Reports: Apple Set to Open Up the iPhone (Within Limits)
Apple (AAPL) won no friends among the developers of third-party iPhone applications — or the users who downloaded them — when it wiped them all out with software update 1.1.1. But with the release of Leopard (the next major upgrade of the company's flagship Macintosh operating system) only three weeks away, there are signs that Steve Jobs may be set to open the iPhone up to outside programmers — or at least those who agree to obey his rules.
The iPhone was open to third-party software from day one, of course, as long as coders stuck to writing within the confines of the Safari development environment and didn't try to write so-called "native" apps — a restriction that some hackers took as an invitation to crack the thing open on their own terms.
Now Cleeve Nettles of 9to5Mac, an Apple rumor site with a pretty good iPhone track record, reports on a burst of behind-the-scenes activity in Cupertino involving a chosen group of developers with close ties to the company. He writes:
Apple has been furiously working with their partners on games and applications for the iPhone/iPod and the standardized Human-Interface Controls that will go along with them. For instance, EA [ERTS, purveyor of Madden NFL, NBA Live, etc.] is currently porting their iPod lineup to the OSX iPod/iPhone platform to be sold along side the classic iPod OS versions. Other big developers with strict confidentiality agreements are also on board. (link)
According to Nettles, Apple is seeking to replicate the development model T-Mobile pioneered with its Sidekick, where developers who have applications the company thinks its customers might want and can demonstrate that they are compatible and don't interfere with other apps are given the keys to the kingdom and allowed to distribute them through T-Mobile's integrated payment system. Apple has reportedly hired some people from Danger (the company that built the SidekickOS) to help design the architecture of its own software testing and distribution system.
This jibes with Carl Howe's advice to would-be iPhone developers, posted yesterday on the Blackfriars' Marketing blog:
Wait for the Leopard Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard release later this month before you write off the iPhone platform. Apple hasn't shipped an SDK [software developers kit] yet, not because Apple is evil, but because the iPhone is a Leopard device. (link)
"I have heard from developers," Howe continues, "that applications of all types are being held for the Leopard release. Why? Because they rely on either foundational data structures or features (typically Core Animation, but there are others); you can read about one rumored example here."
to smokeonit -
This is a good idea.,But you must realize the complexity of this "certificate" How do you check if under some strange unforseen situation, the software does not set up a totally unforseen interaction of various peices of software that wil wrechk havoK with the phone? Testing a piece of software typically takes man-years of labor.
Here we are not talking about the computer doing yet another glitch – the potential consequence is the loss (however temprary) of your cell phone. Potentially a catastophe.
Apple is very wise to go slowly and cautiously here. Let them work their own bugs out first – get the platform stabile – then they can open it up. A liittle patience please!
In comment #1 Chicago Il wrote:
I’m not sure Apple ever explicitly prohibited 3rd-party development for the iPhone. They just wanted some degree of quality control over the process. And why not?
Because I own the hardware that I purchased, not Apple.
——
Yes Mr. Il. – this is true. But won't you be very unhappy if your iPhone fails to work? And won't you come and complain first to Apple?
My friend – they are doing it to protect YOU.
I’m not sure Apple ever explicitly prohibited 3rd-party development for the iPhone. They just wanted some degree of quality control over the process. And why not?
Because I own the hardware that I purchased, not Apple.
you know i was on my brothers computer using microsoft software and i thought what a mess i will take safari or leporard software on the i-macs any day anytime any place im a TRUE APPLE BELIEVER and the company has been a big financial investment in my life will always be grateful to apple inc for such a fantastic company
This doesn't make sense to me as serious Apple developers already have access to Leopard. Unless there is something on the consumer end where you need Leopard to install these 3rd party apps..
So does this leave iPhone developers on Windows in the dark? I still don't see why you have to develop your apps on Leopard just because the iPhone runs it.
I'm not sure Apple ever explicitly prohibited 3rd-party development for the iPhone. They just wanted some degree of quality control over the process.
And why not?
Non-article.
"Wait for the Leopard Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard release later this month before you write off the iPhone platform. Apple hasn’t shipped an SDK [software developers kit] yet, not because Apple is evil, but because the iPhone is a Leopard device."
That so true. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard brings Objective-C 2.0 wich has Garbage Collection (as Java; no memory leakage) and supports cryptographic signing of applications (to verify it's true origin and to force apple approval).
so yeah, iPhone is a Leopard device.
Have you even seen what it takes to get a developer's license for the sidekick? Amateurs need not apply. Apple is screwing up by stopping the homebrew network from forming.
i said this over a week ago on my podcast.. Wheree's my award? 
http://www.humblebrain.com (podcast)
Impatient early adopters should have waited. It's too bad people can't wait for the proper channels to open up.
I think in defense of these idiot user's who bricked their phone. Apple should have better understood phone user's and provided some information that when Leopard shipped applications would be forthcoming. But Apple is very secretive about things.That's just the way Jobs does things.
"Walled Gardens" are…ick…soooo last decade. The iPhone form factor will be knocked off by numerous asian suppliers in short order and OpenMoko or QTopia will be modded to give the iPhone experience. Stevie Jobs is sweet, but has pulled a Bozo-NoNo.
Toodles!
I listed some legitimate reasons why Apple hasn't yet opened up the iPhone here:
iPod touch nay-sayers: shackled by “gadget thinking”
http://counternotions.com/2007/10/01/ipod-touch-nay-sayers-shackled-by-gadget-thinking/
An informative unbiased article about Apple?
Yeah, what's up with that?
I guess he is allowed his one article out of every 50 that doesn't bash Apple.
You write This 'jives' with – this is a common miss-spelling I think. The word is 'jibe' – such is the danger of using the built-in Mac Dictionary application (New Oxford American Dictionary):
jibe – verb [ intrans. ] informal be in accord; agree : the verdict does not jibe with the medical evidence.
…although the word 'jive' is used so often to mean 'jibe' that it might be a good idea to introduce it as an alternative spelling!
jives? You must be jiving me, don't you mean jibes?
ex ped: I stand corrected. Fixed in text. Thanks. –Philip Elmer-DeWitt
there are signs that that Steve Jobs may be set to
1 too many "that"
———————————
ex ped: Thanks for the catch. Fixed in text. –Philip Elmer-DeWitt
You had my hopes up there for a second. We are a Mac shop running Lotus Notes. While Lotus Notes is sometimes shorthanded to, "Notes," the feature to which the article you've linked to refers is simply a note taking feature on Apple's own Mail.app. It has nothing to do with IBM's product.
why not let developers or 3rd party apps submit them to apple and apple then signs them with a certificate if everything works fine with osX on the iphone… i don't like the idea that apple is the only developer of apps for the iphone osX, osX on mac is so great because anyone can develop apps, not just apple!!!
Mr. Elmer-DeWitt
An informative unbiased article about apple? How am I going to generate my morning rage?
The "one rumored explample [Lotus Notes] here" link is about Leopard syncing with Notes on the iPhone which has nothing to do with Lotus Notes.
ex ped: Thanks for the catch. Fixed. –Philip Elmer-DeWitt
I have today just found out from the simple iTouch machine to enter internet banking service through Safari, I have successfully open up my bank account and buying and selling the stock market either in Hong Kong as well as oversea in USA in real time.
This operation is just fantastic without using the computer. None of the mobile phone in the market running Microsoft IE has the capability in doing that.
Not to mention the iPhone which should be more powerful in running the Safari or later the Leopard version internet browser.
Both simple iTouch and iPhone are most suitable for financing and/or business personal to whom they can operate their bank and/or stock account so easily
I think only reason Jobs is opening up the iPhone for native app developers is to keep them happily developing 'buzz' around the iPhone instead of for the soon-to-launch gPhone. A case of keeping its thunder from (potentially) being stolen. If that's his true concern, he'd also better open up the iphone to accept any carrier and its SIMs