Monday, June 09, 2008

iPhone SDK Apps: MLB Hits Lead-Off HR

I have been tracking the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference today, and the SDK apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch have at least one sports application that might intrigue:

Among the case-study apps that Apple unveiled, one came from MLB. Let me quote from the MacRumors.com live-blog:
The app shows today's games with live, detailed scoring. It also includes real-time video highlights, which are delivered right after the play -- not the game. It will be included in the launch of the App Store.
That emphasis is mine.

This is a game-changer. Presuming that other leagues follow suit (and that's no given; MLB is pretty forward-thinking when it comes to tech apps), this might totally redefine a highlight culture that has been dependent on "post-game highlights."

When the highlights can come as soon as they happen, we are connected that much more closely to our sports (and, from the league's perspective, to MLB). This feels like a win for both sides, fan and league.

-- D.S.

UPDATE: That was fast. (Uh: As fast as usual.) Reader KL writes in with a quasi-correction/explanation to the above post:
I just wanted to let you know that MLB currently offers real-time video highlights on their website, through Game Day. This new app will move it to the mobile world, but they already have the functionality. I was impressed when I noticed it earlier this year and really like the forward thinking nature of it. Moving to the iPhone just takes it one step further.
Fair enough. iPhone and iPod Touch owners only! (Really: Moving this functionality to mobile will be big, won't it?)

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