What about the new iPhone that it doesn't run iChat?

In article <130620080127233736%roger@town.house>, roger
<roger RemoveThis @town.house> wrote:

> I've been only into Macs (with my iMac) for a really short time now,
> but I thought an iPhone could run almost any Mac application that a
> desktop Mac could run (within reason that is), So why can't the new
> iPhone run iChat?

No, the iPhone is not a full desktop-like computer. It's not even like
a laptop.

This is wholly mistaken impression, and it's probably due to the
publicizing of the fact that the iPhone runs on a Mac OS X foundation.
That is NOT like saying you could move an app to the iPhone. It is
about how Apple is working to embed their software and attract
developers. The statement means NOTHING to users -- nothing at all. It
certainly doesn't mean there is parity or equivalence in the software.

Now, there are many developers working to put a selection of apps on
iPhone, because Apple released the development kit a few months back.
The new model has more features, the first model sold very nicely, and
everything is looking rosy.
But none of it has ever been meant to say that you could use iPhone
like a computer.

In article <stevewjackson-26C184.09212313062008.TakeThisOut@news.individual.net>,
Steve W. Jackson <stevewjackson.TakeThisOut@knology.net> wrote:

> In article <130620080127233736%roger@town.house>,
> roger <roger.TakeThisOut@town.house> wrote:
>
> > I've been only into Macs (with my iMac) for a really short time now,
> > but I thought an iPhone could run almost any Mac application that a
> > desktop Mac could run (within reason that is), So why can't the new
> > iPhone run iChat?
> > Thanks.
>
> And where exactly did you get this mistaken impression?

Mac Evangelicals, that's where. Some upperclassmen in my dorm were
telling me that the iPhone was more like a computer than a telephone,
and that it will be able to do things that we can't even imagine right
now. They told me that the iPhones' guts is going to be just like a
Cray was back when it was drooled over. And yeah, the apps might have
to be cut down a little, but it'll still be able to do the same kind of
stuff - like a phonograph turned into an iPod. So you're telling me
they're full of B.S?
>
> In its current form, the iPhone only runs (officially) what Apple
> included on it. With the process of jailbreaking, some additional apps
> can be put on it. But it has a completely different kind of processor
> from any Mac.
>
> Maybe with the release of the iPhone 2.0 update there'll be a chat
> application like iChat.

In article <140620082241206569%roger@city.house>, roger
<roger RemoveThis @city.house> wrote:

> Mac Evangelicals, that's where. Some upperclassmen in my dorm were
> telling me that the iPhone was more like a computer than a telephone,
> and that it will be able to do things that we can't even imagine right
> now. They told me that the iPhones' guts is going to be just like a
> Cray was back when it was drooled over. And yeah, the apps might have
> to be cut down a little, but it'll still be able to do the same kind of
> stuff - like a phonograph turned into an iPod. So you're telling me
> they're full of B.S?

Yup. This thing is NOT a 'jesus phone' as the media started calling it.

It's a great tool, mind you, designed with enough differences from
common phones to make it stand out in many ways.

Yes, it's got some great computing possibilities (some of which it
already shows in the included programs). But 'stuff we can't even
imagine right now?' That's really overstating it -- just go look at the
list of software available for PDAs and smart phones. Those are the
kinds of apps people will want and use.
That it has the foundation of OS X in it is supposed to sound
impressive, but it's important largely for developers. The users won't
see it.

iPhone's guts like a Cray? Come on, this thing has got PDA-like
computing power! Look, it's got a tiny power source which Apple isn't
trying to drain quickly, and it processes slow enough that it doesn't
heat up even as much as a x386 processor -- if it uses little power and
doesn't heat up, how intensive is it going to be?

Lots of apps will be simpler developed for iPhone, partly because of
what's already there and partly because it isn't working like a
computer, so yes, apps are going to be considerably pared down from
similar programs on computers. No one is going to be converting a
computer program by removing parts they won't need -- they'll take the
same ideas and build from scratch.

I have no idea how 'a phonograph turned into iPod' can mean something.

Yes, they are full of BS. Far too much reading from excitable media
publishers, far too much exaggeration (remember, this is a big deal
largely because of how well Apple has built a first-off product for a
competitive industry) and far too much materialistic focus.
Suggest to them that being accurate might be a skill to develop.

As an aside to that, these newsgroups have a single advocate of the
iPhone that routinely says the same kind of things -- how amazing it
is, how it's going to revolutionize the industry, how it can do
anything and is far better than every other device ever made, etc.

Apple didn't just invent everything -- they took a lot of existing
phone tech, some tech from other industries, created a few new parts,
and then focused on a particular user type and build a device they
thought would be perfect for that user.
The fact that they focused on one type of user rather than trying to
build for a broad every-type usage is an Apple distinction -- it's both
the reason that people say this device is perfect and that others
complain at how inappropriate it is for them. They're both right,
they're just extrapolating their reactions to include other people, and
they shouldn't. The iPhone is a fantastically great device if you
happen to be one of the people for whom its features are appropriate.
All you need to do is consider the features smart phones have today,
including iPhone, and decide which ones you would use.

Other people can review how important the device is on a global scale,
or to the cell industry, or as an embedded-OS X tech development -- but
none of that will help you figure out if you should get an iPhone.

In article <140620082241206569%roger@city.house>,
roger <roger RemoveThis @city.house> wrote:

> In article <stevewjackson-26C184.09212313062008 RemoveThis @news.individual.net>,
> Steve W. Jackson <stevewjackson RemoveThis @knology.net> wrote:
>
> > In article <130620080127233736%roger@town.house>,
> > roger <roger RemoveThis @town.house> wrote:
> >
> > > I've been only into Macs (with my iMac) for a really short time now,
> > > but I thought an iPhone could run almost any Mac application that a
> > > desktop Mac could run (within reason that is), So why can't the new
> > > iPhone run iChat?
> > > Thanks.
> >
> > And where exactly did you get this mistaken impression?
>
> Mac Evangelicals, that's where. Some upperclassmen in my dorm were
> telling me that the iPhone was more like a computer than a telephone,
> and that it will be able to do things that we can't even imagine right
> now. They told me that the iPhones' guts is going to be just like a
> Cray was back when it was drooled over. And yeah, the apps might have
> to be cut down a little, but it'll still be able to do the same kind of
> stuff - like a phonograph turned into an iPod. So you're telling me
> they're full of B.S?

I'm as big a supporter of and believer in Macs as anyone...and don't
have the first idea what might constitute a "Mac Evangelical".

The iPhone *is* a computer. It has an ARM processor and it does run a
specialized version of OS X. So in that sense, it could eventually run
a great many things it doesn't currently. But everything has a price in
power requirements and battery consumption, so it's not reasonable to
*ever* expect it to run just any old app you can think of. That's why
Apple has chosen to place restrictions on the kinds of applications they
will officially support. But, as the existing iPhone's users have
demonstrated with jailbreaking, etc., there are sure to be others that
Apple doesn't condone which may exact heavy tolls on the battery and
provide features some will find useful.
--
Steve W. Jackson
Montgomery, Alabama

In article <130620082142409356%mitch@hawaii.rr>, Mitch
<mitch RemoveThis @hawaii.rr> wrote:

> In article <130620080127233736%roger@town.house>, roger
> <roger RemoveThis @town.house> wrote:
>
> > I've been only into Macs (with my iMac) for a really short time now,
> > but I thought an iPhone could run almost any Mac application that a
> > desktop Mac could run (within reason that is), So why can't the new
> > iPhone run iChat?
>
> No, the iPhone is not a full desktop-like computer. It's not even like
> a laptop.
>
> This is wholly mistaken impression, and it's probably due to the
> publicizing of the fact that the iPhone runs on a Mac OS X foundation.
> That is NOT like saying you could move an app to the iPhone. It is
> about how Apple is working to embed their software and attract
> developers. The statement means NOTHING to users -- nothing at all. It
> certainly doesn't mean there is parity or equivalence in the software.
>
> Now, there are many developers working to put a selection of apps on
> iPhone, because Apple released the development kit a few months back.
> The new model has more features, the first model sold very nicely, and
> everything is looking rosy.
> But none of it has ever been meant to say that you could use iPhone
> like a computer.



Hi Mitch and Steve,
I understand better now thank you extremely much. And thank you for
taking the time it took you to respond to my question. That's great!

Maybe it's the anticipation and the buildup that Steve Jobs is so good
at that makes some people believe in more than what's possible in such
a tiny package. Waiting for it to get here however is kind of like
listening to a great Country song, and having to wait too long for the
three pickup notes into the four chord (the chorus)*
(*a musc analogy)

... Roger