“Today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unlocked the iPhone’s true capabilities. Apple put out a beta version of an iPhone SDK, or software development kit, which allows third-party programmers to create applications for the iPhone,” Salon reports. “The program will go live for the public in June, when Apple releases version 2.0 of the iPhone’s system software. The new capabilities will go out to all iPhones for free.”
Salon reports, “That is, in a few months’ time, everyone’s iPhone will be able to run programs made by a software developers across the world, not just those in Cupertino. Firefox for the iPhone — not to mention Quicken for the iPhone, 3-D games for iPhone, maybe even Skype for the iPhone — is no longer a dream. It’s a reality.”
“Today’s announcement goes far in cementing the iPhone as the leading mobile platform — Apple’s SDK looks so powerful, and its licensing terms are so reasonable, that mobile developers would be crazy not to adopt the iPhone as their main focus,” Salon reports.
“You can expect many big software companies to get into the iPhone applications business. At the presentation today, EA Games, Sega, Salesforce.com, AOL, and others showed off some great iPhone sample programs they’d created in just a few weeks’ time,” Salon reports. “But not only big companies will make iPhone programs. Today Kleiner Perkins, the huge Silicon Valley venture capital firm, announced a $100-million fund to invest in new companies looking to create programs for the iPhone.”
“At the Apple event, Kleiner partner John Doerr hailed Steve Jobs as the ‘world’s greatest entrepreneur,'” Salon reports. “In making the iPhone accessible to other entrepreneurs — software developers everywhere with with bright, useful ideas — Jobs may have proven Doerr right. The iPhone, now that it’s open, could really be huge.”
Full article here.
I will finally be getting one this year. Looking forward to it for sure.
Those who put off getting an iPhone until it offered more have missed out on what it has to offer NOW. I’ve enjoyed all it has and look forward to the new apps and 3g this summer.
Then the wife will get the old one.
Don’t forget about the Touch!
And in other related news, Palm and Windows Mobile both received their death sentences today thanks to Jobs’ announcements.
after this… I really don’t see much work left for SJ to do. This next release is a world changer.
mw: death (to all other smartphone makers)
Suddenly, 10 million sold in 2008 sounds low. For every iPhone-using corporation that was mentioned today or through media in the future, their competitors will be demanding the iPhone to stay in the game. Boom.
And I imagine quite a few IT staffs will either learn to adapt or change jobs.
iPhone killer, Sumsing Turbo 3000, released! See it here:
@Spark
hahahaha…. sadly its probably true now.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSS…
Once the real SDK is in place, Apple sends out their updates and sets up iTunes, the other phone producers will be hurtin’. Are you listening RIM?
Crackberry goes to Rehab… Available exclusively on iTunes!
Now all we need are a couple more models… a tablety one (6″ screen? w/and without phone services) and a smaller, iPod sized one.
“a tablety one (6” screen? “
That’s what Andy Inahtko is waiting for.
Know what would be really funny… If MS licensed some of the Apple API’s (or sought to) to put all of the (soon to be) thousands of iPhone apps onto its BiggAzz’dTable. What a hoot!
I don’t get it. Why would you wait for the SDK to come out before getting an iPhone? It’s not like they are changing the hardware.
Since you are waiting, it’s a good idea to just wait 20 years because the iPhones then will be a lot better, so why buy one now?
Well I guess it’s finally time to learn Objective-C and make some spare change in my free time.
If only he’d cement the ability to copy and paste and use the landscape keyboard in any application.
Boy, if I can think up a good app I may have to learn programming too! Pretty heady stuff.
I’d be looking forward to a Native Skype program that intergrates with my contacts. I mean if I’m at home why not use wifi and skype for cheap. I mean it’s almost like the tmobile wifi thing. Though i still want my A2DP
Copy and Paste? Whats that? Who cares? I can’t even remember when I did that with my other stupid smart phones.
@R2
Do you really think other improvements and fixes would be talked about at this event?
I’m sure version 2.0 will have a ton of other enhancements that were not mentioned. Just like any OS X updates. They list the heavy hitters first but when you read the full release notes, there are many other little things fixed.
mw: “bad” as in what RIM is feeling about now
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@Think
Good point.
Apple ha gone a long way to selling Microsoft Exchange Servers.
The SDK download is gone from the Apple site as of 5:30pm PST.
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The requested URL /iphone/program/ was not found on this server.
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
Apache/1.3.33 Server at developer.apple.com Port 80
@Think
No, you’re not sure. You’re HOPING it’s included. However I’m sure you were hoping through all of the previous firmware updates, too.
Me, I’ll believe it when I use it.