“Steve Jobs and two of his top lieutenants spent just over an hour last week outlining their plans to allow software makers to create programs custom-built to run on the iPhone, Apple’s innovative mobile handset, [and the iPod touch]” The Financial Times reports. “The move could mark the beginning of a new phase in the development of mobile software, as programmers build programs that are not limited by the physical constraints – such as fixed buttons and small screens – that plague many other mobile handsets.”
“The iPhone’s break-through touch screen means that Apple’s mobile handset is a virtual blank slate, and the ability to write mobile software free from the usual constraints is likely to have software geeks salivating,” FT reports. “‘You’ve got the ultimate in flexibility in user interface,’ says Van Baker, an analyst at Gartner.”
FT reports, “John Doerr, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, underscored the excitement around the iPhone’s potential to emerge as a powerful new software platform on Thursday… Mr Doerr announced a new $100m venture capital fund dedicated to backing companies that are building software for use on the iPhone.”
FT reports, “Mr Doerr said Apple’s software plans could lead the iPhone to emerge as the ‘third great platform’ for software makers after the personal computer and the worldwide web. ‘In your pocket, you have something that’s broadband and connected all the time. It knows who you are and where you are. That’s a big deal. It’s bigger than the personal computer,’ he told the cheering crowd.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: KPCB’s iFund info is here.
Here here!
$100m is going to help sprout a whole new generation of iPhone geeks that will improve the phone to all new heights!
give a shout out for the slow kid in the back….
What were the first two platforms again?
I get the PC but what is the second?
Geez, it’s not like this article can link to iFund or anything. Why don’t they just scan their magazine pages and post them as PDFs on the intertubes?
This is just the beginning… and this time, it looks like they’re not making the same mistake they did with the Mac in the 80’s. This time, there’s no Microsoft like company in the play.
“I get the PC but what is the second?”
The web.
“This time, there’s no Microsoft like company in the play”
That is to say, except Microsoft.
MDN Word: “Friend” as in “A friend is a friend until the End, Or until they rip off your GUI.”
“Dick” Chainee definitely knows who you are, and where you are….
While it’s great that the most famous Silicon Valley VC is putting up $100M, I just don’t see how any entrepreneurs can actually use it. I mean, if coding for the iPhone is as simple as it seems, with newbies coding in as little as 2 weeks, and with Apple taking care of all marketing and distribution costs, the only money an entrepreneur needs is his $99 fee, and meal money until he finishes coding his Big Idea.
The problem is, why would anyone need VC money to get into the iPhone App business? There’s no infrastructure to support. The only place for VC money is if a new company were to come out with the iPhone and needed money to create the infrastructure around it. Of course, Apple doesn’t need that, as it has its own billions. So, when all is said and done, I just don’t see Kleiner Perkins investing in any startups, here. I think that’s great, to be honest. It means that Apple has done all the hard lifting.
I considered the Web as the second Platform, but isn’t that just an extension of the first?
The iPhone is VERY DIFFERENT than the PC. Both can access the web, but you need one or the other to do so. I still fail to see how the web is considered a Platform like the iPhone or the PC is a platform.
If you believe this, then buy AAPL.
“First, Apple needs to follow through on plans to make the iPhone more competitive against the BlackBerry and other smart phones in winning business customers.”
True on the surface, but the iPhone/Touch/Cell/Wi-fi combination paradigm opens the possibility for leapfrog communications model that could replace email as a primary communication method.
Doerr has already proven himself a visionary in the venture capital segment of technology. The size of this fund underscores his vision for how big the software platform of the iPhone will be.
I think the iPhone SDK is one of the biggest events in Apple history.
“why would anyone need VC money to get into the iPhone App business?” – Anonymous
Because one might want to develop an iPhone App that is a heck of lot more powerful than the little games we saw last week.
If the iPod led to the creation of an accessories industry, then the iPhone will for the Apps.
This changes everything. Take a look at the video from the iPhone SDK news conference. See how giddy the engineers were that had just two weeks to program with the new SDK. One games programmer said that after using the iPhone 3D accelerometer as a controller, its difficult to go back to a joy-stick. Another engineer had never even programmed on a Mac before and was amazed at how well it worked for him. “Switch” indeed!
John Doerr was also an inspiration to watch. Addressing SJ as the “Supreme Commander” of the rebel force, and the world’s greatest entrepreneur, he made a call to all aspiring entrepreneurs of the world to come participate in the revolution. Then he backs up his call to duty with 100M USD! Wow. These guys definitely know something’s up.
Now, with the encouragement of Apple and KPCB, and the four month lead time to create for the iPhone 2.0 release, we should see some truly amazing things for this new platform.
Can the Mac Slate “Tabula Rasa” be far behind? Time will tell, but one could see how this software could be vertically integrated into a wider platform of touch savvy tools with Cocoa Touch.
Let the games begin!
Spark: ” that could replace email as a primary communication method.”
with what exactly?
“why would anyone need VC money to get into the iPhone App business?” – Anonymous
Also, there is potentially infrastructure involved if the iPhone app is an interface into another system/application
@ Dallas,
I trully think the Web is the second platform since it goes beyond the PC. You got it on cell phones, cars, TV, etc.
We’re talking about connecting people. A connection platform; a thing PC’s wasn’t. Hypertext files, email, interconnected networks, routers, TCP/IP, etc. It took things to another level. Tim Berners Lee deserve even more credit than Gates and Jobs, because he made it free from any copyright!!!!
This is a lot more than the GUI, the mouse, the keyboard and a monitor. Lots of people got interested in computers because of the web. Now you don’t even need a computer to go online. iPod Touch makes the deal!!!!
I see MDN had to add the iPod touch into the article.
It’s very strange how it’s almost completely ignored in this equation. There might have been as many iPod touches sold thus far as iPhones, if not more.
MAYBE it will become the third great platform.
I certainly hope it becomes the third great platform, but lots of developers are griping about many of the serious limitations of the iPhone SDK, some of which are outlined in this blog posting:
http://www.adamhoughton.com/2008/03/visiting-aspen-trip-through-iphone-sdk.html
These are pretty serious drawbacks to the iPhone SDK, and we still haven’t heard word yet on whether any 3rd-party applications on the iPhone will be allowed to SYNCHRONIZE to programs on your computer or not.
So… the word is still out on whether this will become the next great platform or not.
These guys definitely know something’s up.
That’s right. They’ve left the trees and are in the clouds! This story goes well beyond software programming. Though a “killer” app could emerge to make their authors rich indeed, it will be the entire eco-system that springs forth, that will cement the iPhone into the history books and rocket Apple to even greater fame and fortune.
Talk about the “Social”. Microsoft’s dreams are Apple’s reality!
The folks over at Touchmods should see about getting some of that seed money for their new Touch microphone! That’s what its there for and besides, that microphone really should be priced at $USD 29 and not $USD 45!
Great line from KPCB’s iFund FAQ:
Q: How many companies will the iFund™ invest in?
A: As many great ventures as we see. If we need more than $100 million, we’ll find more money.
Nice.
@Richie
“Here here!”
Where?
I think you mean Hear Hear
1/10 of 1% of 10,000,000 Folks
Buying My Sweet $10.00 App
Is $70,000/Yr After iTax
@Anonymous said: “..why would anyone need VC money to get into the iPhone App business? There’s no infrastructure to support.”
ANSWER: You’re overlooking the reason why entrepreneurs bend over and get rammed up the back door to get VC money. It’s not just the infrastructure – that’s just the beginning. If your burgeoning little software company is going to start creating software for the iPhone, you’ll need to hire programmers. You’ll need money for sales and marketing. For HR staff. Accounting. And maybe a new office, with new desks and new Macs. You might need only $100K. Or $10 Million. But trust me, you’ll find needs to spend it. Fast. You would know this, but my hunch is that you’re not an entrepreneur. Or you’ve never had to speak to a VC. I have. Frequently.
@MacBill said: “MAYBE it will become the third great platform…I certainly hope it becomes the third great platform, but lots of developers are griping about many of the serious limitations of the iPhone SDK…”
And you buy their shit? They’re programmers fer chrissake! They bitch about everything! This is what they do all day! Have you ever read anything by John (I whine all the frickin’ time) Cormack? Get this straight: programmers want everything their way. They don’t want to follow rules. And if you ever wanted to know why programs are so friggin’ buggy, it’s because these geeks are used to doing things the old way, or their way, because they CAN. And because they think they’re smarter than the rule book, they fsck up everything, their programs crash, and other programs crash as a result. But they’re too clueless to admit that they’re complete frigtards, and blame everyone else. The industry is full of asshats like them.
Truth be told, we’d all like more. But Apple has reasons to not do things. Obviously, Apple is worried about security on the iPhone. And if it means not being able to run background processes, it might be so because they’re trying to sandbox infections if they happen. Of course, we don’t get to hear Apple’s side of the story, so they’re OBVIOUSLY wrong, because some two-bit frigtard blogger says so, even though the twit may have spent what, an hour with the SDK? And now this jerk knows more than people who have perhaps spent a year developing the SDK, and examining all the possible things that could go wrong if two-bit idiots get free run of the APIs?
You know what you get when you have idiot programmers gaining a free run of a set of APIs? It’s called WINDOWS.
There. I feel better now.
@Bad Tabasco,
“If you believe this, then buy AAPL.”
Thank you very much. I did just that when it hit 120 on the “Bad” news of the SDK. I want to thank you and the other “Nay” sayers who helped drop the price from 125 so I could get a good deal.
I just wish I had more free cash so I could get more stock.
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PS. Will the stock go down more? Yes I think so, but it has found its current range for now, I think.
Will the stock go up? —- Are you kidding?? I think it will go way up, starting around June as the new apps come out and RIM starts to lose sales to iPhone. Once the iPhone sells more than RIM for a quarter, just stand back and watch the acceleration. Company after company will start switching. And the game play for iPhone and iPod Touch will go way up too.
en. Just a thought (brilliant of course, but just a thought)..
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