Get on the iPhone Bus

It's almost here and I can't wait. That's right! The iPhone makes it's debut on June 29th. I've read several blogs where AT&T has increased their workforce by hiring several thousand additional workers to help with crowd control. If you have not taken the guided tour of the iPhone you can check it out on Apple's website.

I rarely make predictions on anything that has to do with technology. When the iPod first came out, I was an early adopter. To be honest, I thought it was cool but I didn't think it would have the impact it did. Why? I was solely focusing on the gadget itself. I didn't really pay attention to the fact that this gadget was fully integrated into the MAC operating system. I didn't pay attention to the fact that iTunes was a really cool site where I could easily purchase songs not albums. Apple didn't only focus on the product, they focused on the total experience. It was easy and cool. So, I'm going to make a prediction. iPhone will do for the cell phone industry similar to what the iPod did for the music industry. It will dominate it.

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Dear Credit Union Industry,

Get on the iPhone bus....and be quick about it.

Cam

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Why?

Apple did some subtle things that shouldn't go unnoticed. First, they told third party developers that you CAN'T have access to the full blown API of the iPhone. Second, they didn't come out with a browser look-a-like. They put Safari in the iPhone. Third, they're leveraging technologies like Google and Yahoo search engines and recently announced a YouTube. Apple is building conduits to these best of breed technologies.

When Apple decided not to give developers the API, I thought it was a brilliant move. Obviously, Apple didn't want third party developers messing up their phone. They learned from Palm's mistakes. As a software developer I was a bit hurt. As a consumer, I say bless Apple for doing that. It's an acceptable trade-off.

What Apple told the developers; you have Safari, stop whining, now go develop. It's not a slim down version of Safari (we're told). It's real deal. Why? Because the iPhone's operating system is MAC OS X. If anyone wants to debate on which operating system is better...MAC or Windows just name the time and place and I'll be there. By the way, have you seen Apples next version of MAC OS X? Check it out!

Today, home banking applications run in browsers. Since the iPhone has Safari, I can assure you that your members will try to log into their home banking systems to see if they can do stuff. For those members who will buy the iPhone, expect some calls into your call centers asking when your home banking site will be iPhone ready. Count on it!

For those credit unions whose websites were written in .NET, download Apple's beta version of Safari for Windows to see your website is going to be fine. We developers know that Microsoft prefers their own browser to be used for .NET applications versus browsers like Safari and Firefox.

We've all heard that text based mobile banking is something that we all have to deal with. Cell phone companies are lowering the cost of text messages. The iPhone has SMS capabilities. Credit Unions could certainly just go the SMS route and play it safe. The cold hard reality is that credit unions will have to look at both (text messaging and iPhone) versions.

Finally, have someone in your credit union go out and buy an iPhone. Use it to navigate through your website, access your home banking application, and process a loan application. If these systems need modifications, consider doing them. You might have build iPhone ready sites. Buy it because your members will and they will be asking you some questions very soon.