The market of iPhone applications is emerging since Steve Jobs iPhone developer kick off at the WWDC 2007. The essential decision of Apple to open up "only" the web browser Safari for third party developers is disappointing on the first view. But when you drill it down, there are many advantages and sure, some disadvantages, too:

If the iPhone is bundled with suitable data rates without money pits, there are a lot of benefits coming up with browser-based applications:

• By restricting third party applications to run in the Safari sandbox there is no need for expensive certifications (like the ones for Symbian apps) any more.
• The installation process for the user is minimized to setting a bookmark – or remembering the URL 😉 There is no need for a "deployment"any more.
• Updating the software is pretty easy – just update the application on your server.
• Copy protection mechanisms are not needed any more: The application is only working by logging into your application server.
• Web based billing and payment systems ease up the developer’s life.
• Syncing mobile and Internet apps is pretty simple – or it is right there from the beginning.
• Rolling out a mobile interface for a web-based application can be realized fast – because the web and mobile interface can be realized with the same application platform.

But there are also some disadvantages. Apple may get rid of some of them by creating innovative interfaces and solutions – but for now, we have to cope with them:

• Missing context sensitivity: Place, situation, current process and environment of the mobile user is out of reach of the mobile application. But there are several solutions you can think of to get context sensitivity interfaces for iPhone application developers.
• Missing activation: Browser applications cannot come to the front autonomously – to wake up, to alert etc.
• Missing access to iPhone resources: The web applications do not have access to the photo-lens or the microphone of the mobile phone. Hopefully Apple will come up with some innovations here, too.
  No offline application: You cannot use the application while having poor network access or even no access at all.
• Money pit foreign countries: At present, you have to take the use of data services in foreign countries with a pinch of salt – normally the user finds himself in a jungle of data roaming rates with exorbitant prices. There is a lack of transparent and fair data roaming rates. Let’s hope the network operators understand, that the real mobile internet will only succeed if data rates at home and abroad will not ruin the users.