Mike and Dieter speculate on the SDK announcement, discuss enterprise email support, and read from your letters. Listen in!
All Articles Tagged omgnoappz
It’s coming, the SDK is really really coming. Thank the lord. Apple has sent out invitations to an event titled “iPhone Software Road Map.” That may or may not mean they’re actually releasing the SDK, but it doesn’t sound like we’ll be getting a slew of new apps next week.
Yes, it technically is late for the February release, but it’s a relief to not be so in the dark anymore. Also interesting:
Apple also said to expect details on “some exciting new enterprise features,” which at first blush sounds to me like a method of getting the iPhone to work more closely with corporate e-mail software – CNET
Hello Exchange support?
The SDK might be delayed one to three weeks, says Arik Hesseldal of BusinessWeek:
I’m hearing from one source that its going to be late. I’m not yet hearing any reasons why, and it’s sounding like the official release date could slide by anywhere from one to three weeks. [...] However I’m also hearing that the situation is fluid, and a lot of last-minute decisions are close to being made about what precisely will or will not be disclosed next week, if anything. There are, apparently, a lot of moving parts to something this complex.
A lot of “moving parts,” eh, ya think? It would be a major bummer if the SDK is delayed, but it wouldn’t be too shocking – the sand is quickly running out of February’s hourglass. Fairly soon, though, we’re going to have some information about the SDK and I have to admit that my expectations are rising the more I think about it.
This is related (again) to Mike and my discussion in our iPhone Podcast last week. As I see it, there are four ways that the SDK announcement (whenever it comes) can shake out. Read on for some thoughts on what we might see and what I hope to see.
Mac Rumors is reporting that the Apple Event, the one we were all hoping would bring the announcement of the SDK and end the omgnoappz saga, happened last night. It was Linkin Park playing a show at an Apple Store. They’re also reporting that the dearth of press invites bodes ill for a full-on press event for the launch of the SDK.
In other words, though we’ve heard that Apple is supposed to still be able to meet their self-imposed February deadline, things are starting to look bleak in terms of their being much more than just the release of the SDK. I hope I’m wrong and that I was wrong in my podcast prediction: that if Apple makes the deadline, we’ll just see an SDK released to developers and the iPhone update that allows for apps will take awhile longer.
(Also: Linkin Park is still around and popular? Hunh. I thought all they did was get stalked.)
Two weeks later and we’re still waiting for the SDK. Mike talks about what he hopes will come, Dieter about what he fears. Plus we discuss the Tiny Code excitement (lies!) and, yes, Google again too.
Tiny Code (more on that mysterious link in a moment) pulled their apps off of installer.app, saying the following:
Tiny Code no longer produces fixes or applications for firmware 1.1.3. We can’t say much, but we are working with Apple and with their SDK for the next firmware release and SDK applications and we shouldn’t be missed for long. We will no longer update our Installer.app repo for legality reasons and you should see us soon on iTunes.
They said this at http://tiny-code.com, which if you visit you’ll note is now redirected at the iPhone Dev Center. This, it turns out, was something developer “Kelly” did in order to, well, stop the tsunami of questions that followed his statement. It also turns out Apple was none too pleased about the leaks in the above statement.
Leaks? Yep:
- “shouldn’t be missed for long” sounds a lot like “that event that’s coming on February 26th“
- “you should see us soon on iTunes” sounds a lot like “iTunes is definitely going to be the way that these apps get distributed, sold, and installed.”
- Next to the statement above was “Now targeting fw 1.1.4 Alpha 2.” Oops.
Each of the three above “leaks” is a surprise to exactly nobody who’s been watching the iPhone news with any degree of attention lately, but nevertheless Apple did some hand-slapping, as Kelly explains in this MacRumors forum post
One: Yes, I have a copy of the Apple SDK for the iPhone targeting firmware 1.1.4. Two: Yes, Tiny-Code.com was ordered to be removed from operation by Apple, Inc because by releasing firmware versions and stating I had possession of the firmware and SDK was apparently a violation of the Non-Disclosure Agreement I agreed to when I accepted a copy of the SDK and firmware. Three: Yes I was wrist-slapped by Apple and won’t be included in any further firmware beta’s or testing/coding.
Yeouch.
What does the iPhone lack? Besides the obvious — 3G, Office Doc editing, the ability to actually make julienne fries — what the iPhone lacks is games. Real, on-board games. Some of this pain is mitigated by the fact that you can get web-based games (including some great iPhone games by our very own forum member cmaier). Still, though, do you know what the most popular video game on the planet is?
Solitaire. Because it’s built into Windows.
So getting native games on the iPhone is a Big Deal because people are much more likely to form an affinity with a device if they can play a game or two on it. I speak from experience — the most painful part of leaving the PalmOS for me is still the fact that I can’t find a crossword application as good as stand alone’s. Add the love for the iPhone to love for a device with games and you’ll start seeing people getting buried with these little guys.
…All of which is to say that seeing that Apple is extending their trademark to include handheld gaming strikes me as a good sign. Sure, as MacRumors points out, this doesn’t mean much — Apple’s been making games for the iPod Classic for awhile now. Still, though, we need games, Apple, please please release a couple when you announce the SDK. Or announce that partnership with EA that we’ve been hoping for.
Coda: Another reason we need native games (to say nothing of apps): stuff on the web disappears. For example, I just realized that Duck Hunt has shuffled off this series of tubes mortal coil.
This is the month we are supposed to see the unveiling of the iPhone SDK, finally ending all the omgnoappz drama and obviating the need for Jailbreaking for all but the most hardcore of iPhone users. It feels like the wait has taken forever.
Now we see that TUAW is reporting that there will indeed be an Apple event at the end of February. Many are hoping that it will be the release (or at least more details) on the iPhone SDK. Others are hoping for a 3G iPhone announcement — but that seems much less likely given that Apple just released the 16GB model.
So let’s join the bandwagon and assume it’ll be an SDK event. Cool. Now the real question, the one that put an icy lump of fear and doubt into our hearts during the last Phone different podcast: what if it’s just an announcement of an SDK for developers, that Apple won’t let the apps on for another 6 months?
This could be cool. Sean Heber of Spiffy Tech is going to release one 3rd party native iPhone app per day in November. Though he might have a spot of help on one or two days, for the most part it appears that he’ll have to do most of this herculean effort himself.
If you’ve hacked your iPhone or iPod Touch, look for the “App-A-Day” source.
It all depends on what the app ideas are. If the app’s purpose is to show a pumpkin on the main screen, it could suck. Even if it does suck, it’s still a herculean effort.
DataViz will likely be making versions of their popular desktop software for the iPhone as soon as Apple releases the SDK in February. This means that iPhone owners will be able to create and edit Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Powerpoint presentations and the like. DataViz seems excited to get RoadSync and Passwords Plus on the iPhone as well, but it looks like they want to gauge demand before they commit to anything. There’s a page they’ve set up so you can pledge your intent — they want you to seal the deal. [via]
