Okay, here is the first reality check. I don’t think Steve reads me and even if he did I am not sure that he would care.

Secondly, my frequent trips to the Apple (News - Alert) store, (think of Sam Walton of Wal-Mart / Walgreens counting cars in the Kmart parking lot) shows that enthusiasts are numerous. For a clever but off color statement about this watch iPhone vs. Evo YouTube.

Finally, based on the stock price and sales, Steve can take his own sweet time about addressing my needs.

However, I and many of my friends have combed the SDK of Apple looking for ways to make things happen, M5 and Radvision have enable communications from the IPAD and I have made Skype (News - Alert) calls on my iPod Touch (Please let me call it the iTouch, its so much more personal). However, delivering over these devices is not the same as having compatibility on a network basis.

The delay in enabling Google (News - Alert) Voice on the IPhone by Apple shows that Steve takes the control of communication very seriously. He must we can’t get to it.

That said, when Steve said the magic word “Facetime” he pointed to standards. Not only did he point to standards, but he pointed to our standards. He pointed to SIP and H.264. This means he could also promote interoperability.

Instead we have an over the top strategy that makes ATT look like a gelding in a stud farm. IMHO ATT adjusted their prices to prepare for the eventual video traffic of the iPhone 4. Apple gets to eat the carrot and ATT got to show the stick.

Verizon (News - Alert) Wireless and Skype at least pushed the envelope for interoperability interconnecting using an RCS. Is it a perfect solution, no but at least Skype has provided an interconnection.

Here is the reality check.

There is nothing about the phone from Apple that adds to the cool factor. 

Everything cool about the iPhone {which are numerous) have to do with the web, video, gaming and everything but communication until the iPhone got Facetime.

More Irony, Facetime was a pretty good IM compatibility platform before Apple took the name. Just like the original Internet iPhone (aka Vocaltec) was a real VoIP interconnection solution.

So terms that meant interoperability to me are now nothing more than proprietary marketing labels. It’s like the inverse of what normally happens to a term. Normally a term goes from proprietary to public like the word formica lost forever to the company Formica.

Steve, here is my own Face time offer. I will save you three seats at the SIP Tutorial. (My understanding is that is all that is required, but you are welcome to join your developers).

 Join the rest of us and be part of the next generation of interoperable communication.

When you were struggling Microsoft gave you money, software and compatibility. Return the favor to the rest of the world. Pay it Forward.