Among my peer group, I’m considered something of a freak of nature: not really the coolest guy to be around, but handy to have when something goes wrong with a gadget. My sister was just joking with me about how I could take care of any problem that was gadget-related (and let’s face it, there’s no shortage of those!). Heck, she quipped, she could attach an iPod to a toilet, and I’d suddenly be imbued with the power to unclog it.

But there has always been one corner of the technological universe that has remained hidden from me: application development. I’ve burrowed fairly deeply into web application scripting, but this is a far cry from real, honest-to-goodness programming.

Nowhere is that more true than on the Macintosh. Programming the Mac is nothing like any other environment. The Mac makes use of an object-oriented language called Objective-C. And once you get your head around the rules of that language, you have to figure out the incredibly extensive Cocoa frameworks, which connect your instructions to actual operations on the system. Eyes glazed over yet? Yes, mine too.

But I have spent a lot of time in the past year knuckling down on this topic. I’ve pored through books, attended C4, and now, I’m in the later stages of developing my first actual Mac application. It’s a great time to be alive, isn’t it?

But it’s too early to tell you what it is. Instead, I’ll throw cryptic hints, like these two:

• The application’s code name is Quantum.
• It does stuff to your files.

I’m also working with a fine icon designer, Jordan Langille of One Toad Design, and I’m hoping that we’ll have a finished icon to show off in the near future!

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The iPhone.

“A widescreen iPod, a mobile phone, a breakthrough Internet device.” Since its US introduction last spring, it has been something of a preoccupation for me, and for countless others in Canada. This thing is for real, and it promises, for the first time, to put a legitimately usable networked experience into my pocket.

And it’s just freakin’ beautiful.

The only problem with the device, per se, is that because it’s a phone, it needs to be tied to a cellular network provider in each country it’s sold. Apple made a deal with AT&T in the US, an exclusive arrangement for an undisclosed number of years.

Just this week, Apple launched the iPhone in the UK and Germany; France is imminent. Meanwhile, those of us in Canada are wondering just when the heck we can expect this thing? After all, given our proximity to the US in geography, economy and love of reality television, how long could they keep us waiting?

Well, it’s pretty clear to me, if not everyone, that Apple’s not the holdout here. It’s clearly in their interest to have the iPhone for sale in as many places as possible, thus to maximize their profits. But their wireless partner in Canada — as yet unannounced — would surely be causing the delay.

It’s no surprise why this unannounced partner would be holding things up. Here’s how a conversation might be between Apple and the unannounced wireless partner (UWP):

Apple: We’d love it if you guys would carry the iPhone in Canada. Given its overwhelming success in the US, we can tell you for sure that it’ll be your best-selling phone. Ever.

UWP: We agree. We also like that we’re the only company in Canada that you can deal with, since Bell and Telus are too stupid to have a network that interoperates with the rest of the world. Their loss, we guess. Anyway, we’re good to go.

Apple: Great! We’d like you to offer the same package rates as AT&T offers in the US. $20 for unlimited data and -

UWP: Woah. HOW much for unlimited data? We don’t think we heard correctly.

Apple: Twenty bucks.

UWP: You’ve gotta be kidding us. Look. We charge $10 a megabyte up here. We’ve got our customers trained to bend over and take it with wireless data. Do you think we could maybe have a 2 megabyte plan for $20 instead? I’m sure iPhone users would be happy with that.

Apple: [making choking noises]

Nonetheless, I’m sure that a deal will be reached. Eventually.

But the issue here is that there is a giant vacuum where some knowledge needs to be living. Into that vacuum has gone everything else: unintentional errors and downright lies. This is just a sampling of the Canadian iPhone action over the past few weeks. The persistence of the so-called “news” about the launch says as much as anything about how expected the iPhone is.

So who is this unannounced wireless provider? There is only one answer. The only carrier in Canada capable of supporting iPhone is Rogers. Owing to the bizarre fact that they run the only GSM network in the country, they’re the only ones Apple can go to. Unlike in other countries, they can’t leverage carriers against each other to ensure a fast and competitively-priced time to market. And it shows: by now it’s certain that there’ll be no iPhone before Christmas, which is to both Apple’s and Rogers’ detriment.

Rogers’ currently policy is a either a terse “no comment”, or worse, a lame “it’s in Apple’s court”, that nobody could possibly believe. So right now, every Canadian who cares is simply feeling validated about Rogers: they’re a bunch of greedy gatekeepers scrabbling to hold onto their monopoly at the expense of their customers.

But just because negotiations between Apple and Rogers are stalling, doesn’t mean we need to have an information vacuum. This is actually a chance for Rogers to do something good for its future customers. The company should start by at least acknowledging the obvious: they are working to bring the iPhone to Canada. And while we’re waiting, they should let us sign up for a notification. When the iPhone is ready to launch, the VERY FIRST PEOPLE to learn it should be the people on that list. That way, no rumours will sully my workdays and get in the way of doing my job.

There’s a movement for companies to be more open. In this, Rogers could be a leader. Keep their customers-to-be in the loop, and they’ll do something more important than soak them in the short term: they’d build long-term brand loyalty.

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