Computer Science and the iPhone
Computer Science is Cool Again is a recent article I ran across. Basically, enrollment in Computer Science classes is up significantly after years of downturn. According to the article, this is due to the economic slow down and the opportunities available to computer science graduates.
Personally, I find that hard to believe – I’m not sure many freshmen or sophomores at a university are picking their major based purely on economics following graduation. Sure, some are looking at that, but I think more are looking at the ‘cool’ factor. As the article points out, Web 2.0 and the iPhone are cool.
Speaking of the iPhone, Apple announced plans for the 3.0 software. It looks great – we finally get copy & paste, there is a push for better application integration, etc. But, beyond the enhanced features, the biggest opportunity with the new software is micro-transactions. You know, the things that let you purchase add-ons like new songs in Guitar Hero or new levels for your first person shooter. This is going to continue to push the economic strength of the iPhone as a gaming platform, and I suspect it’s going to mean even further dominance within the smart-phone category until someone else can replicate what Apple is doing with the device / iTunes combo.
