your product now listen to me" game. It is childish. This idea of being entitled to something is ridiculous. Grow up folks. It is a phone.