What’s Apple Trying to Say?

AppleInsider reported in an article this afternoon that Apple has approved Swedish carrier Telia to develop their own MMS application for the iPhone.  However, the deal is locked to just Sweden; no other country gets a similar feature, least of all the US.  So what gives?  Why is Apple approving an app like this for a single country?  I (of course) have some thoughts. 

Steve Jobs (and Apple by proxy) are very forward thinking.  As they launched the new iPods a few weeks back, they already have a group of engineers working on the ones they’ll be launching next year.  In a backroom behind the backroom the engineers are in, somebody is thinking about the iPods that’ll be released 2 years from now.  That’s just the way Apple is, and I think they can credit that attitude for them being a leader in digital music right now.  They aren’t content to just get a product out there, they want to take that product and best it.  But what do iPods have to do with this iPhone app?

I think part of the reason that Apple isn’t allowing something similar in the US is first and foremost AT&T.  I’m sure AT&T would find a way to make money off MMS, so having that done entirely over the data network is a lost source of income for AT&T.  I’m sure that has a lot to do with it.  But I think there’s a “backroom” explanation for it as well.  Clearly Apple had this stuff planned out well in advance.  Let’s take a look.

First, in January of 2007, Apple announced the iPhone to much fanfare.  Six months later they launched it.  But before they launched it, you knew they were already talking about the second generation.  They’re not stupid.  The whole argument about the iPhone not being 3G at launch wasn’t lost on them; they were already thinking ahead to the second generation and adding not only an SDK, but the App Store, 3G, and GPS.  I guarantee you those were all planned at the time of the first iPhone launch.  Besides, do you really think Apple could’ve pulled together the App Store in a couple months?  I don’t think so.  It was a huge endeavor that was months in the making.

So why do I think Apple is blocking an MMS app from the US?  Because they already know what the third generation iPhone is gonna look like.  My guess?  Better camera that takes video, better GPS chip, more power friendly 3G chip, and wait for it … full, native MMS right in the same application you do SMS with.  Tack on to that the possibility of a 32GB iPhone in January and there you go ladies and gentlemen, a pretty good idea of why Apple (might have) nixed an MMS app in the US.