tintedpane.com

First there was the Palm, which brought third-party applications to the PDA. Then there was the rise of the internet, which brought “cloud” computing such as webmail and online photo galleries. Now with the advent of the iPhone, the new third-party developers should really get in tow and understand that we don’t want apps that store data on the phone or on our personal computers*. The data should be easily accessible from multiple interfaces/locations — iPhone, desktop, library, etc. Utilize the internet! The iPhone is an internet phone so design your apps appropriately. Take for example, some of the mileage tracking apps on the App Store. Many are still storing their data locally on the iPhone and backing it up to the computer when you sync. That’s the wrong way to do things.  The should have it uploaded onto networked servers. You want to be able to access this information anywhere, and also be able to save and upload to it at your convenience. If you lose your iPhone, the data will still be there. You just need to find another “interface” and you’re back in business. Utilize the internet people. The way it’s supposed to be used. And perhaps there are people out there who will step in and fill this need for generic server utilities…

/end rant

*For the most part. There are always exceptions.