Ex-Genius

What Apple learned from the Jailbroken iPhone OS scene

Well now. Don’t these two images look similar? On the left, we have the newly announced Apple iPad. On our right, a Jailbroken iPhone. It seems to me that as much as Apple despises Jailbreaking the overly controlled iPhone OS, they have gotten many ideas from those pesky-brilliant hackers. Some quick thoughts on ideas Apple borrowed from the jailbreak scene:

1. 3rd Party App Developers. This is probably the biggest and most recognizable one. In 2007, when Apple first announced the iPhone, it did not want 3rd party apps on the iPhone. Apple employees were even trained to defend Apples views at the time on open app development for the platform. Apple’s original solution were web apps. Remember those? What a horrid solution. And I think Apple finally realized this. The Jailbreakers changed all of this, because so many people were hacking their iPhones at the time to allow 3rd party apps. Without them, there might have never been anything other than web apps for the iPhone. Seriously.
2. Video recording. Apple added a video camera in their 3rd generation iPhone 3GS. This feature however, was almost available from the very beginning of Jailbroken iPhones. One that was widely used by the good ol’ ‘crazy ones, misfits’ that Apple today alienates.
3. Direct Podcast downloading. One feature I wanted in the iPhone from the first day I owned one in June of 2007. The option to download podcasts straight to the iPhone without having to sync with iTunes. “Syncing”, is becoming more and more of a thing of the past. The only real reason to sync anymore, is to backup your settings, or to sync your pirated music. [Don’t lie to me]
4. Copy and Paste. Another feature widely used by the Jailbroken scene, copy and paste is something we definitely take for granted, until we don’t have it. I will admit however, that Apple did it best.
5. Custom backgrounds behind the home screen. Oh ye who use Winterboard, rejoice! You can finally turn off one feature of the most used Jailbroken app when iPhone OS 3.2 comes to iPhone and iPod touch. Using your own wallpaper in place of the black void that was the home screen in the past.
6. Tethering. Something us Americans still don’t (legitimately) have. Thanks AT&T. But at leasts its built-in to iPhone OS.

Well there you have it. What feature from jailbroken iPhones will Apple take next? A Categorize system for apps? We will only see!