The wait is nearly over for developers keen to start making native iPhone applications. Apple has been promising to release its iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) in February, and given the company’s penchant for making big announcements on Tuesdays, today could see the announcement. That’s if the SDK hasn’t been delayed, as some reports over the weekend suggested.
Why didn’t Apple let developers create iPhone apps from the start? The company says it was keen to ensure iPhone didn’t suffer from viruses and malware. However, the large number of people unlocking their iPhones and installing unofficial apps shows there’s a demand for advanced functionality on the handset. Just today, I’ve written about a SNES game emulator on the iPhone, for example.
CNET has an excellent article on the implications of the new SDK, focusing on just how open it’ll be, and how many hoops developers will have to jump through to get their applications on the iPhone. Apple boss Steve Jobs claimed when the SDK was announced that “We are excited about creating a vibrant third-party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users.” Only hundreds? This raises the notion that Apple may plan to vet apps fairly strictly before allowing them onto iPhone.
Particularly intriguing will be Apple’s approach to music-based applications, particularly if they compete with its own iTunes store. For example, it’s possible for rival music download stores - eMusic or Amazon, for example - to develop iPhone applications using the SDK. But will Apple allow them onto the handset? Watch this space…
Now that is an interesting point. Personally, I think they’d included those music apps, it’ all about selling more hardware right?