Here’s the primer :
Open up any modern (hardware) keyboard and start Google-ing the bigger parts on the circuit board to begin understanding that not only are these (awesome) units built on 10-20 year old technology but the iPhone is considerably more powerful.
With that said we introduce products such as the Akai Synth Station

or the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer that I have posted several times on the MIDI Mobilizer, most currently here.
So what’s the problem now, right?
I just read a follow up article on CDM regarding this topic. This article ultimately falls in line with all the NDA protection and conjecture on the Apple policies. Here’s a few quotes from CDM:
Here is a few lines from the referenced CDM article (this will cause brain pain):
The old agreement
3.3.24 Your Application may interface, communicate, or otherwise interoperate with or control an iPhone Accessory (as defined above) through Bluetooth or Apple’s 30-pin dock connector only if You have obtained a license for such iPhone Accessory under Apple’s MFi Program.
The new agreement
3.3.25 Your Application may interface, communicate, or otherwise interoperate with or control an iPhone Accessory (as defined above) through Bluetooth or Apple’s 30-pin dock connector only if (i) such iPhone Accessory is licensed under Apple’s MFi Program at the time that You initially submit Your Application, (ii) the MFi Licensee has added Your Application to a list of those approved for interoperability with their iPhone Accessory, and (iii) the MFi Licensee has received approval from the Apple MFi Program for such addition.
{via CDM} Apple is now allowing third-party apps to support those hardware accessories – provided Apple approves both the accessory itself, and via the accessory’s maker, the app.
I don’t want to discuss the inner workings of this statement, but it is clear that we there is some nasty stuff going on.
Let’s bring it around to the end users (you and me).
The iPhone (OS) and similar devices has the potential to revolutionize the synth, controller, and hardware industry 3 years ago. Unfortunately it looks like another 3 years is going to pass before anything real happens.
Apple is not going to relinquish control for us greedy electronic musicians who are often much smarter than the other iPhone users and have a high density of hackers and programmers in the audience. Roland and Korg are safe (for now) but the end may be near. As soon as there is an established protocol and standardization for input/output on these devices the guitar pedal market is going to shrink considerably. The number of effects on outboard pedals that can not be “virtualized” is pretty small. Boss, as a pedal manufacturer, should be worried, very worried.
When some required changes finally take place here is my prediction:
- End users are going to grow the tool kit exponentially
- End users will need to sift through a market of mostly crap as weak programmers and (cr)app(y) development will dominate
- Large companies will be crushed as they lack the inherent required agility to shift with the market
- Large companies will further alienate users as they grasp to old ideas of revenue generation that do not work in the “app” market
- Boutique sales will slowly rise and dominate as the choice of professionals (tube, analog, and other similar choices)
- Smaller companies and blogs will become the resource of choice for those in the know
- Large “knock off companies” such as Akai, Alesis, Bheringer, and Novation will mass market popular choices that lack the quality professionals desire
I really don’t know what the future holds, but one thing is clear – the technology is moving faster than academic, corporate, and traditional media can keep up with.
It is up to us, the (Ableton and electronic music) users, to make am impact and speak honestly and truthfully in all realms to keep music alive.
If we fail, the traditional stability of pedals, keyboards, and instruments in general will be suffocated by an influx of cheap China knockoffs, crappy apps, and bug laden software that crushes so many systems everyday already.












