The 1 hour and 18 minute event details Apple's plans for enterprise and 3rd party applications on the iPhone.
[via Tuaw]
As people delve into the details of Apple's iPhone SDK, a few interesting issues are emerging. One developer guideline that is generating some concern is from Apple's Human Interface Guidelines for iPhone:
Only one iPhone application can run at a time, and third-party applications never run in the background. This means that when users switch to another application, answer the phone, or check their email, the application they were using quits. Its important to make sure that users do not experience any negative effects because of this reality. In other words, users should not feel that leaving your iPhone application and returning to it later is any more difficult than switching among applications on a computer.
To be fair, for most applications, this would be preferred behavior. There is no reason for Super Monkey Ball (for example) to continue running in the background, using up CPU cycles and Memory. Instead, as Apple suggests, the current state should be saved and returned when the application is relaunched.
However, this has raised concerns about the feasibility of an application such as AOL's AIM client, which typically does run in the background to alert the user of incoming messages. Based on one comment, however, this only appears to be a design guideline and not an absolute technical limitation:
I'm a programmer and I just tried it [using the iPhone SDK] and you can keep your app running in the background in the normal way ApolloIM and iFob do it. I.e. overriding applicationSuspend.
Another possibility could involve individual applications launching smaller background-tasks (daemons) short of full applications, but the feasibility of this is unknown at this time.
What this brings us back to is Apple's SDK license limitations and their editorial discretion with the iTunes App Store. From Apple's license agreement, this multitasking workaround is forbidden:
Applications must comply with the Human Interface Guidelines and other Documentation provided by Apple.
Even Sun's plan to bring Java to the iPhone is not technically allowed, despite their claims:
An Application may not itself install or launch other executable code by any means, including without limitation through the use of a plug-in architecture, calling other frameworks, other APIs or otherwise.
This could also restrict announced plans for a PC emulator for the iPhone.
It's still too early to say how strictly Apple will enforce these restrictions when approving applications for the iTunes App Store. By serving as the sole distributor for iPhone applications, Apple understandably wants to restrict malicious applications, but whether these limitations begin to encroach upon genuinely useful applications remains a concern. Apple's iTunes App Store launches in June 2008 alongside the new iPhone 2.0 firmware.
iEmulator announced that they are developing a PC emulator for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
"Apple's new iPhone and iPod Touch software development kit is allowing us to quickly port iEmulator to these innovative devices," he went on to say. "It's an amazing development and operating environment."
iEmulator.com has a bit of a head start, as they currently offer a PC emulator for Mac OS X. The iPhone version will, of course, have some limitations -- no CD or DVD access, for example -- but they are looking into offering wireless or direct connectivity to load software.
iEmulator Touch, as it's called, is expected in the second quarter of 2008 and pricing has not yet been established.
Sun announced that they are developing a Java Virtual Machine for Apple's iPhone with the newly released Software Development Kit (SDK).
"We're going to make sure that the JVM offers the Java applications as much access to the native functionality of the iPhone as possible," he said.
The specific version of Java will be based on the Java Micro Edition (ME) and will open the iPhone to a large library of existing Java applications. Sun's announcement comes after reviewing the iPhone SDK since its release just on Thursday. Sun expects to release this version of Java "some time after June".
Sun maintains a sample library of Java ME games and applications. This list includes EA Sims Bowling, Scrabble, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Libris eBook reader, and more.
Sun adds its name to a list of other developers who have already announced support for the iPhone. Others include Gameloft, Omnigroup, Freeverse, SixApart, reQall, EA, and Epocrates.
Mobile game developer Gameloft has announced that they will be developing more than 15 game titles for the iPhone in 2008.
Gameloft is already responsible for a few Apple iPod games such as Block Breaker Deluxe and Brain Challenge. Wikipedia lists a number of games developed by Gameloft, including mobile versions of Prince of Persia, Rayman, Might and Magic and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six.
In the days leading up to the iPhone SDK announcement, Gameloft's keynote speech showed off this mockup of an upcoming iPhone game.
MacScoop claims that Apple is prepping refreshes to both the iMac and Mac Mini in the coming weeks.
The rumor site expects Apple to start including the 45nm Penryn chip in both the iMac and Mac mini. Meanwhile, they also expect the Mac Mini to upgrade to the GMA3100 graphics chipset used in the most recent MacBooks.
Though we don't have a precise release date, we expect the iMac and the Mac mini refreshes to happen within the next four weeks, inventory clearing being the only constraint.
They also report that Apple has been working to slim down the iMac enclosure even more, but those changes may not make it into this revision.
Recent Page 2 rumors have also suggested an imminent iMac release, though it's been some time since we've heard rumors about the Mac mini. Despite old rumors of its demise, Apple has continued to update the Mac mini with the last release in August 2007.
These Penryn updates will likely represent only minor upgrades, but the timeframe is consistent with the belief that Intel is quickly phasing out their previous generation processors.
- Press and hold on any application icon
- the icons will then start wobbling
- 3rd party applications and Web Applications will show a small "X" on the top left.
- Tap on that, and you are asked if you would like to Uninstall the Application.
These findings are from the iPhone Simulator. We don't know yet if a copy of the application is somehow kept synced with iTunes or if you can re-download a purchased application again from the iTunes App Store.
BBC had previously announced that they would be launching their iPlayer service for the iPhone and iPod touch. Yesterday, BBC officially launched a Beta of their iPlayer for iPhone. iPhone and iPod touch users who navigate to the iPlayer site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/) are now be greeted with some limited streamable content.
While there was some speculation that the release may be related to Apple's SDK, the service is based entirely in the iPhone's Safari browser. Available BBC content has been encoded into h.264 for native playback within Safari.
Only a limited selection is currently available, and content is geographically restricted to UK residents.
Update: BBC Blog describes what they've done:
Back to BBC iPlayer on iPhone implementation: we're not using the new Apple SDK, nor are we using the much-rumoured Flash for iPhone (no - we haven't seen it, either). Instead, we're creating 516Kbps streams (400Kbps H.264 video, 116Kbps AAC audio) that show off BBC programmes brilliantly on an iPhone.
More talk of Beatles coming to iTunes in 2008:
Sir Paul McCartney is to release the Beatles back catalogue online - helping pay for his multi-million-pound divorce from Heather Mills.
The singles and albums will be made available on iTunes in the coming months following the final divorce hearing, due to take place at the High Court in 10 days.
Update: UPI reports that Paul McCartney has struck a $400 million dollar deal with Apple to bring the Beatles to iTunes.
The release of the iPhone SDK provided a lot of answers, but has also raised a number of questions, many of which will not be answerable until the iTunes App Store launches in June 2008.
The general sentiment, however, has been quite positive with most expectations being exceeded. The addition of numerous enterprise features has removed many hurdles for corporate iPhone adoption, though it may still be an uphill battle against RIM which many businesses have already heavily invested in both servers and training.
The significance of a native iPhone version of Epocrates for health care professionals can not be overstated. In my experience, it alone has been significant driver in Palm sales amongst physicians, and its absence on the iPhone has been a significant hurdle for physician adoption of Apple's phone.
Developer reaction has also been generally positive. Despite lengthy MacRumors reader debates about the 70%/30% fee structure of the iTunes App Store, public developer response has been generally accepting. A notable comment by id Software's John Carmack suggests that the "iTunes distribution channel is really a more important aspect than a lot of people understand".
As expected, Apple is exerting editorial control on applications that appear on the iTunes App Store. Explicit restrictions are quite reasonable with limitations on illegal, abusive and offensive applications. Some are concerned, however, that Apple may have other restrictions that are not as clear-cut. Still, that hasn't prevented some from predicting that this marks the beginning of an enormous opportunity for Apple with the belief that "what Microsoft and Windows was to the desktop, Apple and Touch will be to mobile."
John Carmack of id Software posted some of his thoughts on the new iTunes App Store and Apple's distribution model:
Just based on the blurbs, it looks very good -- a simulator plus debugging on the native device is the best of both worlds, and a 70% royalty deal for apps over iTunes is quite good.
The iTunes distribution channel is really a more important aspect than a lot of people understand. The ability to distribute larger applications than the over-the-air limits and effectively market your title with more than a dozen character deck name, combined with the reasonable income split make this look like a very interesting market. This type of developer / customer interaction is probably the wave of the future for mobile devices, it will be interesting to see how quickly the other players can react. Based on our experiences with the carriers, I am betting not very quickly.
Carmack is a well known programmer who cofounded id Software and was the lead programmer of the popular Doom and Quake software titles.
It seems the same questions are coming up again and again, so here's an attempt to clarify some points.
What is iPhone Firmware 2.0? When can I get Applications/Enterprise Features?
iPhone 2.0 firmware is the next software update for the iPhone. It will include Enterprise features and support for the iPhone SDK and iPhone applications.
Regular customers will be able to download the iPhone Firmware 2.0 in "late June". Customers will also be able to start buying iPhone applications from the iTunes Store starting then. So for the next 4 months, your iPhone will stay pretty much the same as it did yesterday.What is the SDK? Should I download it?
SDK = Software Development Kit. Unless you are a developer or have a desire to become one, there is really no reason for you to download the SDK. It is a set of tools for developers to write software for the iPhone.
But can I download the SDK and get iPhone Firmware 2.0?
No. The free SDK from Apple provides tools to write applications and run them in an iPhone Simulator - which is a Mac OS X application which looks and acts like the iPhone on your Mac.
There is a beta program for Enterprise customers and some select developers will be chosen to test their applications on the iPhone 2.0 firmware. If you qualify for any of these programs, then you may be able to get the iPhone 2.0 firmware ahead of time. If not, then you have to wait until June.
How much will iPhone applications cost?
The individual developers set the price on the iPhone applications to be sold through the iTunes Store, so they may be any price, and they can also be Free.
I want to write an iPhone application, how much will it cost me?
The SDK is free to download from Apple. With the SDK, you can learn how to write iPhone applications and also test them in the iPhone Simulator.
If, however, at any point you wish to distribute your application to others or even install it onto your own phone, you will need to pay $99/year to become a registered iPhone developer with Apple. Once you do this, you will be able to install your iPhone application on your iPhone and/or distribute your application to the iTunes Store, pending Apple's approval.
The $99/year developer program is initially only available to a limited number of developers. If you are lucky enough to get chosen, you get the following benefits:
- access to pre-release iPhone software;
- technical support;
- the ability to get code onto iPhones for testing;
- and distribution of applications via the new App Store.
The developer program will be presumably opened up to more people closer to June.
But can I download the SDK and install my own Applications on my iPhone?
No. The free SDK only lets you run applications in the iPhone Simulator. To install your application on your iPhone, you need to be a $99/year developer.
A Youtube video from PDAMania.hu claims to demonstrate an iPhone/iPod Touch GPS solution at Cebit 2008.
The demo shows two possible options for GPS integration: a wireless Wifi transmitter and a dock-connector adapter. We think it is only a concept application because the presenter states that it is a prototype and that they need to await an SDK from Apple, and because a similar demo video was posted back on January 9th, 2008.
Apple has released DVD or CD Sharing Setup Update for Mac and PC.
This update installs software that enables remote disc sharing, system software restoration, and wireless migration with MacBook Air.
The Mac version requires Mac OS 10.4.10 or 10.5, while the Windows version requires Windows XP or Vista. For more information, Apple refers users to the MacBook Air User Guide (pdf link).
There's been some confusion on this topic due to the reporting of the iPhone SDK event, but it appears that the $99 fee required to publish your applications to the iTunes App Store is an annual charge.
From Apple's press release:
The Standard Program costs $99 (US) per year and gives members an iPhone SDK and development tools; access to pre-release iPhone software; technical support; the ability to get code onto iPhones for testing; and distribution of applications via the new App Store.
To sum up:
- iTunes App Store to browse, purchase and download iPhone apps
- Developers set the price and get 70% of revenue. Apple keeps 30% for their costs.
- Applications must be approved by Apple and apps are available exclusively through the App Store
- No charge to distribute free applications, but you still have to pay the $99/year fee.
Apple has posted a Quicktime stream of their iPhone SDK event today. While we've already summarized today's announcements, it's never quite the same as watching it yourself .
Here's our summary of today's announcements, including additional details from our iPhone Blog.
- iPhone SDK Details, First Look
- Apple Releases iPhone SDK, Demos Spore, Instant Messaging
- iPhone Enterprise Features: ActiveSync, Exchange, WPA2, Push Services
- iFund to Offer $100 Million in Seed Money to iPhone Developers
- iPhone Spore to be Released by EA in September
- Apple Will Allow Voice Over IP (VOIP) on Wifi
- iPhone Enterprise Beta Application
- Mass Email Move and Delete in 2.0, PowerPoint
OmniFocus is a personal task management application and won a Best of Show award at Macworld.
Task management shouldnt be your full time job. Weve built OmniFocus to take a load off your mind by managing your tasks the way that you want, freeing you to focus your attention on the things that matter to you most. Finish that novel. Spend more time with your friends and family. Grow your business. Let us worry about keeping your goals and tasks, both personal and professional, in one ordered, easy to access system that you can depend on.
One of the announcements at today's iPhone SDK event was the creation of the "iFund" by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
The iFund promises $100 million in venture capital to invest in companies developing applications and services for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch.
"A revolutionary new platform is a rare and prized opportunity for entrepreneurs, and that's exactly what Apple has created with iPhone and iPod touch," said John Doerr, Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. "We think several significant new companies will emerge as this new platform evolves, and the iFund will empower them to realize their full potential."
"Developers are already bursting with ideas for the iPhone and iPod touch, and now they have the chance to turn those ideas into great companies with the help of world-class venture capitalists," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We can't wait to start working with Kleiner Perkins and the companies they fund through this new initiative."
The funding will focus on location based services, social networking, mCommerce, communication, and entertainment.
Pride wallpaper, carrier satellite connectivity for iPhone 13, Screen Time improvements, and more.
Apple Intelligence is what Apple is calling its artificial intelligence feature set. Here's everything we know.
Image Playground is Apple's dedicated image creation app that can build cartoon-like pictures based on text descriptions.
If you're experiencing issues with iPhone Mirroring, follow these steps to get it working again.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
iPadOS 26 brings Apple's Liquid Glass design overhaul, new Phone, Preview, Games, and Journal apps, and more.
Apple's new Liquid Glass design, a Workout Buddy for motivation, a Notes app, and more.
3 hours ago by Tim Hardwick
18 hours ago by Joe Rossignol
1 day ago by Tim Hardwick
1 day ago by Tim Hardwick
1 day ago by Tim Hardwick
Pride wallpaper, carrier satellite connectivity for iPhone 13, Screen Time improvements, and more.
Apple Intelligence is what Apple is calling its artificial intelligence feature set. Here's everything we know.
Image Playground is Apple's dedicated image creation app that can build cartoon-like pictures based on text descriptions.
If you're experiencing issues with iPhone Mirroring, follow these steps to get it working again.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
iPadOS 26 brings Apple's Liquid Glass design overhaul, new Phone, Preview, Games, and Journal apps, and more.
Apple's new Liquid Glass design, a Workout Buddy for motivation, a Notes app, and more.
3 hours ago by Tim Hardwick
18 hours ago by Joe Rossignol
1 day ago by Tim Hardwick
1 day ago by Tim Hardwick
1 day ago by Tim Hardwick