No Java Support for Apple iPhone

Just stumbled upon Ed Burnette's commentary on the hot-on-frying-pan Apple iPhone at JavaLobby. In an interview session, Steve Jobs has firmly pointed out that there'll be no Java support for the upcoming Apple iPhone!!! What does Steve Jobs has in mind to decide leaving out J2ME support????

To the non-technical readers, you might not find it a big freak or fuss when you are told that Apple iPhone is not planned with Java support. But, what if I rephrase it and say, your phone will miss out plenty of useful mobile applications and games without Java support? ;)

If you have a color-screen camera phone which is preloaded with some games inside, you may try browsing to its specification profile at the official site, and most probably you read a line which says "Support for Java technology" or even further descriptions accompanied with the version of MIDP and CLDC. I can say at least 80% of the new phone models available in market are supporting Java. This is the underlying platform which makes your phone extensible in game and software support.

So, if Apple iPhone doesn't support Java, you gonna miss tons of popular mobile games and applications. Gmail for mobile is running on Java, Maybank2u Mobile is running on Java, and etc.

So now do you feel the threat of extensibility with Apple iPhone? ;)

Of course, without Java support, it doesn't mean that there'll be no additional downloadable games and applications for Apple iPhone at all. After all, Apple iPhone will be running on a trimmed down version of Mac OS X. But the issue is, how many developers out there are developing on Mac OS X platform? When the developers community is small, coupled with the lower market demand for Mac OS X mobile applications, I think Apple iPhone users will not have many choices to extend the capabilities of their "revolutionary phone".

I'm not saying that Apple iPhone is all that bad. At least, I do agree that, and confident that the usability of Apple iPhone will definitely be excellent. Being a iPod user, I'm impressed with the ease-of-use of the small click wheel. However, no matter how good the usability of Apple iPhone would be, as long as it doesn't support Java, users are basically locked down with the choice of extensibility.

Let's hope Steve Jobs will change his mind to include Java support :)

Until now, of all I know about Apple iPhone, it's still appearing as a personal entertainment companion to me, than a good choice as PDA-phone.