58 Responses to “iPhone: The Next Big Thing Or Just Another Smart Phone?”

• Nathan Youngman comments:
  January 10th, 2007 at 6:09 pm

  I’ve been waiting for someone to come out with a phone without all those crazy buttons, something to replace my aging Tungsten T. If the iPhone were available in Canada, it’d certainly be at the top of the list.

  For now, I think I’ll stick with what I have, and bypass any plans of getting a Treo. The other platform I wouldn’t mind MyBible on is the Sony Reader, but again the device isn’t in Canada, plus it isn’t Mac-friendly, and it’s overly expensive for what it does. In the end, I think I’d rather the iPhone.

  As for as OS proliferation, I am curious about development, and if any of the existing OS X Bible software companies are considering the iPhone as a target. MacSword is open source, and provides some framework to start with, though it’s not nearly as good as MyBible.

  
  
• Roderick comments:
  January 10th, 2007 at 6:20 pm

  I think the iPhone is a very pivotal device. I’ve been using Pocket PC’s of some sort since 1995, starting with the Philips Nino. I’m currently using a Dell Axim X5 which is a couple of years old. There has been very little innovation in the PDA market over the years, most devices are very similar, I’m not really compelled to upgrade. The last devices that really excited me was the Clie line from Sony.

  With the popularity of iPod the iPhone really has a chance to make PDA devices common. Look how difficult it is to find a PDA today, a couple of years ago I could browse PDA’s at a variety of brick and mortar merchants, not anymore. If the iPhone is popular maybe eBooks will finally become mainstream. I know you guys would like writing for a device with a couple of million users.

  
  
• Tim McGhee comments:
  January 10th, 2007 at 6:28 pm

  Don’t you already support the iPod?
  Wouldn’t it likely build on that OS?

  Tim
  10,811 days

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  January 10th, 2007 at 7:07 pm

  Tim,

  Not even close. The iPod is an MP3 player with no ability to run third-party applications. It has a simplistic “notes” application that is really a collection of text files with limited hyperlinking ability. Our iPocketBible product is a collection of MP3 audio files and text files of the NLT. The text files use the “notes” capability to present the text.

  The iPhone is supposedly based on Mac OS X. At this point it is not clear if third party apps will run on it, with some commentators saying they won’t and others saying they will. Assuming it accepts third-party apps, they should have the full capabilities of any desktop app with the exception of working within the limited user interface of a handheld device.

  Craig

  
  
• Mike G comments:
  January 10th, 2007 at 7:18 pm

  Have you read this?

  http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=12729

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  January 10th, 2007 at 7:56 pm

  Yes. Have you read this?

  http://www.mac360.com/index.php/mac360/comments/my_5_minutes_alone_with_apples_new_iphone/

  (The payoff is at the end of the article.) The two almost maybe contradict each other with respect to third-party apps.

  Craig

  
  
• Russ Witt comments:
  January 11th, 2007 at 12:06 am

  Craig,

  I am a current customer. Started with an early iPaq before the HP merger. Upgraded to the HP5555, now on the Sprint PPC6700 Windows Mobile.

  If iPhone delivers the technical prowess, elegance and sizzle its promising I would move in a minute. The things that hold me back are Goodlink, eWallet, Laridian, and Olive Tree compatibility. Time will tell.

  I could hack my way around the Goodlink problem but eWallet would be very painful to move from given my hundreds of passwords database. Also no Bible software would be a show stopper. I have good habits now with my Bibles and Study tools in hand and would not want to move away from that power.

  I am also in the habit of using CNSNews, Drudge and WSJ from the browser.

  I would drop $600 on an iPhone and even pay the penalty to switch carriers.

  I am watching this closely. I logged on specifically today to encourage you to port to the iPhone and am doing the same with eWallet and Olive Tree.

  I am happy to see that your avocation is supporting you. I hope it does so well and wish you more success in the future.

  We met at some conference (Christian Computing?) seems like it was in Glendale CA but it was some years ago.

  My 6700 by the way is very awkward. Since its Windows it frequently locks up and requires a reboot. Very inelegant to operate, the opposite of the thoughtfulness of iPhone. I would expect frustrations in the iPhone with regard to corporate connectivity however.

  Best Regards,

  Russ

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  January 11th, 2007 at 12:57 am

  Hi Russ,

  I’m glad we had a chance to meet. Those Christian Computing conferences were fun. I wish they would’ve been profitable, too, so we could’ve continued to have them.

  Don’t let your frustration with the 6700 cloud your expectations for the iPhone. The one on the store shelf always seems to lock up less than the one in your pocket. My dad has a 6700 and has no problems with it. He doesn’t run as many apps as you; perhaps one of those is the problem.

  We’re excited about any phone that causes as much buzz as the iPhone. The jury is still out yet on whether it will be able to install third-party apps. There’s a developers conference later this year, but long before that we should get the news.

  Craig

  
  
• John Zittlau comments:
  January 11th, 2007 at 11:36 am

  I’ve been a loyal Palm OS person since since 95 and haven’t really ever been drawn to get an ipod so I’m no Apple addict. From the looks and some of the specs of the iPhone, I REALLY WANT ONE! But what will drive the final decision for me is if third party developers can develop for it without a development license. There are a great number of high quality open source or shareware apps for the Palm. It’s why I like it. If the iPhone remains closed or is only friendly with licensed developer shops, then I’ll stick with my Treo, thank you very much.

  
  
• Peter comments:
  January 11th, 2007 at 3:02 pm

  I’m interested in this, but after reading more thoughts on it (PocketPCThoughts has a pretty active thread going from dedicated WM/PPC users), I’m just not sold that this is “the” phone to have. It’s cool, has all sorts of bells and whistles, but from what I’m reading - no 3rd party app support according to most sites, resolution is not quite VGA, no hardware buttons, battery is not replaceable (at least not easily), and there is no expansion slot.

  Positives - the UI is pretty cool. Scaled down version of OSX built in gives it a lot of potential. Apple did their R&D well with this product aimed at consumers. Using it as a phone/media player seems to be very well thought out, complete with moving things around, easily conferencing others in, putting media on hold. Web browsing is well developed over PIE.

  Negatives - Locked in to whatever Apple says you can do. Battery. No keys/buttons - all done on screen. No expansion. Price ($600 - yipe).

  I have a Cingular 8125 now and it does quite a bit. The screen is small, but I have a keyboard when needed, an expansion slot for larger memory cards, bluetooth, WiFi, and the ability to run 3rd party apps. I kind of wish I’d held out for the TyTN (8525), but that is another story.

  My real hope here is that this pushes MS to realize that WM5 is not just for business users/enthusiasts and that they need to do a little of this with their devices. Not go the route of all touch screen, but converge the devices, give the users a positive UI experience, and push on manufacturers to increase built-in memory. It was a really cool demo and if it weren’t for the price, I’d probably consider it to a greater extent.

  -Pete

  
  
• Ed Hansberry comments:
  January 12th, 2007 at 5:35 am

  No iPhone third party apps - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/technology/11cnd-apple.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

  “I don’t want people to think of this as a computer,” he said. “I think of it as reinventing the phone.” - Steve Jobs “We define everything that is on the phone,” he said. “You don’t want your phone to be like a PC. The last thing you want is to have loaded three apps on your phone and then you go to make a call and it doesn’t work anymore. These are more like iPods than they are like computers.”

  Well, I guess that is that. I think it is a mistake on his part.

  
  
• Alex Kac comments:
  January 14th, 2007 at 9:40 pm

  Ed and Craig - while Apple says “no third party app” I think they mean no public SDK and no apps you can just download and run. I think they will allow third party apps, but only through iTunes meaning just like today’s iPod games you’ll have to sign an contract with Apple to be a special ISV and then that gets you into their iTunes system.

  But for me, without Pocket Bible it matters not. No iPhone for me - no matter how much I adore the device.

  
  
• Dwayne comments:
  January 15th, 2007 at 12:09 am

  I will pray for an iPhone… but won’t be able to afford one for a long time should the price drop after a few years…

  But as an iPod user and recently converted mac fan… everything that I have owned by apple these past 4 years has been excellent.

  I think the iPhone has the potential to touch a need the pocket pc didn’t … widescreen touch … and iTunes compatiblity… watch a movie… and check out the internet with more simplicity…

  I was pretty good with a stylus on a pocket pc… but it broke… and my pocket pc phone was always getting some errors… myself and others I know didn’t replace our pocket pc phones with another one…

  I think the iPhone will take a while to go mainstream for a while… missing many customers for price… but eventually the price will come down and they will explode…

  I hope to eventually own one… expecially if they get VOIP compatiblity with like skype…

  decrease

  
  
• Robert K. comments:
  January 15th, 2007 at 9:29 am

  To me the iPhone is just a “toy” (I have been using phone/PDA “converged” devices since the Qualcomm pdQ back in early 2000… and now I am using the 8525 running WM5). I wish I could have sat in on the focus group meetings where they tested out the 100% touch-screen input. What did those screens look like after an hour? For me personally I have been ejoying watching the touch-screen gradually being de-emphasized (the Treo 600 may have started this trend, amongst pdaphones anyway)… and both Microsoft and Palm seem to be recognizing that people don’t want to use a stylus anymore (and I don’t think that going from a stylus to using a finger is a step in the right direction). I’m sure Patty has gotten tired of all of the e-mails I have sent her over the years bugging you guys to stop requiring us to use a stylus for some of the features! (and the center button of the 5-way nav in WM5 still has no function… it would be perfect for bringing up the books of the bible and letting you navigate to your verse, just like in the Palm version… but that’s a comment for another thread!).

  Bottom line is that I don’t think there is a big enough market for the iPhone. I also think that the “finger navigation” is a big mistake (am I the only one that is highly bothered when there is even a spec of dust on my screen, much less a zillion fingerprints?). One big step it could help the industry make is to allow real-time music downloads direct to the device (although the iPhone does not have UMTS support, only EDGE, which is very strange since my 8525 on Cingular already has UMTS). BUT, are the phone carriers willing to kill their $2.50 per ringtone business for the sake of selling full songs for $1? It will be interesting to watch.

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  January 15th, 2007 at 10:59 am

  Robert,

  Your comments about using a stylus were interesting. For me there are two issues with these massively converged devices. First, they’re not shaped like a phone. They’re awkward to use as a phone because they’re too wide and too short. The other problem with the shape is that you’re generally smushing the screen against your face, resulting in “face prints” on top of the finger prints.

  The second problem I have is the opposite of yours. I’d much rather use a stylus than my finger on any device this size. And I’d rather write using the old Palm alphabet than use a thumb-sized keyboard. I carry a third-party pen/stylus that is half the length of a normal pen.

  I write notes during church using PocketBible on my Pocket PC. These are in the form of an outline with nested

  tags with type attributes to control numbering. I say all that to give you an idea of the complexity of what I’m entering with the stylus and it works fine.

  One of my concerns with the iPhone is the arrogance displayed by Apple by eliminating (or at least limitting) third-party apps. They’re saying they know better than you what you want to use your phone for. Sure, they hide behind the smokescreen of “network security”, but since that’s a crock and everyone knows it, one wonders what their motives really are.

  Craig

  
  
• Steve comments:
  January 15th, 2007 at 8:41 pm

  I am sold on the iPhone! It is also the first phone that my wife actually wants to have. We’re saving our money and planning on having one in each of our stockings on December 25th.

  I’ve been using Laridian’s great products ever since they came out. It would definitely be a great shame (for us) if you didn’t support the iPhone. Two copies of MyBible would be the first app we’d be installing. (IF there is third party software allowed!)

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  January 15th, 2007 at 8:50 pm

  That’s a long time to wait. They’ll probably be obsolete by then.

  Craig

  
  
• Mike Thornton comments:
  January 16th, 2007 at 12:25 pm

  Unless this iPod on steroids can do something that other smartphones can’t, I would be inclined to pass. Yes, the iPhone looks fantastic, but is it worth the price?

  
  
• Jim Strasma comments:
  January 20th, 2007 at 11:18 pm

  The iPhone is of interest, as my Treo 650 is aging (repaired twice in past year), but I may pass on both the iPhone and Microsoft’s new Vista OS, due to DRM (Digital Rights Management) concerns. I also just got an improper $71 bill on my AT&T home phone bill for a service problem that wasn’t in our house, and AT&T doesn’t seem interested in living up to their earlier promise to restore service for free in such a case.

  If the AT&T repair bill isn’t adjusted, there’s no chance my next cell phone will be from AT&T (Cingular), even though I was previously expecting to switch to them next time. It’s also making me rethink whether I even need a landline phone any more, and if I do, why not get that through my excellent cable supplier wowway.com instead? Lots to consider, but as such thoughts indicate, lock-in is something I minimize whenever possible.

  By the way, thanks for your openness in supporting lots of alternative devices without having to rebuy all the translations etc. if I ever switch from the Palm OS to say the Windows Mobile version. That definitely helps me stay devoted to your products.

  
  
• Mary comments:
  January 29th, 2007 at 12:31 pm

  Enjoyed reading everyone’s comments. We are, presently, researching our move away from a landline. I am a regular user of the Axim X30, running a 624MHz processor, and thoroughly appreciate the Pocket PC PocketBible 2.023 version I’ve been running on it. In that I was going to move into a cell phone, I have been researching the Cingular 8525 as a combination device, wondering if it would serve my purposes well.

  Naturally, owning a couple of Mac OS X laptops…I was excited to think the Mac OS might be available for something akin to my PPC, but running my preferred OS–the iPhone sounded like my prayers had been answered. I’ve been researching the Notes program on the iPod, trying to find out what the space and formatting limitations might be–whether or not the Laridian software I enjoy so much might find a home on the iPhone, someday.

  Is anyone out there successfully running the new Pocket Bible 3 version of the Laridian software on their X30, perhaps? Or…might anyone be able to report to me the efficiency of trying to run the Pocket Bible 3 software on an Intel PXA270 Processor type, running @ 624MHz?

  I am thinking of trying to purchase and run Pocket Bible 3 on my current Axim X30 PPC and then leaving myself some wider options as I consider which phone to purchase. I am thinking, as a Mac fan, as well, about waiting for the June availability for the iPhone. Like the rest of y’all…I want there to be third party options available to us–we know best what we want our devices to make available to us as we carry out the responsibilities of our lives.!

  
  
• Jim comments:
  January 29th, 2007 at 11:23 pm

  I have been looking into the iPhone and would certainly want the Laridian Bible software running there similar to what is available for the WM2003 phone I’ve been using for two years. The limitation from Apple to restrict the 3rd party software would mean for me that I would continue to use my WM2003 phone as a Bible and the iPhone as a phone, portable internet browser, etc. The ability to keep my digital information between my current mac laptop and my phone is too painful and the reliability of the WM2003 device as a phone is lousy (needs to be rebooted about once a week and I don’t find out until I try to answer a call and cannot pick it up!).
  I’m switching to an iPhone and I would love to take my Laridian tools with me… but it won’t stop me if they have to stay back on WM2003.

  
  
• Bob Brown comments:
  March 10th, 2007 at 5:21 pm

  I plan on going to the IPhone eventually because I have been a Mac user since ‘87. I am tired of my Treo freezing, asking if I want to go to the internet, and generally just messing up that wastes my time. I have been impressed with Mac’s reliability and would like to see the same compliment of Bible versions, commentaries, lexicons, and dictionaries that I have purschased from you in the past. Please make them available.

  
  
• David L Amsler comments:
  March 13th, 2007 at 7:08 pm

  I DO NOT plan on using iPhone - I’m not switching my wireless provider in order to use iPhone.
  Also, the extra costs associated with using the iPhone to full capacity is not worth the price.
  I Do like the look and functions of the iPhone - but the costs are way out of line. I’ll wait until my provider can use it and the price comes way down.

  
  
• Richard Truax comments:
  March 21st, 2007 at 4:09 pm

  I love the Laridian products on my iPAQ I have used them for at least five years. I’m currently using Windows Mobile 2003 on an iPAQ 2700 series. I have resisted going to a totally integrated phone PDA device but I’m really interested in the iPhone. I do hope that Apple will open up the device and you will produce the my Bible product for the iPhone.

  
  
• Jerald Dawson comments:
  March 30th, 2007 at 2:44 pm

  As the owner of a 2 year old Treo 650 (Cingular), I’m looking to upgrade. I will buy an iPhone the minute there is bible software available. I’ve gotten too used to having my Bible with me all the time and could not go back to a phone that didn’t have it. I just hope my treo last long enough for them to open up iphone and for laridian to port the mybible software.

  
  
• Gary Crossland comments:
  April 16th, 2007 at 8:41 pm

  Well. in my humble opinion, Laridian better be working on an iphone version. Apple is going to capture a big market share with this phone. You always follow your market, right?

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  April 16th, 2007 at 9:58 pm

  There are two problems: 1) We can’t work on an iPhone version if Apple doesn’t open the phone up to developers, and 2) it’s not a foregone conclusion that they’ll capture a big market share. Last I heard the phone was going to be $600 plus a 2-year contract, more if you don’t have a contract or recently upgraded your phone. And of course it’s only available through one carrier.

  
  
• Marc Thompson comments:
  April 26th, 2007 at 4:10 pm

  Please please please aggresively pursue porting your software to iphone. I love it on my Pocket PC. I read somewhere that apple will “open” up the operating system to programmers as long as they(apple) still maintain distribution rights. Would you ever consider that? Is it profitable?

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  April 26th, 2007 at 5:22 pm

  We’re open to any platform at all. We’re concerned that Apple is doing everything it can to limit the distribution of the phone. First, they’re only working with one carrier, and it’s not the biggest one. Second, they’ve set the price very high.

  On top of this they’re putting road-blocks in the way of developers. It’s not clear yet if it will be open and if it is, how much it will cost. It wouldn’t be surprising if they demanded a very large fee in order to develop for the phone and then they still might reserve the right to reject your app, after it’s developed, for no reason. There are platforms that work that way.

  We’re not ruling anything out at this point. We’re just interested in how people are responding to this new phone.

  Craig

  
  
• John Brock comments:
  May 20th, 2007 at 6:37 am

  I am a long-time Laridian customer starting out in the palm 3 days and moving over to the IPAQ’s . The iPhone will be a big hit. I would consider moving over but Pocket Bible would be a major factor. The iPhone will have substitute programs for most of my pda apps (Pocket informant etc.) but there is nothing for those of us who love having God’s Word and basic research abilities at our fingertips. The iPhone market will be profitable for Laridian and a blessing to PB users. I hope you will consider doing what it takes to make you products available on that platform. As the release date gets closer, I see demand build rather than slacking. When first announced, I was disinterested now I’ll get one–I’ll be first in line if Bible software becomes available for iPhone. What a blessing not to have two lumps and an easy to use and relatively high resolution screen.

  
  
• Tony Knight comments:
  May 21st, 2007 at 3:22 pm

  I love My Bible, I love Apple products, and I love have the Word by my side at all times…I use it all the time. But if I can’t get My Bible on an iPhone I won’t buy an iPhone even though they are super cool. I’ve been milking my two Kyocera 7135’s for many years…I like the simple things like the LCD at the top of the phone without having to open the phone to know what time it is or who is calling, and the flipping action that protects the screen. I’m thinking that a new palm treo will have to do if Kyocera’s finally die, but I’m not trilled with it at all! If Apple would let you make My Bible for the iPhone you would sell tons of them…I’d be first in line!!! Thanks for all you do.

  
  
• Nathan comments:
  June 4th, 2007 at 11:03 am

  “A person briefed on Apple’s plans said that at its software developer conference this month, Apple intends to announce that it will make it possible for developers of small programs written for the Macintosh to easily convert them to run on the iPhone.”

  http://www.macrumors.com/2007/06/04/iphone-developers-kit-at-wwdc/

  WWDC is next week.

  
  
• R. Tackett comments:
  June 6th, 2007 at 9:41 am

  Craig, what do you think of Job’s most recent announcement?
  http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/06/04/iphoneapps/index.php

  Will Laridian now be developing for the iPhone?

  
  
• Matt Brady comments:
  June 6th, 2007 at 8:21 pm

  Absolutely love PocketBible, been using it since the “Servant Scripture” days on Palm. For me it’s become one of the key requirements for a new phone. However, I’ve been looking around and iPhone looks very much like the favourite - except for the Bible requirement (so far)!
  I really hope Jobs et al let you port, and that you see a market for the idea.
  Otherwise I’ll have to go with the HTC Touch (or similar) effort at the gesture-based stuff - welcome though piecemeal so far as I can see.
  Either way, keep up the awesome work!

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  June 7th, 2007 at 12:27 pm

  The recent announcements are encouraging, but it appears they’re talking about enabling Mac “widgets” to run on the device. They have limited functionality and may be limited as to what features of the phone they can access. So we’re not out of the woods yet.

  This whole concern about protecting the phone from misbehaving apps is a waste of time. Every phone I’ve had in the last ten years has crashed from time to time with or without third-party apps installed. It’s wrong-headed to think that the built-in software is somehow flawless but software developed by equally talented programmers who happen to work for a different company is full of bugs just waiting to take down the system.

  The other misplaced fear is the misbehaved app that will somehow take down Cingular’s entire network from your little phone. It seems like it wouldn’t take much to prevent that unlikely scenario.

  We continue to watch.

  
  
• Josh comments:
  June 11th, 2007 at 10:53 pm

  Craig,

  I’ve been an MyBible user for a while.

  Today Apple announced that the iPhone will support, in their words, “Third-Party Web 2.0 Applications”. Not sure what that means for you or others who write Bible software for phones. Details:

  http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/06/11iphone.html

  As for the iPod product, it would be nice to have the KJV text and exander Scourby’s reading of it done in the same way as the NLT.

  
  
• MarcT comments:
  June 12th, 2007 at 7:48 pm

  Since this thread still seems live, I’ll chime in that I’m very much interested in the iPhone, and MyBible is a must-have for me on whatever platform I’m using. I hope you can have a definite answer soon; I’ve got a phone upgrade burning a hole in my pocket and I’d love to use it on an iPhone.

  
  
• Marc Thompson comments:
  June 12th, 2007 at 10:18 pm

  Hi there

  I’m also curious about the “Third party Web 2.0 applications.” Is this something you would be able to use? Could’nt the web browser be used as the “reader” and the different versions of the Bible you sell be HTML pages?

  
  
• Eric Nehrt comments:
  June 14th, 2007 at 1:18 pm

  The only thing that is holding me back from buying an iPhone is pocketbible. If I can’t get that I am sticking with what I’ve got for awhile.

  
  
• Matt Brady comments:
  June 14th, 2007 at 6:36 pm

  Chiming in with Marc T, I also wonder what can be done with what has now been revealed at WWDC.

  Firstly for the Web 2.0 coding I’m guessing one would want to have a HTML 2.0 front end but build pages from a database backend. This starts to feel likely to represent a substantial rewrite rather than just a port of PocketBible. Am I right Craig? I wonder what the appetite for this would be at Laridian…

  Secondly I note that a new (Leopard) widget developer tool is available in Beta - Dashcode. This supports html, css and javascript… Perhaps if it were possible to port the PocketBible engine (if not the UI) to Javascript this would signal the beginning of the end of the platform proliferation worries??? I don’t know, just wondering / musing here.

  Thoughts Craig?

  Thanks,

  Matt

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  June 14th, 2007 at 8:36 pm

  All I can say is that we’re reading all this — your comments, Apple’s announcements — and watching their TV ads. As you know we won’t commit to what we may or may not be working on but we continue to be interested in your comments, especially as the devices hit the street in a couple weeks.

  Craig

  
  
• Bill comments:
  June 15th, 2007 at 11:42 pm

  Craig,

  I’ll be buying an iPhone, hopefully, on the 29th. I currently own and use MyBible, Pocket Bible, and the WinCE 2000 version. So, guess what? If you bring out a version for the iPhone, I’ll have that one too. Hoping you’ll consider it!

  Best,

  Bill - A really loyal user.

  
  
• Bill Sprague comments:
  June 16th, 2007 at 9:47 am

  Craig,

  As a follow-up, Apple has traditionally provided more functionality in the released device than advertised. Thus, maybe there will be more there than in the ads. I currently carry a Treo 680 for use in downloading email, PIM functions, and oh yeah, a phone. I also carry my old reliable Tungsten T3 for Bible reading and study. Daily reader has been my daily companion for years and I don’t leave home without them both.

  Since iPhone covers all the functions for which I currently use my Treo plus a few, and I’m a Mac user; the transition to an iPhone is a no-brainer. While I currently use the Treo on occasion, I find the screen too small for long term use. The promise of a larger reading area on the iPhone is a definite draw.

  Until iBible comes out, I’ll continue to carry my iPhone (soon) and my T3 or my HP hx4700. Daily Reader continues to get my day started and wound down. Thanks for your hard work and exceptional products. You are a blessing!

  Best regards,

  Bill

  
  
• John comments:
  June 18th, 2007 at 7:37 am

  Bill’s sentiments represent me and , I suspect, a whole host of other Pocket Bible users. I strongly believe the rewards will be handsome if you guys can extend your ministy in this way–and I mean more than simply monitary. Knowing that your passion is to push thr Word of God into all the world, I’m confident that If it can be done you will find a way. John–a daly, blessed user of PB.

  
  
• Mike Jolley comments:
  June 18th, 2007 at 11:47 pm

  I LOVE MyBible on my Treo 650. I’ll be the first in line on June 29 to buy 2 iPhones for my wife and I and I really want MyBible to work on it. Since Apple has announced that iPhone will support third-party applications created using Web 2.0 standards will you develop MyBible for it? I hope so, I’ll be the first to upgrade!

  
  
• Michael Lallemont comments:
  June 20th, 2007 at 4:11 pm

  At first I thought delivering applications to the iPhone via Web 2.0 Apps was a bad idea. Then I realized that even desktop systems are moving towards internet applications and limiting installed software. You minimize the problems of distribution and deployment and platform independence is a definite benefit. Not to mention data instensive applications such as Bible software benefit from a server generated approach. The only problem with the iPhone platform is Internet bandwidth. That will be solved in the very near future and you can tolerate the current bandwidth for downloading a Bible reading at a time. I love my Pocket Bible and I am planning on buying an iPhone. For now I guess I will keep my pocket pc just for the Bible until I can have your software on the iPhone. Thank you! When you do develop the iPhone version please conform to their UI, it’s their strongest selling point.

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  June 20th, 2007 at 4:44 pm

  We’ve been talking about running server-based applications via the Web browser since 1995. Sure, there are a small number of notable successes, but there are still some real issues, including:

  1. Latency. Getting better but nowhere near hard-drive/local memory speed.
  2. The huge amount of data we’re talking about for a Bible application. The Internet/Web is a good way to access large databases that change all the time — like the weather, news, sports scores, etc. But for large databases of fixed content, like the Bible and Bible reference books, it’s significantly more efficient to have that information on your hard drive.

     If you only look at this from a latency standpoint you can simply wait until access speeds increase. But there’s the very real COST issue. Why do you want to pay your carrier to download page after page of the KJV text, which hasn’t changed for almost 400 years?

  3. Limited access to local resources. One of the reasons online office apps aren’t popular with some people is the fact that the documents are stored on the server instead of the client’s local machine. This introduces security and privacy issues.

     The fact that Apple has drug its feet on third-party apps in the interest of security leads me to believe they’re not going to be gung-ho about letting us store your notes, bookmarks, and highlights on the device. Those will all have to be stored at the server. Again, we add latency and cost issues but now we add privacy issues.

  These issues haven’t changed in 15 years. I don’t know if or how Apple is going to change them. It looks to me like they’re just saying “we have a nice web browser so if you have fancy web sites we can display them”. There’s a reason why people don’t use www.biblegateway.comas their primary Bible study software, and what Apple is proposing is nothing more than that.

  
  
• Kyle Koehler comments:
  June 28th, 2007 at 7:19 am

  I just finished watching the 17minute video on the iphone (due out tomorrow June 29th). Beside the phone I am looking for two applications that are must haves to justify the cost. One is Pocket Quicken the other is MyBible/Daily Reader.

  Unless those two are one the iphone I will not buy it. I carry a phone and I carry a Tungsten T5. I want to combine the two. I currently pay close $30+/mnth for my current phone line and could only justify the cost of the phone and the $59+/mnth (basically double!)

  I want to go to iPhone… it is indeed impressive but I want to get rid of my two devices and just use one. If I can get MyBible and PocketQuicken then I will make the plunge.

  
  
• Jerald Dawson comments:
  June 29th, 2007 at 11:29 am

  What about using Google Gears (http://code.google.com/apis/gears/) to store the bible and notes locally? There would be an initial download of the data but thats really no different then it is now. Granted, Ive not looked at gears more than just a glance but on the surface it seems like it might work. Of course, we are talking about a whole new development cycle and not just a port of the existing MyBible software.

  …Ah, never mind. I see gears requires installation of client side software to work. My bad.

  
  
• Antoine of MMM comments:
  June 29th, 2007 at 9:51 pm

  Hola Laridian;
  I am glad that you all are taking a look at the possiblity of doing an iPhone app. When I looked in on this conversation a few months back, it sparked me to write (at MMM) about the possiblities for hybrid applications. While this is something that cannot be done on the iPhone, I do think that it is very possible to have a web app if the GUI were ‘newspaper-simple’ and there were some profile component to keep the info ‘alive.’

  I have more ideas on this and would rather not air them aloud, but would be willing to chat with you all and provoke the MMM and other audiences as to what can happen when a Bible reader is forced to change the normal paradigm of doing things

  
  
• Anthony comments:
  July 2nd, 2007 at 10:50 am

  I purchased the iPhone the day it came out! As a frequent traveler, I have been looking for something to replace my pda (x51v) and ipod video. For me, the iPhone fit the bill as I no longer lug around multiple devices, chargers and accessories. YEA! I know the iPhone does not have all the capabilities of a standalone pda or ipod video however, it has enough capabilities as a phone, camera, video player and music player that it works for my use. The Safari browsers is a huge plus as I can access any web site w/ little effort when on the run. As for a Bible on the iPhone, that will come in time so in the mean time, I have been using my old and trusty paper travel Bible. I must admit, there is something to holding the physical Bible in your hand that makes reading that much more pleasurable.

  
  
• David Cammack comments:
  July 3rd, 2007 at 11:07 am

  I’m planning on buying an iPhone this fall and would like very much to have myBible available for it. Hopefully this can happen.

  
  
• Ed comments:
  July 4th, 2007 at 10:00 pm

  I know that my friends and I (who all bought iphones on Friday night) are interested in some way to use scriptures effectively on it. We have started using eBible as an online source. It’s not a bad solution but we would love to have something tailored more for the iphone. I know Apple is not making this easy for you but I just wanted to let you know that there is a market out here. Thanks!

  
  
• Jim comments:
  November 15th, 2007 at 6:02 pm

  I currently carry an iPod, Palm m500, and a cell phone. I use the Pam for a calender, adress book, text memos, and as a Bible. I would love to just carry an iPhone if it could do it all, but until third party applications are available I will have to stick with my three separates.
  Please develop a verison of myBible for the iPhone as soon as Apple’s iPhone SDK becomes available. Then I will be able to put away my Palm, iPod, and cell phone for one simple device that does it all.

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  November 15th, 2007 at 10:31 pm

  You can do it already on the iPhone. In fact, all the Bibles and books you already own are just waiting for you to sign up for iPocketBible and you’ll have access to them. I’ve switched to using iPocketBible for all my mobile Bible reading needs and it’s working great.

  
  
• Jim VanDuzer comments:
  November 16th, 2007 at 8:21 am

  Jim - The iPhone also has some basic PIM features (calendar, contacts, notes). See my article in the November issue of Christian Computing Magazine for more about that.

  
  
• Joel Carlton comments:
  February 5th, 2008 at 5:49 pm

  I just got an ipod touch which is the same thing as the iphone but without the phone. I own your bible “my bible” for my palm and it is the best bible app I have ever used. Palm is fading away and I no longer use mine nor will I ever upgrade again. Please made a version of the bible for iphones and touchs like the palm one.

  
  
• Craig Rairdin comments:
  February 5th, 2008 at 6:20 pm

  You should try our iPocketBible program at www.ipocketbible.com. Since you already own MyBible, you already own Bibles and reference books that will be available to you in the iPhone version. You can sign up for a monthly subscription and there’s no billing for 30 days so you can try it. If you don’t like it just send an email to support@laridian.com and they’ll cancel your subscription.