iPhone/Touch SDK confirmed for Feb 2008

[Shayne]

Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers? hands in February. We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users. With our revolutionary multi-touch interface, powerful hardware and advanced software architecture, we believe we have created the best mobile platform ever for developers.

It will take until February to release an SDK because we?re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once?provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task. Some claim that viruses and malware are not a problem on mobile phones?this is simply not true. There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.

Some companies are already taking action. Nokia, for example, is not allowing any applications to be loaded onto some of their newest phones unless they have a digital signature that can be traced back to a known developer. While this makes such a phone less than ?totally open,? we believe it is a step in the right direction. We are working on an advanced system which will offer developers broad access to natively program the iPhone?s amazing software platform while at the same time protecting users from malicious programs.

We think a few months of patience now will be rewarded by many years of great third party applications running on safe and reliable iPhones.

Steve

P.S.: The SDK will also allow developers to create applications for iPod touch.

Source: http://www.apple.com/startpage/

Making my decision to import and unlock easier and easier.

[Tonnica]

Delicious news is delicious. I hope this sets a precedent for other cell phone makers/providers.

There are some really nice home-made apps for the iPhone that really expand the functionality of the device. Providing an SDK will hopefully mean we see some of those nice homebrew tools released "legit" and allowed to be loaded and run without ending up with a locked-up phone because you had some non-corporate widget on it.

[Lazybones]

Probably still best to wait till it launches in France as they REQUIRE the phones to be unlocked. The current software unlocks run the risk of dying after every Apple update.

[Shayne]

I read that this morning that France was getting unlocked phones.  Pricing of $399 Euros is a pretty good chunk of change after exchange vs. the USD price which is cheaper after exchange.  I'm going to Vegas in January so hopefully Rogers does their announcement before then.

[Lazybones]

Apple can't use the iPhone name in Canada yet because just like the in the US there is a company here already using the name iPhone on a product.

That and the iPhone would require bigger data plans.

[Thorin]

By "bigger" you mean "cheaper", right?  The typical Canadian telco would offer a data plan that's twice as big as their biggest one now and only fifty percent more expensive...  Meaning it's cheaper per kilobyte, but still prohibitively expensive!

[Shayne]

The data plan is a burden but not a deal breaker just yet.  I am aware of the iPhone Canada thing but I anticipate they will simply market it as Apple Phone or something to bypass.