[Seamus]

At first, I thought it was to designate "internet" as the iMac did when it was first introduced. But now there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it at all...

"i"Apps:
iChat
iCal
iTunes
iMovie
iDVD
iPhoto

Non-"i"Apps:
Address Book
Safari
Mail
Sherlock

What gives?

[JB72]

iSync

I think the iApps are the digital hub specific apps. Meant to all work together to a certain extent to make previously difficult, or just intimidating tasks easy. The iApps also seem to be the ones where Apple envisions a closer tie in, or enhanced usability via .Mac.

[Seamus]

Originally posted by JB72:
iSync

I think the iApps are the digital hub specific apps. Meant to all work together to a certain extent to make previously difficult, or just intimidating tasks easy. The iApps also seem to be the ones where Apple envisions a closer tie in, or enhanced usability via .Mac.

Then explain Address Book.

[wataru]

Explain to me why this is an OS X topic.

[eno]

Originally posted by wataru:
Explain to me why this is an OS X topic.

Because many of these apps only run on Mac OS X, most are bundled with Mac OS X, and they comprise some of the core functionality of Mac OS X (eg. update iTunes and you are actually updating your OS because you're installing new drivers and updating frameworks).

[JB72]

Originally posted by Seamus:
Then explain Address Book.

Well I think in the case of Address Book, it's really seen as a utility to browse whatever you happen to have saved locally. It's iSync that's doing the "digital hub" work here. I assume that if you didn't even use Address Book, and just had your contacts from your Palm (or other contact program,) iSync would bring them to the .Mac address book all the same. I suppose a similar case could be made for Mail. Although I don't know for sure as I do in fact use Address Book, and Mail with iSync and .Mac.

Now iChat is a strange case though. It can use a .Mac account of course, but it doesn't really add anything. Certainly not any more than Mail. If my thoughts on .Mac and iApps are correct though, maybe they have more in mind for it in the future? I dunno. For the most part the iApps are marketed as advantages of the Mac platform in themselves, while the others are seen as part of the overall functionality of Mac OS X.

Of course it's not all that black and white, and I'm just guessing myself. Maybe even Apple doesn't have a hard rule as to what differentiates a regular app from an iApp. Although with iLife and the non-iApp Safari now, it does seem like they have a more specific differenciation in mind for the future. While I think when they started off with iMovie it probably wasn't much more than a way to emphasize it's ease of use like how the iMac was designed and marketed as making the internet less intimidating (and maybe computing in general.)

[caution: the above opinions are the result of lack of sleep, and may be completely void in the morning.]