There’s always something to howl about.

If you thought the iPhone rocked, just wait for the iPhone 2.0

David Pogue in the New York Times:

Before you start reading this, a word of warning: this column is about the iPhone. If you’re one of those people who are sick and tired of hearing about the iPhone, then scroll on while you still can.

Then again, if you’re one of those people, you’ve got much bigger problems than this column. Maybe you’d better take six months off to explore the Serengeti.

That’s because last week, Apple announced iPhone 2.0. It’s not a new phone model (although that will be coming this year, too)—it’s new software for the existing phone [update: and for the iPod Touch!]. And in my considered opinion, it will be an even bigger deal than the iPhone itself.

The new software, slated for the end of June, will have two parts. First, it will tap into Microsoft Exchange, the e-mail distribution system used by hundreds of thousands of corporations. You’ll get “push” e-mail, meaning that messages appear in real time on your iPhone. And when anybody changes your calendar or address book on your computer at work, your iPhone will be automatically, wirelessly updated, wherever you happen to be.

All of this is already on the BlackBerry, which is Apple’s obvious target here. Without an actual keyboard, the iPhone won’t kill off the BlackBerry entirely (although I do like the way the on-screen keyboard forces iPhone people to be super-concise). But it will carve away a certain chunk of the BlackBerry’s market.

The big knife is Part 2 of iPhone 2.0. That’s the SDK—the Software Development Kit—which Apple has released in beta-test form. The idea here is that any programmer can now write software for the iPhone. Not illicit, hacky apps like people have been writing so far, but authorized, tested, legitimate software, much of it free, that can tap into all the features of the iPhone.

More:

I can’t tell you how huge this is going to be. There will be thousands of iPhone programs, covering every possible interest. The iPhone will be valuable for far more than simple communications tasks; it will be the first widespread pocket desktop computer. You’re witnessing the birth of a third major computer platform: Windows, Mac OS X, iPhone.

Sure, there are add-on programs for the Treo, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile. But they’ll never achieve the ubiquity or popularity of iPhone apps, because Apple will preinstall the iPhone Apps Store right on every phone. That’s an online catalog of iPhone programs, which you can browse, download and install wirelessly, wherever you happen to be. That’s several thousand fewer barriers and steps than you’d encounter on the other smartphone platforms. That, and the fact that the iPhone is already the second most popular smartphone (after the BlackBerry), spells good things for the success of this initiative.

Software companies and programmers can charge anything they like for their programs—Apple keeps 30 percent of each sale—but I expect many or most of the apps will be free.

That much closer to killing off the laptop. Can’t come soon enough for me.

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