In the Stocks app that comes with the iPhone, you can add in a number of other things than the most obvious, like this:

Add the exchange as a suffix. For example TLSN.ST results in the share price of TeliaSonera on the Stockholm exchange. The price and graph will be in Swedish Crowns.

The OMX index can be added as: ^OMXSPI

Even currency exchange rates can be added with the base currency followed by the target and then the string “=X”. Examples:

USDSEK=X
GBPSEK=X
JPYSEK=X
EURUSD=X

The first one will show the current exchange rate as Swedish Crowns per US Dollar. The others follow the same pattern.

Kudos to signature sebastian_r on the 99.se forum for this info. It’s just so damn neat…

The theories as to the reason why are, generally speaking: f*ck Adobe, preserve performance on the iPhone and iPad, and/or make multiprocessing efficient on these devices. With regard to that last, the theory goes that the OS figures out how the app works and hooks into the app and the app framework, but if there’s a compatibility layer in between, that becomes very difficult and inefficient. Actually, purely technically, without any fanboyisms, it does make sense to me.

In that case, and reading the 3.3.1 literally, nothing stops me, or Adobe, from implementing a translation from our own specific languages using a precompiler, as long as you end up compiling actual Objective-C code using XCode into the app. That’s what I would do, and I find it a better solution, anyway.

But the anti-Adobe conspiration theorists may claim Apple doesn’t want you to do this, either. I don’t know if they do, but let’s assume.

Now it gets interesting. There is no way that Apple can detect from the runtime code, or even the source code, that the code has been produced by a precompiler, if that precompiler does a decent job. If they want to stop that from happening, they’ll have to monitor the user’s machine for precompilers and editing tools, like World of Warcraft is monitoring for bots. What a fascinating circus that would be.

If you’ve seen “Minority Report”, the movie, you must remember the interface Tom Cruise uses to access files. He pulls on gloves, then works the displays as if he touches a virtual surface in space. There are a number of projects doing gloves like this, such as the AcceleGlove by AnthroTronix.

It’s obvious, to me at least, that you can’t usefully move just any graphical interface to a virtual surface like in “Minority Report”. There are UI elements that work and others that don’t work. Obviously, you can’t use a mouse, there’s nowhere to let it rest, there’s just air. You can’t use a pen. The only thing you can use is your fingers. In other words, it’s a multi-touch interface, albeit virtually and in the middle of the air.

Could you imagine if you developed a useful virtual surface like this and you wanted to use the same user interface on a hard, real surface device. How would that look? Surprise, surprise, it would look exactly like the iPad. Not like Windows for Tablets, not like any other smartphone UI I’ve ever seen, but exactly like the iPhone and iPad UI.

I don’t think this is accidental. I think this is the fundamental reason that the iPhone and iPad have never had, and never will have, a pen or other pointing device. As long as they are entirely useable using only one or more fingers, the UI translates seamlessly to a virtual surface in the air.

There are signs one can do using a glove and a virtual surface that aren’t useable on a real surface with multi-touch. Example: making the “ok” sign using your thumb and index finger could work with a glove, but not with an iPad. On the other hand, it seems such signs are rarely used even in science fiction movies, and I think there’s a fundamental reason why not, simply because they are less suitable for an intuitive command interface. This leads to the rule that one should probably not introduce any visual signs in virtual surfaces that cannot be translated to gestures using a hardware device surface.

For medicine, all this is great news. This means that if you develop a medical records interface, or the interface to any other medical system, on an iPad, it will automatically be just right for a virtual interface, such as those we will need in operating theatres and bedside.

That makes the iPad user interface the lowest common denominator. If you develop for this UI, your medical app is future proof. MS Windows based medical apps, on the other hand, are living on borrowed time.

I already knew that some laxatives can cause the urine itself to turn violet if it’s alkaline, and I’ve heard of this phenomenon of the plastic becoming discolored, but as far as I remembered, it wasn’t alarming, so I just made the regular soothing doctor noises. But the nurse persisted, said she’d heard it could indicate urinary tract infections.

So I pulled out my iPhone, opened Safari, and googled “violet urine bag” and lo and behold, there’s an article about the “Violet urine bag syndrome” from Osaka University, explaining how this happens in some urinary tract infections. Other similar articles taught me which bacteria are usually involved and when to look out for it.

I happily explained this to the nurse and told her she was right and I was wrong. Then the patient said to the nurse: “Amazing how they can get so much knowledge into such a small package” and they both looked with wonder and amazement at my iPhone. I was on the verge of explaining it wasn’t in the phone but on the ‘net, but then I thought: what’s the difference, really? Isn’t that just a technical detail? So I just nodded and said “yes, indeed”.

This is probably what Apple hinted at when the iPhone 1.0 was introduced, except nobody would believe it was a useful way of creating apps. Neither did I back then, but now I do. Interestingly, the hassles with the iTunes policy (see previous blog entry) also pushes me in that direction. Maybe they did it on purpose? Read a much sharper and more enjoyable version of the same idea at Factory Joe.

As practically anyone realizes, this is super weird and means I can’t recover the sales tax when I enter this document into my accounting. So I wrote to iTunes support and asked for a correct invoice. The ensuing conversation follows (I took out the name of the iTunes representative).

Hi,

I got this invoice through email but there is no mention of VAT.
Since the invoice is Swedish, there ought to be VAT (MOMS) and IT
MUST BE SPECIFIED! I can’t use this invoice in my accounting like
this. I’m buying on a company account, which is clear from my
account info.

What do I do now?

Thx
– Martin

Reply 1:

Dear Martin,

I understand you are concerned as to why your email receipt for an
iTunes Store purchase does not summarize the amount of tax you paid
on the purchase.  You require this information due to purchasing
this music on a company account.

I am sorry that the receipt is not completely to your requirements,
however The iTunes Store sells only to customers as end-users for
personal, noncommercial use in their respective countries of
residence.   The amount you see on your receipt is a total
(including tax) with this purpose in mind.

For more information, you can review the iTunes Store Terms and
Conditions:

http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/ww

I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you Martin.

Regards,

D
iTunes Store Customer Support

http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/ww/

My response:

D….,

Ok, so you officially claim that iTunes Store products are NOT for
commercial use??! THAT is an interesting observation, if I’ve ever
seen one. Especially since I’m developing commercial applications for
the iTunes store! Oh, boy, is this going to be an interesting article…

But may I also point you to the Swedish law, if that is of any
consequence to you?

http://www.skatteverket.se/skatter/mervardesskattmoms/sarskilt/faktureringsregler.4.18e1b10334ebe8bc80001420.html#Vadskaframgaavenfaktura

The above is a page on the Swedish tax department page that says in
detail what MUST be part of a receipt, and VAT/MOMS is one of those
REQUIRED details.

So, please, D….., don’t brush me off. Take this higher, pronto. I
want a better answer than what you just provided me with. I’m
certainly not going to settle for that.

Regards,

– Martin

His response:

Martin,

D….., here again from iTunes.   Thank you for writing back to me.   Although I do understand your concern here, I want you to know that before I responded to you I spoke to my supervisors and again this morning with regards to your issue.

Again the response is the same.  Purchases from the iTunes Store are for non commercial purposes only (as referenced in the usage section of the terms of sale).  Although I do realize you may be working on projects for Apple, this does not change the fact that the items sold on the iTunes Store can only be used for personal reasons.

I wish that I could help you further here Martin, but keep in mind that Apple does not own the content that we distribute.   We are selling on behalf of our content providers, and the specific terms of your agreement with Apple when purchasing from the iTunes Store is that the content may not be used for commercial purposes (even if you are working on projects for us).  Thus, any attempts to claim your purchases for tax reasons would be in violation of the terms of sale.

Again Martin, please accept my apologies.

Regards,

D……
iTunes Store Customer Support

http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/ww/

My response today:

D…..,

Yes, but you’re avoiding my two main arguments. One is that I’m developing business applications, while you’re telling me that you don’t sell applications for business use. So I can’t sell my applications on the app store. Right? It’s only for games, right? How come you seem to approve applications that are clearly intended to help with accounting, time management, or even professional health care apps, like what your own VP Forrestal bragged about during a keynote? These applications are clearly against your own policy and should never be approved for distribution.

So, tell me again, why should I bother developing professional applications? Just to have them refused on policy grounds, because they’re not games?

Secondly, Swedish law requires you to specify sales tax, REGARDLESS of if you sell to a business or a private person. You didn’t answer this one either.

Regards,

– Martin

Yes, I did check the Apple iTunes store policy on the Swedish site, and sure enough, it says they only sell for “end-user” consumption and not for business purposes. This seems to preclude most of the things one would use the iPhone application platform for. Very, very strange. It seems as if D…. is thinking I’m buying music on a company account, which would be weird, I admit, but that’s not what I’m doing. I’m buying business apps on a company account, but the iTunes policy makes no allowance for anything but music and games, it seems.

Update: I very quickly got this response from D…:

Hey Martin,

D….., here again from iTunes.   You make some good arguments here Martin, but I really am sorry that as a 1st level representative there is little myself, or my supervisors can to to alter the way the receipts are sent out, or make any adjustments to our terms of sale to suit individual needs.

Please know that I do understand how this may feel frustrating to you.   I have felt the same way before in similar circumstances.  I have found in situations like this that voicing your opinion is a good way to get the “ball rolling”.

Please note that Apple does take the feedback from our customers very seriously.  This is the reason for our feedback page – to create a forum where our users can vent, praise or share whatever feelings they have to allow us to meet your needs, and grow as a company.

I would encourage you to share this link with all of your friends and family who wish to see the changes you require, and have them all submit the same request.

Here is that link for you.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

I know it can seem like a straight feedback link will yield no results so I will also invite you to check out the following link. This is a letter from Apple’s CEO addressing customers who purchased an iPhone very early on at $599, then the price was reduced to $399 shortly after.   Mr. Jobs heard our customers and Apple responded accordingly.

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/openiphoneletter/

I hope that you will consider sharing your thoughts on the feedback page.

Regards,

D…..
iTunes Store Customer Support

http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/ww/

Now, that’s a great idea! I’ll do that. I hope others will as well. This is what I sent in through the feedback page:

Hi,

After purchasing a professional app from the app store (OmniFocus) I received a receipt without Swedish VAT specified. When I complained to the iTunes support, I was told that the iTunes store, by policy, only sells non-business applications for non-business purposes to private persons, and does not allow any professional use. Which explains why receipts don’t specify VAT so they can’t easily be used for accounting purposes. I checked you policies and sure enough, you don’t allow business apps.

Now, this is clearly absurd. Many people like me buy apps for business purposes from the iTunes app store and many organizations like mine do or plan to develop business applications for the iPhone.

In other words, your policy and sales both effectively stop us from both buying and selling business related software for the iPhone. This can’t possibly be your intention, or is it? Especially since Scott Forrestal demoed a number of clearly business oriented apps in his keynotes. This makes no sense!

You’ll find the details on my blog, with a copy of the email exchange I had with your support:

http://ursecta.com/wp/2009/08/anything-but-games-are-illegal/

Regards,

– Martin

PS: this feedback form requires me to check all the things I use iTunes for, but nowhere do you mention anything related to the app store. Don’t you even know it exists?

Update: The Register picked up the story, as did an Italian site and a few others. If you want the story in Italian: setteB.IT

If you’ve got an iPhone, try it out for yourself. Once you’ve got it loaded in Safari, tap the plus sign down below and save it to the home screen. Next time you start it from the home screen as if it was a real app, it will look like a real app, without any Safari chrome to give it away. You’ll also notice that the icon is totally crap, just a grey rectangle. But what do you expect from a developer that only this morning started up the IDE for the first time?

If you open up this app in Safari on the desktop, that works as well, but looks like just any old web page, but grayer. In Firefox it fails. In Explorer… who cares?

The link is:

http://ursecta.com/UrsectaReader/