Explain To Me Why Push Is Important

I’m reading around about the iPhone SDK announcement, and I see people making a big deal about ActiveSync and ‘Exchange Push.’

My web-based mail client pings home frequently (a couple of times a minute, perhaps) via AJAX techniques. Phone apps have the same HTTP connection available. If you’re curious, keep Gmail open with the LiveHTTPHeaders addon installed and watch the request/responses stream by. Isn’t frequent pull the same as “push?” I’m having an acid flashback of the Wired hype about Push in the mid-90s…and the PointCast screensaver, which “pushed” a bunch of information to you while you were away from your computer…

I guess I’m just annoyed that “Push Technology,” in 2008, is still being called out as something customers need…

Update: Since Third-party apps appear to be limited in that they have to terminate when the user switches apps, this probably makes a daemon harder to run on the iPhone. I’m starting to understand the announcement.

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4 Responses to Explain To Me Why Push Is Important

  1. Merrick says:

    Having worked as an IT Consultant for years out here in Biotech Beach I can tell you many c-level executives feel they need email on demand, thanks to RIM no doubt. Many executives I dealt with were so addicted to email that if an hour went by without email they would call IT because their Treo or Blackberry was broke :)

  2. everett says:

    I remember the good ol days when I had my blackberry and could delete emails from the server with a click. Now I can pull from the server but not delete. So I end up seeing the same email twice – which kind of defeats the purpose. If you use gmail the problem is solved but emailing from gmail isnt exactly professional in the eyes of many execs.

  3. Travis says:

    As someone addicted to the crackberry, I must say, push is required!

    I would hate to have to actively synch every time I wanted to check email.

    With push, employees can send me notes or as questions knowing that I will instantly get them and be aware.

    I cant wait for Apple activesynch to be up and running officially.

  4. geri says:

    I am thankful that I am not addicted to all of these email and text message devices. I find my work time consuming as it is… I don’t need to be that connected… And I’m OK with that.

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