Apple: iPhone SDK officially available in February

http://www.apple.com/startpage/

by jsjenkins168 • 19 years ago

39 15 19 years ago

I had just read this on an investment board a few minutes ago. This rocks.

Alex3917• 19 years ago

Loopt is going to have to go on the offensive for the next few months if it wants to remain the top player in its space once the barriers to entry are lowered. I wonder how this will shake out.

jsjenkins1683• 19 years ago

I just hope Apple is fair on whos apps they permit. Assuming anyone can build an application provided it passes certain criteria, there will be definitely be a frenzy of 3rd party app development. This could be a great opportunity for mobile software startups.

sethjohn• 19 years ago

I wouldn't count on it! ;)

My sense is that apple is much more concerned with keeping the iPhones 100% trouble-free for the 99% of people who don't want to do anything more than make calls and check e-mail than with providing development freedom for the 1% of people who are excited to start hacking their phone. (Or even just to start adding new widgets).

It's disappointing for those of us who like fun, but probably a good business decision. Suits have a lot more money to spend on phones than kids and hackers, and reliability is very important to them.

dfranke2• 19 years ago

It sounded like they're just verifying identity and nothing further. My guess is that it'll be implemented by requiring an SSL certificate signed by a trusted authority.

drm237• 19 years ago

I'm assuming that to duplicate Loopt, you'd have to restrict it to cell phones with a full GPS chipset as opposed to just partial GPS capabilities for e911. Since the iphone doesn't have full GPS capabilities, I don't see this as really being a threat to Loopt at all. If they could get it to work with the e911 locating feature, then it would be applicable to all current phones...

asmosoinio• 19 years ago

Interesting news -- Apple promises release of iPhone SDK, Nokia introduces S60 touch interface:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/16/nokias-s60-touch-interfac... http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/6089_S60_Touch_Inte...

Related?

(Don't know if S60 means anything to people in the US, but it is the major smartphone platform in Europe and Asia)

dottertrotter• 19 years ago

This is great. I think the capabilities of the iphone touch screen system are gonna make for some great gaming possibilities that we haven't seen before. I know I've got some ideas already at least.

tlrobinson• 19 years ago

Great! I've been attempting to develop iPhone applications using the unofficial toolchain, but it hasn't been easy considering the complete lack of documentation and smorgasboard of new/different frameworks. While, in some respects, it's very similar to programming on Mac OS X with Objective-C and some of the same Cocoa frameworks, the interface frameworks are completely different.

It will be nice to get an Apple supported solution.

cstejerean• 19 years ago

I knew it was just a matter of time before Apple opened up the phone for outside developers. I don't understand why everyone blamed Apple for trying to monopolize the phone. When a company just enters the mobile business you have to cut them some slack and give them credit for doing a few things well instead of trying to cram everything into the initial release.

jsjenkins1683• 19 years ago

It remains to be seen on exactly how "open" the iPhone will be with the official SDK, however. I will give Apple the benefit of the doubt and expect that they will be hands-off and let developers distribute and monetize their iPhone applications as they choose.

But as several reports have indicated, Apple may use iTunes to maintain control over app approval, distribution, and purchases. I really hope this doesn't end up being the case.

testapplication• 19 years ago

Just pointing out why the GPLv3 is nothing but a pointless complication: as long as your app doesn't come installed on the iPhone by default, it can be licensed GPLv3; Apple can sign the binary, and, as the iPhone is the only platform your app is made for, you bypass the whole 'tivoization' clause.

Dauntless• 19 years ago

The benevolent dictator shows more signs of goodwill towards his subjects.

Apple: iPhone SDK officially available in February

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