Apple iPhone "not too smart"

By Jo Best, Silicon.com
Jan 29, 2007

The long awaited Apple iPhone can't be classified as a smart phone, according to analysts, as it isn't as open as rival devices created by the likes of Microsoft.



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According to two analysts at ABI Research, the iPhone can't be called a smart phone, despite running a stripped down version of the Mac operating system, because it doesn't use an open OS.

While the definition of what constitutes a smart phone is still up for debate, most pundits agree that a smart device must have an open operating system that can support third-party applications.

Apple's iPhone does not have an open OS, however, as all third-party apps must be vetted by the Cupertino company before being let loose on the phone - a move necessary to protect the network using the phone and the device itself, according to Apple boss Steve Jobs.

An operator-controlled environment, such as the one used by Apple for the iPhone, is typical of a high-end feature phone. Such phones don't benefit from the same "cutting-edge, rich applications" associated with smart phones, the analysts noted, adding that feature phone apps are often "weak and limited".

While the analysts therefore said the iPhone cannot be called a smart device, it "is nifty in design and has some high end capabilities", they concluded.

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