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Augmented Reality Apps to Arrive with iPhone 3.1 Update

Bjohnson33 said:
I mean, when they first announced the App Store, who could have envisioned something like Shazam?
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History note: many things existed before the iPhone :)

Shazam started in the UK in 2002 on cellphones. Back then you dialed a four-digit carrier number and let their computers listen to the music. They sent the song id back to you via text message. It was hugely popular.

A few years later it became an app on dumbphones. Over 10 million users downloaded it in its first year on just Verizon, for example.

Google Maps was also on other smartphones for about a year before the iPhone came out. As were weather apps, stocks, etc. Apple didn't come up with the idea of all these apps.

Likewise for AR apps. However, there's no doubt that they'll become wildly popular on the iPhone.

Regards.
 
kdarling said:
History note: many things existed before the iPhone :)

Shazam started in the UK in 2002 on cellphones. Back then you dialed a four-digit carrier number and let their computers listen to the music. They sent the song id back to you via text message. It was hugely popular.

A few years later it became an app on dumbphones. Over 10 million users downloaded it in its first year on just Verizon, for example.

Google Maps was also on other smartphones for about a year before the iPhone came out. As were weather apps, stocks, etc. Apple didn't come up with the idea of all these apps.

Regards.
Click to expand...
Historical note: Apple almost NEVER comes up with ANYTHING profoundly "new" (and neither do those who bring their work to Apple's platforms), they simplify and improve what's already out there to the point where people begin acting as if its never existed before. Point of interest: If you ask the customers encouraged to use the technology by Apple, to use the previous implementations of the technology, they will look at you as if you had three heads.

One of the things Apple is most famous for, is making previously obscure technologies commercially viable to mainstream consumers. Shazam's iPhone OS implementation clearly approaches "perfect storm" for consumer accessibility and ease-of-use (especially with the use of song previews, and Apple's over-the-air iTunes links, and the built-in YouTube support, also over-the-air). Being able to not simply "know" a song, but have it downloaded and replayable like any other song in your media library for around 99 cents is excellent. Verizon was also trying to commercialize the tehnology (doing a big commercial campaign about it too), but couldn't quite put pieces together that most people would feel excited about. Personally, I'm not sure if I missed the lawsuit, but I'm still waiting.
kdarling said:
Likewise for AR apps. However, there's no doubt that they'll become wildly popular on the iPhone.
Click to expand...
A wise addendum. I was a little disturbed that the AR application that premiered during Google's Android contest seemed to vanish and not immediately pop back up. If AR apps get popularized on Apple's iPhone OS platform first, I'm going to have to shake my head. It's like Apple's hardware/OS-level control has generated the perfect storm. I suspect the new iPod Touch will also have a compass in it.

~ CB
 
Cleverboy said:
Historical note: Apple almost NEVER comes up with ANYTHING profoundly "new" (and neither do those who bring their work to Apple's platforms), they simplify and improve what's already out there to the point where people begin acting as if its never existed before. Point of interest: If you ask the customers encouraged to use the technology by Apple, to use the previous implementations of the technology, they will look at you as if you had three heads.

One of the things Apple is most famous for, is making previously obscure technologies commercially viable to mainstream consumers.
Click to expand...

True. But this phenomenum is typical of the history of invention. It's not the guy who first came up with the bright idea that gets the credit, it's the one who makes it accessible. See: "Thomas Edison".
 
Gasu E. said:
True. But this phenomenum is typical of the history of invention. It's not the guy who first came up with the bright idea that gets the credit, it's the one who makes it accessible. See: "Thomas Edison".
Click to expand...
True. Meanwhile, people like Telsa who attempt to make free energy available to the planet die in historical obscurity.

Palm schooled Apple with its Palm Pilot and even though Apple had virtually invented the term "PDA", they were trumped by a company that "got it" so much more, that they abandoned the category entirely, only to return... forcing Palm to reinvent itself in order to stay competitive.

Regarding "accessibility", Apple is becoming the ideal candidate for a category killing transformation in the next year. Whether its their ubiquitous 30-pin connector (with accessory and software support), iTunes platform integration (with gift cards available in minor & major department/retail stores), no-configuration peer to peer Bluetooth/Wifi networking, proprietary audiobook/TV/movie digital media store support, or the general uniformity of their iPhone OS platform for basic applications... I think Apple is LOCKING up the category. Closing the door behind them, locking it, and throwing away the key.

I read about the Zune HD and some of these other upcoming devices out there, and it seems painful. Apple is selling comparable hardware, but their vertically-integrated platform is making real competition exceedingly difficult.

~ CB
 
Bjohnson33 said:
I agree with this. It looks kind of cool so far, but once developers get a chance to play with the technology a little more, I think we'll see some pretty amazing stuff that we can't really imagine yet. I mean, when they first announced the App Store, who could have envisioned something like Shazam?
Click to expand...

I'm waiting for Google Street View to implement this. Right now, when looking at Google Maps on your iPhone, you can zoom into Street View. It would be great if Google Street View had this.
 
Cleverboy said:
True. Meanwhile, people like Telsa who attempt to make free energy available to the planet die in historical obscurity.

Palm schooled Apple with its Palm Pilot and even though Apple had virtually invented the term "PDA", they were trumped by a company that "got it" so much more, that they abandoned the category entirely, only to return... forcing Palm to reinvent itself in order to stay competitive.

Regarding "accessibility", Apple is becoming the ideal candidate for a category killing transformation in the next year. Whether its their ubiquitous 30-pin connector (with accessory and software support), iTunes platform integration (with gift cards available in minor & major department/retail stores), no-configuration peer to peer Bluetooth/Wifi networking, proprietary audiobook/TV/movie digital media store support, or the general uniformity of their iPhone OS platform for basic applications... I think Apple is LOCKING up the category. Closing the door behind them, locking it, and throwing away the key.

I read about the Zune HD and some of these other upcoming devices out there, and it seems painful. Apple is selling comparable hardware, but their vertically-integrated platform is making real competition exceedingly difficult.

~ CB
Click to expand...

So then, would you say that Apple is becoming a "digital conglomerate," to coin a new term?
(I think it's safe to say that everyone with an iPod or iPhone buys their music from iTunes)
and, if you want to buy Apps for your iPhone... you surely won't find those from Amazon or Rhapsody.
So then, when Apple offers a free iPod with Macbook purchase, could other companies sue them, claiming they need to offer the customer a choice of music player? (like web browsers) We tend not to think of it that way because the iPod is a physical device for sale - but it is a medium for accessing content.
 
iphones4evry1 said:
So then, when Apple offers a free iPod with Macbook purchase, could other companies sue them, claiming they need to offer the customer a choice of music player? (like web browsers)
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I would agree on music players IF Apple shipping a free iPod with ALL Macs. Instead, they're giving a promotion to students. I think others could offer the same promotion, just not with the same underlying economics. Any company could offer a Mac with a free Mp3 player... except, that the distinct problem with regards to Macs, is that other Mp3 players have not been as well integrated for Mac OSX as iPods have been. Dell has often had "free Mp3 player" deals with its PCs.
iphones4evry1 said:
We tend not to think of it that way because the iPod is a physical device for sale - but it is a medium for accessing content.
Click to expand...
The REAL question, is in whether Apple, as a "digital conglomerate", has the right to run its "vertically integrated" end-to-end solutions the way it does. For instance, Apple ships each Mac with a free iLife. Could other distributors ship Macs with other productivity products pre-installed? Microsoft has now been forced to offer various browsers in a "ballot" type set-up process, using "marketshare" as an independent means of listing to order each option (Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera). Should Apple be forced to do the same on such pivotal software? Noticeably, Microsoft isn't forced to offer multiple "media player" offerings like "iTunes", "Songbird" or "Music Match". Apple uses Quicktime, iPods, and iPhones as trojan horses for iTunes installations and only pre-installs on Macs as part of iLife.

Apple is playing an intensely interesting game that no one else can match, due to Apple's extremely diverse and foundational role in personal computers. France's issue surrounding DRM was the closest anyone has come to dealing Apple a serious blow. Apple has successfully diffused that issue. Now the only DRM in iTunes remains TV Shows, movies, and audiobooks. As far as Apple's concerned, that's all content provider mandated, and supporting other media players (like Palm Pre) is at their discretion (as it probably should be). Imagine requiring every media store vendor to support direct integration with every media player that requests a way to integrate. iTunes has a hard enough time getting tested to work on two platforms... never mind supporting the spectrum of devices on the market. They could/should write their own support through a separate application... like Amazon.com has.

~ CB
 
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