June 12, 2007 4:00 AM PDT
Apple opens iPhone to developers--kind of
Last modified: June 12, 2007 9:22 AM PDT
- Related Stories
-
Apple kicks off WWDC with Jobs speech
June 12, 2007 -
Apple invites Windows users on Safari
June 11, 2007 -
Finally, Apple answers call for iPhone
January 9, 2007
CEO Steve Jobs announced during his keynote address at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco that developers of third-party applications will be able to create Web applications for the iPhone using Safari, Apple's Web browser.
This gives developers the chance to create iPhone applications using common Web development standards such as Ajax ahead of the device's June 29 launch. As a bonus, those applications will also work on Windows now that Safari will run on Microsoft's operating system.
But this is not what many mobile developers were hoping to hear. Unlike other mobile-phone makers, Apple has chosen not to set up a software development kit or support community for iPhone applications at this time.
Call it the iPhone compromise--Apple is giving developers a chance to get their wares on the iPhone, but not every application will work properly inside a browser without native support. The decision means Apple has a better chance of guaranteeing application security and reliability on the native applications it does allow on the iPhone, but it falls short of what other smart-phone companies--notably Nokia--offer mobile-application developers.
"It's a first small step in the right direction, but they have many more steps they need to follow," said Daniel Graf, founder and CEO of Kyte, which allows mobile-phone users to share videos and photos.
When Apple unveiled the iPhone in January, Jobs hinted that Apple would be the only game in town for iPhone application development. He seemed concerned that a rash of third-party applications could create security and reliability problems that could derail Apple's first attempt at cracking the smart-phone market.
But at the D: All Things Digital conference in May, Jobs appeared to signal that he was amenable to third-party application support, which has been an important factor in the success of other mobile devices. This had developers eager to get their hands on a software development kit. They're going to have to wait.
The Web application compromise "is probably the way to go," said one developer for a major financial services company who asked not to be identified. It avoids the potential problems that might come with allowing full iPhone development too soon, he said.
Apple kicks off WWDC with Jobs speech
Apple's plan allows the iPhone to quickly take advantage of added features that Apple doesn't have the time or willingness to develop itself, without the risk that poorly written programs could hurt the device's stability, said Mike McGuire, an analyst with Gartner. It also allows Apple to take advantage of the groundswell of interest in developing new Web applications.
"A lot of the interesting stuff out there right now are these Web 2.0 apps," he said. "Go where the momentum is."
But if Apple really wants the iPhone to be a widespread success against smart phones already in the market from companies like Nokia, it will have to create a developer community like the one it's entertaining this week in San Francisco, Graf said.
"It's a neat starting point, but I don't call this really third-party app support," Graf said. "Third-party application support means you can do a Java app, or Windows Mobile app, or BREW (binary runtime environment for wireless), and then you can take advantage of the phone's capabilities." Graf said he doesn't think his company's photo-sharing application will work without native support.
The financial services developer said he would be disappointed if Apple didn't eventually allow native iPhone apps. "Some people would want to go deeper," he said, noting that there are things developers would want to do that can't be done with an Ajax application. "I would hope they would open it up in a more compelling way at some point."
As for his company, he said the amount of time devoted to the iPhone depends on whether the firm decides to make the iPhone a fully supported platform, like the BlackBerry is currently. Whether the device earns that status depends in large part on how many iPhones Apple can sell, and what kind of people end up buying them. "Big corporations are conservative that way," he said.
And in a way, many application developers will also take a wait-and-see attitude with the iPhone, said Todd Kort, an industry consultant who has tracked mobile devices for years. Sales volume will help determine the speed of iPhone application development, and many influential factors that have yet to be fully tested, such as battery life, will help determine the iPhone's fate, he said.
Over time, however, developing a vibrant developer community is a must for any computing platform, be it Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Palm and mobile phones, Graf said.
"Look at the development arm of Nokia, they have 3 million active developers and mobile applications are nowhere yet," he said. "If Apple did anything like that for the iPhone, it would be huge."
and be able to communicate well with PC and other devices
This is why Safari and OSX has over other so called smart phones.
By the way how has Nokia have 3 million developers for a phone
with only a few thousand lines of code, Nokia have 2.5 million more
developers for Windows which has over 50 million lines of code.
My experiences with 3rd party WM apps are solid. No crashes whatsoever.
But then, I don't have T-Mobile...
YMMV.
no wireless sync support
No true 3rd party app support
No replaceable battery
No ability to add additional storage (sd card)
No office support (word, excel, etc)
Shall I go on?
Oooh, pretty interface, can run the same interface on my XV6700 w/ all the same transition effects...Only cost me 200 bux w/ a 1 year contract.
Supports Exchange
Supports wireless sync
Supports true 3rd party apps (10's of thousands)
Supports Office
Supports PDF
Replaceable battery
Supports additional storage
Again, shall I go on?
One of the reasons the Mac is gaining in popularity is because it is robust. If the iPhone turned out to be as unstable as WM (see above), it would be a tremendous mark against it, and sales would suffer dramatically. By limiting access to the guts of the phone, I'm sure that it will be more stable, translating to increased sales.
With Microsoft's CEO, it's "developers, developers, developers." With Apple's CEO, it's "users, users, users." Look at each company's stock for the last couple of years and tell me who you think is on the right track.
can code Web 2.0 or Ajax, the iPhone will be a breeze. And it
uses the security and features already available in Safari and the
Mac OS, including core animation.
This is a superb and robust choice to get developers up and
running quickly, producing secure useful programs using their
existing skillset and not having to learn a new SDK.
Once again, Apple is visionary -- and critics can't or won't GET
IT.
anything on it. About the only two applications that I will put on it
now are gsplayer and Total Commander. Both are freeware.
This thing is becoming a boat anchor the day I get my iPhone. And
I just may write a few .NET applications to run on the iPhone
single third party app that significantly improved the basic
functionality of the platform. Take a peek at what is presently
offered by third parties, and 95% is pure garbage. Why should
Apple risk undermining the entire user experience so third parties
can 'improve' the UI. Let them develop within a sandbox and
provide real user benefits instead of UI eye candy.
- goo
-
by shark12er
June 17, 2007 7:20 PM PDT
- "Thanks for uploading this, it gave me something to read on my lunch break."
-
Reply to this comment
-
-
See all 36 Comments >>http://www.iphonetools.org