Story: Why Apple's iPhone is like a 1981 IBM PC

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I agree...there's a conspiracy

All the experts have pointed out that nothing in the iPhone is revolutionary, and there are no hardware or software features that didn't already exist on other smartphones. The only thing new with the iPhone is a flashy touchy interface and a sexy design.

That said, the real conspiracy is why Nokia, RIMM, Palm and all the more experienced cellphone manufacturers and the carriers with their faster networks haven't offered us the author's desired multitasking background applications all running constantly and harmoniously together.

While the iPhone is lamentably slow at adding these features, it is obvious that they have a plan and are making progress, even if guarding their overall experience too tightly.

So...why are are Nokia and the others withholding these advancements from us? Nokia and their fellow iPhone competitors are either not as clever as they claim, greedier than they like to admit, more hemmed in by their design decisions than they wish to make apparent or just determined to force their vision on the world regardless of what the world wants? Perhaps they don't trust application designers or users very much. Perhaps they want the best software for themselves, where it can limit what it can do in order not to upset their telco friends.

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