Third-party iPhone applications to arrive Monday

Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the App Store in March, and third-party applications delivered through the store should arrive Monday.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

The era of officially sanctioned iPhone applications should kick off on Monday.

That's the same day Apple CEO Steve Jobs is expected to take the stage at the Moscone Center to unveil the next-generation iPhone at the company's annual Worldwide Developers' Conference. A source at a software company that has been working on a native iPhone application tells us the company is getting ready to launch that application on Monday, which could also imply that Apple's App Store will be up and running that day.

The App Store is going to be the only way to get official third-party iPhone applications onto your device. Developers have been submitting their applications to Apple for testing and verification since the iPhone SDK became available, and in exchange for hosting and distributing the applications Apple is taking 30 percent of the revenue generated by sales of that application.

Gizmodo has reported that the newest iPhone--which is expected to connect to 3G cellular networks--will be immediately available on Monday. Based on this latest information, the iPhone 2.0 software--which enables the delivery of official applications through the App Store as well as several other business-friendly features--should also be available for download on Monday.

That software is supposed to work with both the current version of the iPhone and the widely expected 3G version that should make its debut this month, so you won't have to buy a new iPhone to start using iPhone applications.

But you might want to buy a new one if you get lost on a regular basis. The same source was able to confirm reports from earlier this week from GigaOm and Wired that the newest iPhone will have support for GPS technology, enabling the iPhone to get a precise fix on your location. The combination of GPS and faster networking speeds should allow for a whole range of location-aware applications to proliferate on the iPhone, as they have on other competing phones.

[jrm125]

You know what's awesome?

How I've been able to do this for years on my Windows Mobile device (including free, open source apps).

Know what else is great?

How I don't have to purchase JUST from one place, but any number of companies, providers, and download sites.

Flame on zealots.

[inachu]

I still would like to know what the development team over at Apple were thinking not to installl any games on the iphone.
If any of you developers are reading this then this is your wakeup call!

[Constable Odo]

You know what's even more awesome? The WinMo platform has been around for years while losing market share to BlackBerry and with the advent of the iPhone and eventually Android it's going to be totally clobbered. Personally, I'd rather do one stop shopping and find 1000 apps in one spot then have to look around in a 1000 different spots for one app.

It's not that WinMo is bad, it's just that it doesn't quite compare to OS X Mobile. Well, time will tell when it comes to smartphone market share in the next few quarters.

[Vegaman_Dan]

[jypeterson]

There are already a great number of applications already availible for the iPhone (and iPod Touch). However, you do have to jailbreak your iPhone. Developers have been using the installer programs to distribute beta versions of their software among the more technical iPhone users. There are some wonderful programs out there and next week there will be even more!

[cbazza]

Google's Android will also have an application portal aside from many other simple ways for users to obtain and install apps. I am sure Google won't be asking for 30% off the top. One must be crazy to accept these terms and have no alternatives.

Carlos.

[cbazza]

Google's Android will also have an application portal aside from many other simple ways for users to obtain and install apps. I am sure Google won't be asking for 30% off the top. One must be crazy to accept these terms and have no alternatives.

Carlos.

[computergeek1971]

I used to be an Apple hater as well...I still think the Mac people are idiots to pay twice as much and get half the performance...However the iPhone is one of the best "gadgets" I have ever owned. I will be buying the new 3G phone on Monday!

[rnieves1977]

lol at the comments below...

[Nodack]

I'm with you jrm, I was able to buy all kinds of third party software that made my Treo crash from all kinds of vendors for years before the iPhone came out. Too bad I hated the Treo and half the crap in it didn't work and it's user interface sucked. If all your interested in is buying third party software that makes you cell phone crash on an inferior device than I say stick with the windows mobile device if it's working for you.

[Sabroson]

I take it that is why your Windows Mobile device is selling SOOOOOO WELL, Right? If it is SOOOO GOOD how come these devices are barely selling in comparison to RIM and iPhone?

I rather download from ONE trusting place ( no viruses ) than extend my trust to UNKNOWN websites ... but that is just me ... there are 90% of Windows users that would rather have more viruses so .. I must be wrong ...

[harold1968]

The comments about WM are very misplaced. It has been the most rapidly growing OS of all time. When it was at version 1 and 2, I remember all the articles talking about how it had no chance against PALM. It has completely pasted PALM and Symbian. all the O2 XDA, Tmobile MDa and 100 other's providers smartphones are all WinMo.
Yes, it has been challenged by the iphone, which I love. i had an iphone. i went back to WM as i needed all the apps I used and removable MicroSd storage. Apple will always be the style win but never the functional win. And the HTC diamond is sure to be serious competition - higher resolution screen, nice design (I like key buttons), etc. cometition is good!

[sevasjack]

iPhone is something amazing what people cant leave from their mind %) like a zombie

[RedFoxOne]

Outstanding! Always seems that 3rd party apps come along that are MUCH bette than anything the maker puts out. Why is that?

JT
http://www.FireMe.To/udi

[reason2008]

I just purchased a MacBook Pro this past weekend. The sales person at the Apple store showed me that the portable device they use to process transactions on the sales floor runs Windows Mobile. I found that to be pretty funny, though I understand that Apple simply doesn't have a device that currently does that type of thing. Perhaps they'll create a credit card reader for their iPod Touch.

[cbazza]

Funny to read here that viruses and bad software are crashing the devices (Palm and WM examples above); isn't the purpose of a modern OS to be stable and provide an environment where apps can't take down the system if they go bad ? Also by design Java based apps (MIDP, Android, etc) do not have the capability to crash the OS because they run in a sandbox. The problem is not the apps, the problem is the OS implementation.

Carlos.

[MrKhaki]

"3G cellular networks"?? Not possible. 3G, like most, if not all, mobile phone networks in North America are digital. Cellular is dead.

Journalists referring to mobile networks as "cellular" or "cell" is a pet peave. We in a digital world now, having finally caught up with Europe who launched digital, not cell networks, in the early days.

Please get it right and stop propagating arcane technology in articles and daily speak.

[y2khonorsgrad]

The WM Palm Treo 750 was THE worst phone I ever owned in the 15 years I have used "cell" phones.

[CIAhole]

I've owned a number of Windows-mobile devices, virtually since their inception years ago, from a number of different providers and encompassing a number of different models (Treos, Moguls, Blackjacks, etc.). There is a tremendous amount of consistency among these devices. Unfortunately, they are consistently substandard pieces of crap. So, I suppose the more important distinction of the iPhone above the Windows-mobile platform is, the iPhone actually works as advertised.

[computergeek1971]

Actually Nick Bates you are VERY CLUELESS. Apple customers are accustomed to ONLY paying RETAIL price. However a simple search online and you can find many coupons and deals on PCs and Notebooks. I have ordered more than 15 laptops in the last 4 years for friends and family members since they know I am a pro at finding good deals.

Well Nodack, perhaps "twice" the performance is a slight overstatement, but the price is nearly twice as much. For example, I just purchased a Dell XPS 1330 with T9300 (2.5GHz, 800Mhz, 6M L2 Cache); 4GB RAM; and a 64GB SSD for $1,700. The closest thing to the XPS 1330 is the Macbook Air. It cost nearly twice as much $3,098; has half the RAM (2GB vs 4GB); CPU is 38% slower (1.8GHz vs. 2.5 GHz); doesn?t have a DVD-ROM (no movies); doesn't have an independent graphics card; no fingerprint reader...etc. And to my surprise the Dell XPS1330 came with zero crapware so I didn't have to do my usual reformat. I benchmarked it on PCMark05 with a score of 7,619.

I wont bother going into detail of all the software I use that wouldn't work on a Mac.