Podcasting will win big thanks to the iPhone

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Post ImageThe iPhone has already had a big impact on the technology industry, what with the stock prices of both RIM and Palm falling sharply today, and it will continue to have an impact over the next couple years. Certainly when it launches this summer, we’ll find out if all the hype is justified. And there will most certainly be copycat designs.

In any case, I think the launch of the iPhone bodes well for podcasting.

Apple describes the iPhone as “a breakthrough Internet communications device” thanks to its support for Wi-Fi and EDGE. We know that it runs OS X under the hood, and that it supports Widgets. It isn’t entirely clear just yet if it’ll be possible to get a podcatcher running on the iPhone, at least from everything I have read, but the idea certainly seems plausible.

Apple’s iPhone will let you walk around with Wi-Fi Internet access in your pocket. Even if it can’t podcatch all by itself, other device manufacturers and future editions of the iPhone most certainly will. The iPhone will open up the “pocket Wi-Fi device floodgates”, so to speak.

Heck, maybe it will even prompt Microsoft to open up the Zune’s Wi-Fi capabilities.

It might not be apparent for quite a while, but I am confident that the iPhone will have nothing but a positive impact on podcasting.

Published by Mack Male

Mack is on a mission to change the world through code and prose. An entrepreneurial journalist based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Mack is the co-founder of Taproot Publishing, a digital publishing company that helps communities understand themselves better.

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6 thoughts on “Podcasting will win big thanks to the iPhone”

  1. I think the only real innovation is the full touchscreen and the UI research. That on its own may be enough (along with the fanboys) to compel sales.

    btw and unrelated – I switched to newsgator inbox to the newsgator desktop sync (seemingly still in beta) which is a nicer fit the Outlook 2007 (you know the program with the hangs on pop3 receive still!!!) and there’s no direct comments links in the feed items anymore – bit of a pain. The RSS support in Outlook 2007 seems like a last minute V1 feature set.

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  2. P.S. It’s a bad reflection on Microsoft that Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone edition devices have been able to do all of this stuff since at least 2003 SE but sadly have (a) not been given a cool enough UI and (b) a HDD although memory cards can go a long way these days and (c) the marketing to push them as consumer devices.

    Oh and why can’t I have my Pocket PC run as a Zune (since Zine likely runs on Windows CE)?? Also, why isn’t there an IPTV for Windows Vista (when there’s one coming for 360)?? Why isn’t there a software media centre extender for Windows Vista??? I suspect the answer is probably because the PC or PocketPC is not considered a secure enough device for rights protection at this point whereas a Zune Player and an 360 is.

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  3. My Outlook 2007 has been acting strange lately. And by that, I mean that once or twice it has actually downloaded POP3 email REALLY fast. I am trying to figure out what is different. I really hope they have a new beta of NewsGator Desktop Sync soon…it has potential.

    I totally agree about Windows Mobile. It has all the features, functionality, and testing completed (having been in the marketplace for a while now). It’s really quite stable. The only thing it lacks is that dash of magical Apple sexiness.

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  4. I sent an email to the MS Outlook General Manager today – we’ll see what response I get. I think this problem isn’t come up much because the release has been to mostly Exchange-type users rather than PST+POP3 which will hit if heavily at the end of January – could be very embarrasing.

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