Report: iPhone software development kit due in early 2008
Is Apple ready to embrace developers for the iPhone?
According to one report Tuesday morning, yes. BusinessWeek cites sources "familiar with the company's plans" who say Apple will officially release a software development kit for the iPhone in early 2008. Those sources say the official announcement could come during Steve Jobs' keynote at the annual Macworld Expo on January 15. Apple could be waiting to release an SDK until after Leopard, the latest version of its Mac OS X operating system, is released. Apple said Tuesday that the official release date is October 26.
The report contains few other concrete details, but an Apple-sanctioned kit will likely be embraced by the developer community that has already created scores of applications for the device without Apple's official blessing.
It could also cut out some of the tension that has sprung up between the iPhone maker and its customers. Apple angered both developers and iPhone owners when it released a software update for the device that either "bricked" it or erased all unauthorized applications in September.
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica. 
It's nice to see that Steve Jobs finally realized this.
Apple controls that through their EULA.
wallpaper the moment you bought your iPhone.
Apple now allows custom ringtomes although only ones you buy
from them so far.
It has been rumored for a long time that the iPhone's software is
really a version of leopard and that after leopard is released they
will allow a developers kit for the iPhone to make apps. Apple
has already been working with some select companies such as
EA sports to make software for the iPhone.
The iPhone just came out 4 months ago people. Have a little
patience and quit biting the hand that feeds you. Apple knows
what it is doing. Take a chill pill things just might work out OK.
Apple can't tell you what to do with you phone, but if you don't
listen to them hack your phone and it gets screwed up, don't
come crying to Apple that your phone was messed up.
"Apple's official update screwed up my illegal hack. I'm going to
sue for a billion dollars."
everybody was stealing it for free on the internet. Everybody said
what a stupid idea and predicted doom for Apple. Apple forced
everybody that went with them to agree to 99 cents for music
even though they wanted to charge more. The music industry
and companies like NBC did force Apple into the DRM anti
pirating codex so people can't share the music they download
even though Apple wasn't a fan of that.
I think the biggest reason iTunes was and is so popular was, 1.
they were the first ones to the party. Everybody else thought
they were nuts and had a wait and see attitude. The early bird
gets the worm. Once iTunes was successful it was almost too
late for everybody else to catch up. 2. They made prices
reasonable even though they had to fight with the record
companies over that.
Now several years later after it has been proved a huge success,
NBC just decided to play hardball with Apple because Apple
refused to allow them to RAISE prices. NBC said they wouldn't
renew with Apple and Apple said let's just end this relationship
now then.
Now to get back at Apple, NBC has gone to a different music
store, lowered it's prices and took off the DRM anti pirating
codex that they demanded from Apple.
They did exactly the opposite thing they were trying to force
Apple to do.
Now in order to establish themselves in their new marketplace
they have to lower prices and take off the anti pirating software
so people will buy from them. If they do establish themselves in
their new home do you think they will keep prices down forever?
I doubt it since their whole reason for getting pissed off at
Apple in the first place was for not allowing them to raise their
prices.
That is the free market system.
I see both sides viewpoint. NBC and other companies want full
control over their prices.
Apple has built a hugely successful business model and they
don't want anybody to screw it up.
As far as owning the whatever you buy and can do whatever you
want to it, I agree. Keep in mind that you will void the warranty
of almost anything you buy if you go in and tinker with it.
I buy a new car and tinker with the onboard computer to try to
increase gas mileage. Guess what, my warranty is now null and
void.
I buy a new plasma screen TV and tinker with it. Yep, warranty
null and void.
Rip open my DVR to add a bigger hard drive. Null and void.
Open the case on your new Play Station to add a hack. Null and
void.
Are all these companies big meany bullies? A lot of you will say
so, but they built a product that doesn't need to be tinkered with
and most likely if you tinker with them you will screw them up
and since you deliberately did exactly what they said you
shouldn't do, you are responsible.
Go ahead and add hack your iPhone. It's yours to do as you
want. Keep in mind you just voided your warranty and Apple
isn't responsible for it anymore. Their new update screwed up
your iPhone?
It didn't screw up my iPhone and my warranty is just fine. I also
look forward to all of the new (licensed) third party software
coming out for the iPhone as soon as Leopard is released. There
is even a developers kit coming out then AS SCHEDULED for
those with a little patience.
The free market will win the day and smart people will get
rewarded for making smart decisions.
- $
- by alb203 October 16, 2007 1:31 PM PDT
- 1) Ok, when all you guys pay for the research and development and design a phone of your own then you can say it's your phone. Until then be happy with what you got. The people complaining are the same ones that run to the store or call tech support every 5 mins because you did something you weren't supposed to and now your phone is broken. The reason they don't want you to do things to your stuff is because then when you break it you expect Apple to give you a new one for free. You waste their money, time, and resources on things that if you hadn't messed with wouldn't be broken in the first place.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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- From Steve's mouth
- by JaquesLenoir October 17, 2007 2:43 PM PDT
- Third Party Applications on the iPhone
- Like this
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(11 Comments)The other reason they don't want you messing with things is they want to be able to make those features down the line and make people want to buy more. Do you really think the ipod would be so successful if they gave you everything you wanted the first go round??
2) For those that think that by complaining apple changed their mind. Apple was going to put out the SDK but they wanted the product to be out there first. Cart before the horse here people. And for the guy that is comparing iTunes to Amazon it's real easy to come in and do something supposedly better when someone has been doing it as long as itunes has. It's completely diff to get all those customers that are happy with itunes to dump it for Amazon. It's the reason why McDonalds is still selling Billions.
Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers? hands in February. We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users. With our revolutionary multi-touch interface, powerful hardware and advanced software architecture, we believe we have created the best mobile platform ever for developers.
It will take until February to release an SDK because we?re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once?provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task. Some claim that viruses and malware are not a problem on mobile phones?this is simply not true. There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.
Some companies are already taking action. Nokia, for example, is not allowing any applications to be loaded onto some of their newest phones unless they have a digital signature that can be traced back to a known developer. While this makes such a phone less than ?totally open,? we believe it is a step in the right direction. We are working on an advanced system which will offer developers broad access to natively program the iPhone?s amazing software platform while at the same time protecting users from malicious programs.
We think a few months of patience now will be rewarded by many years of great third party applications running on safe and reliable iPhones.
Steve
P.S.: The SDK will also allow developers to create applications for iPod touch. [Oct 17, 2007]