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人物访谈:观察家称iOS平台推动苹果Mac产品创新

发布时间:2010-11-18 12:55:05 Tags:,,,,

手机平台正在左右台式电脑和笔记本电脑的发展趋势,而Mac App Store的出现也成功地证明,应用销售并不仅限于手机领域。由此看来,手机平台正成为这一科技行业的领军力量。

近日,《App Savvy》一书的作者Den Yarmosh在O’Reilly Radar网站记者采访中,针对应用软件未来走向和行业影响力表达了自己的看法。下文为访谈内容:

ios-apple tv

ios-apple tv

苹果是否会成为一个“移动产品优先”的公司?

从iPad的出炉可以看出,苹果已明确将自己定义为一个移动产品公司。只要看看他们的产品线就知道,苹果仅有一小撮非移动产品。

可以预见在不久的未来,iPhone、iPad等更小型的苹果移动产品将继续影响台式电脑、笔记本电脑、苹果电脑操作系统等的发展和进化。主要原因是这些产品带来了更多创意想法,促使苹果重新设想,在这个日趋稳定而更缺乏革命性创新的科技领域,硬件和软件产品未来究竟走向何方。

苹果对iPhone、iPad和iOS的重视,在针对Mac平台的开发群体中引起了不小的骚动和不安。即使喊出了“重返Mac”(Back to Mac)的口号,也仍然可以明显地看出,苹果Mac产品已经深受iOS系统和iOS产品的影响。新款iLife产品的界面元素来自iOS平台的创意,Mac OS X 10.7也采用了iOS的文件夹;另外,Mac App Store很显然脱胎于“App Store”的原型。与此类似的情况还有,MacBook Air的工程原理出自iPad的开发技术,Mac和iOS平台之间的鸿沟在数年内会越来越小。总而言之,iOS平台会刺激Mac产品的创新。

应用操作体验与网页操作体验有何不同?

这两者之间的区别会越来越小,但从目前来看,最大的差别在于,应用软件的运行方式是触摸操作。虽然许多手机浏览器也都支持触摸操作,但仍然不及原始手机应用体验那么高级。比如说,比起在浏览器上玩《水果忍者》(Fruit Ninja)或《愤怒鸟》(Angry Birds)这些游戏,应用软件提供的游戏体验是不是更出色?

触摸方式将成为我们运行电脑或其他平台的一个重要操作模式,虽然它目前在手机应用上最为盛行,但最终也会在其他平台普及,某些时候会是首选的操作方法,某些时候则只是一种补充性选择。

手机应用的淘金热是不是已经结束了?

手机应用市场是一部“富人和穷人”这两个极端的奋斗史,会赚钱的开发商总是能盈利,而剩下人的情况就可想而知了,总之就是没有中间派。

这一行还只是一个新领域,同时也在不断发行变化。Windows Phone 7和新型平板电脑之类新产品接二连三的问世,新产品的市场潜力不断增长,我认为手机应用对那些想开发新业务的公司来说是一个绝好的机遇,当然,要抓住“机遇”这个关键词。

iphone_app_store

iphone_app_store

根据App Store中的“富人和穷人”这种现状,请问你是否认为开发第一款应用时,收获经验比创造营收更重要?

最典型的成功开发商在创造第一款应用时并不会一炮走红,所以,指望仅靠一款应用就一夜发迹,然后功成名退的想法是危险的。这种错误观念也是许多开发商幻想破灭的原因。

开发一款应用所收获的好处不能只看营收。那些想在App Store大赚一笔的开发商,往往会对产品进行持续投资,而收获丰厚回报的人也往往是不吝投入的开发商。努力付出总会有回报。

你认为App Store最大的问题是什么?

在业内的圈子里,大家讨论最多的问题就是应用曝光率。但对大量用户来说,并不是推出更多个苹果应用榜单就更能取悦他们。

我想这应该就是App Store的最大问题,这在很大程度上与市场供需情况有关。从一定程度上来讲,应用数量对用户来说意义不大。比如说,用户真的会关心App Store到底有30万还是40万款产品吗?这一点值得推敲。

虽然苹果总喜欢自夸应用产品数量,不过他们自己也清楚这个情况。所以除了“每周应用排行榜”外,最近又增加了一个“每周游戏排行榜”。从这一点可以看出,他们可能将把游戏视为App Store的产品主线。“每周游戏排行榜”和Game Center的问世表明,苹果清楚iOS平台的游戏功能远甚于其他用途。

App Store最应该改进的地方是,制定一些清除不活跃应用的政策。他们已经有一项政策直接针对那些占用名额的应用,将它们清理出户应该成为这项政策的延伸措施。另外,我还认为开发商审核程序的缴纳费用,也是制约App Store发展的一大瓶颈。

请问你对“手机越狱”(jailbreaking,也称手机破解)现象及Cydia这类第三方市场的看法?对开发商来说,这些第三方选项可行吗?

我非常关注手机越狱领域。据我所知,有许多越狱开发商都在为Cydia开发实用程序、应用软件。

要加入这个领域需要独殊的才智和个性,即使是富有经验的iOS开发商,我也不建议大家进入这一行。这些第三方开发者本质上都是黑客,他们的能力确实很惊人。不过最终说起来,他们并不经常与苹果作对。因为iOS的每一次系统更新,都会让越狱失效,所以手机越狱是一个很有风险的主意。(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,转载请注明来源:游戏邦)

Has Apple Become A Mobile-First Company?

If mobile interfaces continue to shape desktops and laptops and the Mac App Store successfully pushes the app business beyond mobile, “Back to the Mac” may prove to be more than a quirky tease for an Apple event. Mobile, it would seem, is leading the parade now.

With this as a backdrop, I got in touch with “App Savvy” author Ken Yarmosh (@kenyarmosh) to get his take on the current state of the app landscape and its near-term future and influence. Our interview follows.

Is Apple now a mobile-first company?

Ken Yarmosh: Apple explicitly positioned itself as a mobile company with the launch of the iPad. Look at their product lineup and what’s evident is only a handful of items are actually not mobile.

For the foreseeable future, it’s likely that smaller mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad will continue to influence the evolution of laptops, desktops, and the Mac operating system. The reason is that they are spurring new ideas and pushing Apple to re-imagine hardware and software in a space that has been much more stable and less revolutionary over the past five years.
Apple’s focus on the iPhone, iPad, and iOS caused some unrest with its tried and true Mac development community. Even at the “Back to Mac” event, however, it was obvious how much their work on iOS and iOS devices is influencing their thinking. The new iLife suite has inspiration from iOS interface elements. Mac OS X 10.7 adopts iOS’ folders. And obviously the Mac App Store is derived from what used to simply be called the “App Store” but more technically will become the iOS App Store. Similarly, the engineering behind the MacBook Air was in many ways powered by the advancements made in the creation of the iPad. There will be further collapsing across Mac and iOS over the next several years. In general, iOS will spur the innovation that’s brought to the Mac.

How is app behavior different from web behavior?

KY: We’ll see less distinctions over time, but in the current environment one of the biggest differences is that apps are driven by touch. Even though touch gestures are present in many mobile browsers, they still are not as advanced as the experience in native mobile applications. Consider, for example, trying to play games like Fruit Ninja or Angry Birds in a browser versus an app.

Touch represents one of the key paradigm shifts occurring in how we interact with computers and other devices. While it became prevalent with apps, it will eventually be present everywhere, sometimes as the primary interaction, other times as a complementary one.

Is the app gold rush already over?

KY: The mobile app market is a tale of haves and have nots. Those making money are making quite a bit. You can guess what the rest are doing. There’s not really an in-between.

It’s still a new frontier, however, and one that is constantly changing. Consider the launch of Windows Phone 7 or the onslaught of new tablet devices. With the growth potential of those markets alone, I think apps represent as good opportunity for pursuing any new business venture. “Opportunity,” of course, is the key word.

Given the “have-have not” realities of the App Store, does the value of creating a first app lie in experience rather than revenue?

KY: The most successful developers typically didn’t make it big on their first apps. So, pursuing one app and expecting early retirement to following is a dangerous expectation. That type of misperception is why so many become disillusioned.

The benefits of building an app are not exclusively monetary. Those who jump into the App Store with a hope for more than big dollars are often the ones that continue to invest into it over time. They also so happen to represent the ones who eventually do see a tangible financial return on their investments. Commitment and hard work pays off.

What’s the biggest problem with the App Store?

KY: Discovery is often discussed in the inner circles. But for the overwhelming number of consumers, they don’t need much more than Apple’s lists of featured and top ranking apps to be happy.

I think that’s representative of the biggest problem, which is really more about supply and demand. At some point, the number of apps available stops to matter to consumers. For example, it’s doubtful that they will really care there are 300,000 versus 400,000 apps in the App Store catalog.

Apple likes to tout the number of apps they have but they’re aware of this issue. They expanded the featured list a while back and recently added a “Game of the Week” in addition to the “App of the Week.” It’s a good possibility that they’ll spin off games into its own app store down the line. The “Game of the Week” and Game Center are indications that Apple understands iOS is as much a gaming platform as anything else.

A more basic way to trim the App Store will be for Apple to enact policies about purging apps that become abandoned or inactive. They already have a policy aimed at name squatters, and purging could be a natural extension of that. I could also see the developer program price being used as a throttle.

What’s your take on jailbreaking and alternative markets, like Cydia? Are those viable options for developers?

KY: I follow the jailbreak community closely. From what I can tell, there are a handful of jailbreak developers who are making livings by developing tweaks, utilities, and apps for Cydia.

It takes a special talent and personality type to engage in that ecosystem. Even for experienced iOS developers, it’s not something I would recommend. These folks truly are hackers and what they are able to do is pretty amazing. Ultimately though, they’re constantly fighting Apple. it’s a risky proposition since jailbreaks can be broken even with iOS point releases (e.g., 4.0.1 to 4.0.2).(source:radar.oreilly)


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