sulkiness polyp: Editor's desk: Big Apple Apple

Monday, April 8, 2013

Editor's desk: Big Apple Apple

I've been in New York City all week at the temporary Mobile Nations HQ working on some amazing stuff. We're not finished yet, which means I can't announce it yet, but I also can't wait to tell you all about it. In the meantime, here's some catch-up on the CrackBerry party, the Facebook event, and what Apple's up to with iOS 7 and the iPhone 5S...

Facebook angst

Who could have predicted the post-Facebook not-a-phone launch would be even more annoying than the pre-Facebook not-a-phone launch? My only guess is that the reality was less interesting than the tease, and analytical desperation followed.

We kinda knew what it was going to be going in
What it means for HTC, who currently earns almost no profit off mobile, is unclear but certainly sub-optimal. Why not brand the phone with Facebook front-and-center and get some of that halo?
It's not an Android fork, but that doesn't mean it's not an Android intermediation. Google made Android the way it is to grow market share quickly at the expense of keeping control. Facebook is taking advantage of that. Clever girl.
The target audience for a Facebook not-a-phone was never unclear -- it's for people for whom Facebook is, in large part, the primary purpose of the internet. For others, it will be less breakthrough experience and more deal-breaker.
Person-centric interface may not be new but it's also not a panacea. Sometimes I'm thinking apps. Sometimes I'm thinking people. Both approaches force me into a model that may not fit my requirements for the moment. Ultimately, we need better interface, not just different.
The Facebook not-a-phone means absolutely nothing to Apple or the iPhone right now. No. Period. Thing. Period. If you're posting BS Apple-is-doomed linkbait based on what Facebook did or didn't say or do last week, please stop it. Maybe surrender your keyboards for the good of journalism, the internet, and our collective sanity.
The Facebook phone means a lot for Facebook. Social has always been migratory, and Facebook was web-centric in an increasingly mobile-centric world. Google's Android may eventually be Google+ and Google Now. If Facebook doesn't want to be the next Friendster (ask your grand parents), they need to adapt. This was the next stage of that.
No, I don't get the point of Facebook's first commercial either.
Phil Nickinson and the Android Central crew killed it at the event, and are doing a great job on follow up. Check them out.

iOS 7, iPhone 5S, and beyond

In case you missed it earlier in the week, a bunch of Apple reporters got together on Branch to discuss what we'd heard about [iOS 7, iPhone 5S, iPad 5, upcoming events, and more.

Here's my take, with links to all the good stuff.

New Crack City

The big news for everyone not-us this week was the CrackBerry party at 1 Oak. First, I don't know how they got that venue, but it was fantastic. It was also filled to over-capacity, as 260+ CrackBerry faithful flooded the place. BlackBerry was nice enough to set up a booth in the back and show off the as-yet-unreleased BlackBerry Q10 full-QWERTY keyboard device.

A ton of iMore readers showed up as well -- it's a cross-platform world now, folks, get used to it! -- and I got to spend a great evening talking mobile with the incredibly engaged, incredibly intelligent Mobile Nations community. Nothing in the world better than that.

Maybe we should start thinking about an iMore event...?