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More Legit 3rd Party iPhone Applications on the Way?Thu, 10/04/2007 - 03:56 — Cleve Nettles
Apple is specifically looking to replicate the model of TMobile's successful SideKick application development and distribution platform (although obviously not in the Sidekick's Java). Apple has even brought in some of Danger's (SidekickOS creators) application development team to help with the architecture. A public SDK announcement will likely be made in the coming months which could possibly be included with Xcode. More likely, the SDK will be given only to high level developers with established close ties to Apple. In the Tmobile model, developers (who can prove they are developers by submitting a working application) get a key that opens their Sidekicks for further testing. Once they feel they have a stable working application, they submit it to the Danger/Tmobile team for compatibility testing. If Tmobile/Danger feel the application is stable, won't interfere with other applications and would be of interest to their customers, they make it available for download and install through an integrated payment system. The cost of application is added to the customer's monthly bill. The Danger team actively works with the developers to insure compatibility and stability in applications through SidekickOS updates. Whether Apple would make the applications available on Mobile iTunes via an over the air upgrade compared to their current model of installing from a host computer's iTunes is uncertain. The direction they are heading is certainly towards making the iPhone a solitary device so one would expect mobile iTunes to bear some of this load. Also, the applications would be billed through the user's iTunes account rather than the phone bill in the Tmobile model. The rationale for Apple's recent complete and total lockdown of the iPhone is that these games would be easy to port to the unlocked versions of the iPhone. Developers could easily sell the applications on their own without Apple taking its cut (which is guesstimated to be about 2/3rds of the take). These pirated applications could also be distributed via torrent sites like music and movies are currently. Apple, learning about the devastating effects of pirating from its first hand experience in the music and film industry and their own OS/applications, does not want this to happen. Therefore, one shouldn't expect Apple to release a way for non-developers to freely install applications on their iPods and iPhones.
These moves will likely further sever the iPhone OS fork and subsequently make the unlocked iPhones more valuable than ever as a hacker device.
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While Apple's official line is that the only 3rd party iPhone development will be on the EDGE-crippled Web 2.0 "SDK", behind the scenes, there is much more going on. 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 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.
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Comments
It's T-Mobile not Tmobile ;)
It's T-Mobile not Tmobile ;)
who the fuck cares!!!!!!!!
who the fuck cares!!!!!!!!
Does anyone have a iPhone
Does anyone have a iPhone that hasn't been updated out there? I updated mine and really wish I could return to 1.0.2.
IS there a place where they still sell 1.0.2s? Like refurbs at apple.com or something? the 4GBs have to be still on 1.0.2 right?
It's an upgrade, it comes to
It's an upgrade, it comes to all phones over the internet. The user decides whether or not they want to accept the upgrade. Phones in stores will probably have the most recent firmware, unless they are still unwrapped in the box and have been in the store from more than, say a week or two ago. But first time you plug it in, you'll need to make sure you don't upgrade your firmware again.
Dude, there is a way to
Dude, there is a way to revert back to 1.0.2. Read up on it and DO IT! ;)
I've not upgraded my 1.0.2
I've not upgraded my 1.0.2 to 1.1.1, mainly because I really like the apps that are available - I use Sketches (the etch-a-sketch clone) to markup pictures, iFlashCard to brush up on my languages, and TextEdit most every day.
I like the thought of having a double-click to get to iTunes, but it's not enough of a benefit to outweigh losing the 3rd party stuff.
Oh, and I did elect to download the update, just not install it. iTunes on the Mac doesn't make you update the firmware in order to sync... YET...
You can down grade the phone
You can down grade the phone with out much hassle now.
Look around the net there are several guides on how to do this.
The only real issue I had was getting the phone into recovery mode, since you need to have just the right timing with the Home/Power button.
this all seems quite likely
this all seems quite likely though i don't see it being a part of xcode. I think we will see the locally stored web apps that are rumored 1st to tied us over. A lot of people are forgetting how new this embedded osx is and want everything now, this is a long game being played and the next year or so will be very interesting.
It seems quite obvious that
It seems quite obvious that they want to lock it down to try extract all the revenue they can. In the world of consumer electronics PCs are sadly an anomoly. For example every gaming console ever sold (AKAIK) extracted their vig from 3rd party developers.
Plus it allows them to tap into other service revenue like the Ring Tone and also make sure VOIP on the iPhone doesn't get rolling. Also I suspect it would be much more difficult for them to keep the iPhone SIM locked if they opened up with an SDK.
It should be "its," not
It should be "its," not "it's." It's also "sever," not "severe."
9 to 5 is quickly becoming my favorite Mac rumors site, but c'mon... how about a proofread?
-J
we're hiring an editor. ;)
we're hiring an editor. ;)
Glad to hear it. While
Glad to hear it. While you're at it, "guesstimated" is *not* a word. Every time someone uses it, the English language dies just a little more. You can guess or estimate anything. The only thing you 'guesstimate' is a G.E.D.. ;)
Keep up the good work, guys. Love the site.
-J
It's been a word since the
It's been a word since the 30s. Check the dictionary
I'm actually okay with this,
I'm actually okay with this, if things go as described in this post and Apple is really working hard ('furiously') on extending the iPhone/Touch platform.
I've never owned a Sidekick, so I don't know how the model has worked there.
As a Touch owner, my fear is that Apple will gimp the software library available for the Touch, as they did with the installed apps.
You said "EDGE-crippled Web
You said "EDGE-crippled Web 2.0 "SDK"" This is just inflammatory, not correct.. Wi-Fi anyone. It's disappointing when incomplete information is used just to inflame.
I really hope this is
I really hope this is true... what's the source??
Apple should at least support Flash in Safari if this isn't going to happen or is going to take long. That one technology would open all sorts of doors for application development, games and presentations (although the user would need to be online).
Apple should tell us that!
Apple should tell us that! We need 3rd party apps.eReader and so on...
The biggest complaint, of
The biggest complaint, of course, is that Apple is in the loop in regards to what applications are allowed and not allowed.
Fun example: Suppose I write a great GPS program. Suppose, say, Tom-Tom writes a mediocre GPS program. Does Apple approve both, or do they decide that the Tom-Tom application has the best chance at success (because of the name). Do I devote a year to writing a great application only to submit it and be told "No, we're going with a competitor"?
Will Apple make decisions based on content? If I want to write a strip-poker program (or better yet, MacPlaymate) will Apple come along and say, "Nope."
Who decides on prices? I think my wonderfully awesome killer-application is worth $99.95, but Apple decides it's worth $19.99 (and I'll get $13 from that)--like all other iPhone applications.
What about marketing? Suppose I write an iPhone program suitable for a vertical market. Will Apple market it to those people, or will I have to pay for that out of my $13?
How about volume or site licensing? If I write an application which a company wants to deploy to all their employees using iPhones, how does that work? Since Apple is handling the sales, can I offer a discount? Is there any way for the IT department to do this, or will they have to tell the employees to buy it from Apple?
That's why I'm not all that impressed with the "Apple in control" model you describe.
Well said...
Well said...
Agree...
Agree...
Excellent summary of the
Excellent summary of the real damage to the customer caused by the approach Apple appears to be adopting. Centralized planning never works...
[quote=macmanager]Excellent
[quote=macmanager]Excellent summary of the real damage to the customer caused by the approach Apple appears to be adopting. Centralized planning never works...
[/quote]
Really? Quick, somebody tell Nintendo. But make sure to yell real loud so your voice can make it over their big bags of money.
perfect summary - so much
perfect summary - so much for an open platform. And you nailed it with the decision making. Already Apple is doing this with big names. Say you create a fantastic safari widget on the iphone but then apple works with a "partner" to be an embedded app - do you think you could even possibly compete? Apple did great job on the technology but they are really screwing up with supporting their developers. You can really tell from the beginning that they did not think about the 3rd party app / widget ecosystem at all and are coming up with the story as they go. Where's the roadmap Apple? Where's the official Apple widget listing for the iPhone to submit our apps to? Embrace your supporters Apple, don't kick em to the curb.
I don't think this is a bad
I don't think this is a bad thing. I can't tell you how many times a
customer of mine had loaded something on their treo and then had to
reload the whole thing with old backups or worse...a synced backup.
Bear in mind, his royal highness, Steve Jobs always said "Convergence devices
suck" and he's right, but i'm sure they knew everyone wanted an ipod- phone- so inevitably Apple does it their own way. Should I enlighten you about the
wonderful Nokia I used to have that no-one at Nokia or Cingular could figure
out just what were stable MEdianet settings on the frickin' thing? and the
radio that was in it well...needed a "special headphone" that nobody sold?
I think all these dev complaints are really sour grapes. Wait till Leopard comes out and Apple implements other features other phones don't have.
I'm pretty sure this why Apple is locking us out of a full blown sdk.
Why can't Apple treat this
Why can't Apple treat this like they treat widgets? Put out and SDK and let the developers submit their work to Apple for approval and posting on apple.com. Then let the user decide which apps he wants to download and when and do it AT NO CHARGE!!! We already paid $600 for the friggin' phones, now I have to worry about being nickel and dimed by Apple for applications I can currently get for free?
I just don't get it. Bad move IMO. Embrace the developers and they will help you. Lock them out, and they will be determined to find ways to break or work around what you've spent so many hours and $$$'s trying to prevent. Save your money and work collectively. Developers can be like extensions of your own (Apple) Software development team. That way your team can spend more time on development and less time worrying about 3rd party hacks, (which wouldn't be as prevalent if you were working with developers instead of against them) and maybe future iPhone updates can be feature packed and not complete duds like 1.1.1.
You're going to do what you're going to do, but the world doesn't need another Microsoft. We've already run that course and are disgusted by it.
And by the way, when are we
And by the way, when are we going to get full Exchange support anyways (not the crappy IMAP support we currently have), or I don't know, the ability to sync with iTunes wirelessly or via Bluetooth.
Spend time developing on that instead of thinking up ways to prevent people from loading what they want on a piece of HW they purchased.
One thing I see as missing
One thing I see as missing in all of this is a way that I could submit an application that I actually want to give away for free -- even if it goes through the "approval" process, "free" would mean Apple's cut would be 0.
That would suck.
Yes, and where can I get a
Yes, and where can I get a ringtone that is 1/10 second of silence?
For those calls from numbers I really don't care about I really would like to silence the ringer....
It took me a minute or so under the slightly more open 1.0.2 environment.
Now, I can't even buy such an item.
The risk from ringtones seems pretty minimal. It is clear the motivation is money. It is also clear that the ultimate result is far less selection for the customer.
There is a lot of precedence
There is a lot of precedence for this. All the carriers have implemented a "certification" program for Java apps. It ends up costing developers quite a lot of money and typically the carriers pick and choose what they want to promote, which is usually only the big brands. Also, it assumes a model where applications are sold as opposed to given away
So where are we at, a little
So where are we at, a little over 3 months since the iPhone was released? A lot of people (on the internet) apparently are really pissed off that their hacked phone is bricked or that they can't install 3rd party apps anymore. Give it time. features will unfold, hacks will be figured out, Apple will counter.
You have to look at this device as a phone first, a "computer" second. And even when you look at it as a computer, think of it as OS X 10 or 10.1. There is much to be done. I don't want to say baby steps but I would think that Apple is learning a lot about mobile integrated media devices. Do I wish the iPhone had more apps? Sure.
What I don't want is an unstable, wonky, broken phone!
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