While there's been plenty of buzz about the new features of the next-generation Apple
While Sun announced that it will have its Java Micro Edition (Java ME) loaded on the new 900 series iPAQ from HP
Apple's hesitance bucks the trend followed by just about every other mobile device maker. Nokia
Is Steve Jobs' ongoing denial of Java a smart move to control the iPhone ecosystem? Or will he orphan the iPhone into a land of fringe applications, as competing devices lure away users? It's a classic struggle for platform dominance, and it all boils down to one question -- does the iPhone have enough market power to entice enough developers to put the expense into yet another development platform?
I'm guessing that, like the initial experiment with unsubsidized pricing of the iPhone, Apple will keep tight reigns on its platform until it is absolutely forced to move away. After all, part of the allure of the iPhone is exclusivity -- it's not just another "me too" smartphone. Had Jobs strayed from the iTunes platform and embraced other media download standards for the iTunes Store, the iPod might have just been another MP3 player.
And Apple stock wouldn't be pushing $200, either.
Further platform-agnostic Foolishness: