(Column) - The recent trend in the tech space is to open everything and let go of closed standards. Obviously the tech industry is following the Web closely with its excitement around open networks and platforms where users can interact with one another and form like-minded communities. On the tech front, naturally, the communities revolve around developers and an abundance of applications for particular devices where the amount of buyers and applications will end up determining the success of a given product. A couple of weeks ago, Apple released its SDK for developers in an effort to help them build applications for the ever popular iPhone. It's a great move, and as users, we love the anticipation to see a plethora of quality applications make their way to our phones. After the announcement, however, a group of users weren't satisfied with a "mere" SDK. They wanted more. In fact, they want Apple to completely open its platform where developers can create a customized version to meet their needs, similar to Google's Android.

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In retrospect, that might seem like a workable solution, but there's one critical flaw with this thinking. Part of the magic of using Apple products is the Apple experience. Everything from customer support to UI to the sex appeal, Apple gets it. Apple products are tailor made to appeal to our fine tastes that are difficult for even its toughest competitors to duplicate. Clearly by opening its platform and make it completely customizable, that experience would disappear and the iPhone will become just another expensive smartphone. Apple doesn't need that. Sure, that might help it gain market share, but it will deteriorate its commitment to users and the loyal community surrounding Apple as a brand.

Experience is one part of the picture that will impact the company's user base. Internally, Apple will have a nightmare fielding tech support calls from users with limited knowledge of customized OS X versions, releasing updated iPhone models with little more than hardware upgrades, pricing them comparatively higher and operational issues to manage an "open" product. Again, all of this risk killing the Apple touch that we have come to enjoy from a series of user-friendly products.

Is this a sound idea? Quite possibly. It's just not Apple's taste, however. So for those of you who seek an open iPhone platform, unfortunately, it's unfeasible and you wouldn't enjoy it anyways.        

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