????雖然iPhone 5最初在美國(guó)的銷售狀況良好，但并不代表它未來(lái)會(huì)一直熱銷,，尤其是在發(fā)展中市場(chǎng),。如今智能手機(jī)市場(chǎng)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)日益激烈，而蘋(píng)果卻繼續(xù)實(shí)行高昂的定價(jià)策略,?！救ツ辏O(píng)果推出了一款新手機(jī),?？善鋭艛橙牵⊿amsung）呢？37款,?！慷遥O(píng)果依然在沿用之前的老辦法。以其運(yùn)營(yíng)iPhone項(xiàng)目的方式為例：蘋(píng)果總是把自己當(dāng)作別人的唯一選擇,。在今年的消費(fèi)電子產(chǎn)品展上,，涌現(xiàn)出許多可以配合iPhone使用的創(chuàng)新產(chǎn)品，例如,，應(yīng)用方面有電話會(huì)議服務(wù)提供商PGI推出的一款實(shí)用,、清晰的視頻會(huì)議程序iMeet，而在外圍設(shè)備方面則有手機(jī)殼制造商Lifeproof生產(chǎn)的纖細(xì)光滑,、具有防震防水功能的iPhone手機(jī)殼Fre,。

????但有一批利用iPhone 5新型“閃電”接口的產(chǎn)品卻并未出現(xiàn)。去年,，蘋(píng)果放棄30針適配器,，轉(zhuǎn)而采用名為“閃電”的8針適配器，讓所有人始料未及,。多年以來(lái),，從汽車制造商到手機(jī)殼設(shè)計(jì)師，所有人都有一款可以通過(guò)30針適配器連接iPhone的外圍設(shè)備,。而一夜之間，蘋(píng)果卻自行改變了游戲規(guī)則,，使價(jià)值數(shù)百萬(wàn)美元的存貨面臨危風(fēng)險(xiǎn),，迫使許多公司競(jìng)相對(duì)產(chǎn)品進(jìn)行重新設(shè)計(jì)。為了繼續(xù)使用之前的外圍設(shè)備,，消費(fèi)者被迫再次花錢購(gòu)買蘋(píng)果的適配器,。這就像是為被劫持的人質(zhì)支付贖金一樣。

????當(dāng)然,，在科技界,，修改格式的事并不少見(jiàn)，但蘋(píng)果的做法卻帶來(lái)了大量麻煩,。蘋(píng)果并未盡快向合作伙伴公布這項(xiàng)技術(shù),，而是對(duì)閃電適配器的銷售嚴(yán)加控制。想知道為何適用于iPhone 5的音響或電池盒少之又少嗎,？原因是iPhone 5發(fā)布六個(gè)月以來(lái),，蘋(píng)果沒(méi)有批準(zhǔn)任何一款產(chǎn)品。規(guī)模最大的電池?cái)U(kuò)展包制造商之一Mophie的一位代表告訴《財(cái)富》（Fortune）雜志,，iPhone測(cè)試過(guò)程費(fèi)時(shí)費(fèi)力,，令人非常失望，不過(guò)好在該公司已經(jīng)基本通過(guò)了他口中的蘋(píng)果公司的“嚴(yán)酷考驗(yàn)”,。但蘋(píng)果的延誤意味著Mophie錯(cuò)過(guò)了節(jié)日季,，這才是Mophie公司最沮喪的事情。

????蘋(píng)果的嚴(yán)酷考驗(yàn)不僅針對(duì)硬件，也包括應(yīng)用方面,。應(yīng)用程序制造商AppleStreet Boys花了整整一年時(shí)間,，才獲得蘋(píng)果方面的批準(zhǔn)，得以發(fā)布其熱門(mén)游戲Guess Dat Song,。這款游戲是上世紀(jì)50年代著名游戲節(jié)目“Name That Tune”的數(shù)字版,，將蘋(píng)果iTunes商店的音樂(lè)作為其內(nèi)容來(lái)源。蘋(píng)果對(duì)于允許應(yīng)用訪問(wèn)iTunes內(nèi)容非常謹(jǐn)慎,，AppStreet Boys最終通過(guò)重重關(guān)卡,，歷時(shí)數(shù)月才獲得蘋(píng)果的批準(zhǔn)。

????當(dāng)然,，與Appstreet Boys同病相憐的不在少數(shù),。今年的消費(fèi)電子產(chǎn)品展上，許多應(yīng)用開(kāi)發(fā)商都表達(dá)了他們對(duì)于蘋(píng)果所謂“審核”制度的不滿,。人們指責(zé)蘋(píng)果經(jīng)?！半S意修改審核標(biāo)準(zhǔn)”，對(duì)于iOS應(yīng)用的準(zhǔn)入標(biāo)準(zhǔn)到底如何也始終模糊不清,。庫(kù)比蒂諾沉默幾個(gè)月之后,，提出了各種奇怪的要求，既有小規(guī)模的系統(tǒng)調(diào)整,，也有完全推倒,，重新設(shè)計(jì)。iOS審核額外增加的時(shí)間與成本迫使許多應(yīng)用開(kāi)發(fā)商繞開(kāi)蘋(píng)果,，轉(zhuǎn)而首先為其競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手——谷歌的安卓操作系統(tǒng)——設(shè)計(jì)應(yīng)用,。一款允許用戶通過(guò)手機(jī)控制個(gè)人電腦的應(yīng)用Unified Remote最先登陸安卓系統(tǒng)，而iOS版至今仍未發(fā)布,。

????Even though the iPhone 5 sold well initially in the US, that doesn't mean it will continue to sell well going forward, especially in developing markets. It continues to command a premium price in an increasingly crowded marketplace. (Last year, Apple introduce one new phone. Its arch-rival Samsung? Thirty-seven.) And yet, Apple continues to maintain its old methods. Take the way it runs its iPhone program: as if it is the only game in town.

????At CES this year, there were a number of innovative products available for use with an iPhone—ranging from apps like PGI's iMeet, a truly usable and clear video conferencing program, to peripherals like Lifeproof's Fre, a truly slim and sleek shockproof and waterproof iPhone case.

????But what was missing was an array of products that took advantage of the iPhone 5's new lightning connector. Last year, Apple shocked everyone by summarily discarding its 30-pin adapter and moving to an 8-pin version called lightning. For years everyone from car makers to case designers had made some sort of peripheral that interfaced with the iPhone using its 30-pin adapter. But overnight, Apple changed the game, endangering millions of dollars of inventory and leaving companies scrambling to create new versions of their products. Apple charged consumers a king's ransom for an adapter for use with their old peripheral devices.

????Changing formats is nothing new in the technology world, but it is what Apple did after which is truly troubling. Instead of releasing the technology to its partners immediately, it limited access to the lightning adapter. Wonder why there aren't many stereos or battery cases available for the iPhone 5? That's because Apple hasn't approved any – none, nearly 6 months after the release of the iPhone 5. A rep for Mophie, one of the largest makers of battery extenders, told Fortunethat the process for iPhone testing was exhausting and frustrating but that the company was almost through what he called the Apple "gauntlet." The Apple delay meant that Mophie missed out on the holiday season, a major frustration.

????The Apple gauntlet isn't just a feature of the hardware space; it is also a factor in the app space. It took app makers the AppStreet Boys a full year to get the ok from Apple to release their popular game, Guess Dat Song. The game, which is essentially the digital version of the famous 1950′s game show, "Name That Tune," used the music in Apple's iTunes store as its content source. Apple was extremely reticent to allow an app access to its iTunes catalogue and kept the AppStreet boys jumping through hoops for months, eventually giving them the green light.

????The Appstreet boys are certainly not alone. A number of app developers at CES expressed major frustration with Apple's so-called "testing" apparatus. Apple was accused of constantly "moving the goal post," and being cryptic as to what was and what was not acceptable for entry into its iOS app catalogue. Months of silence from Cupertino were followed by bizarre requests ranging from small tweaks to complete redesigns. The extra time and money associated with the iOS gauntlet had some app developers decide to bypass Apple all together and design their app for the rival Google operating system, Android, first. Unified Remote, an app that allows users to control their PCs using their phones, was first launched on Android and has yet to be launched on iOS.