Microsoft BU and TellMe Exploring iPhone SDK Options

MacRumors · Mar 25, 2008, 10:15 AM

Fortune's Big Tech blog reveals that Microsoft is taking a serious look into the iPhone SDK for the possibility of launching their own iPhone-specific applications.

Quote:

"It’s really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone," Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Specialized Devices and Applications Group, told Fortune on Monday. "To the extent that Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we’re actually in the process of trying to understand that now."

As the article points out, Microsoft's Mac Business Unit is one of the largest 3rd party developers for the Mac and brings millions in annual profit to Microsoft. Besides the Mac BU, Voice recognition unit TellMe (now part of Microsoft) is also interested.

Quote:

... as long as the iPhone SDK will allow software to take advantage of voice recording and location-based information, said general manager Mike McCue, TellMe will be all over it.

TellMe is a voice-driven application for mobile phones.

Article Link

Niiro13 · Mar 25, 2008, 10:20 AM

Word Processing??? OH SNAP!!!

SilentLoner · Mar 25, 2008, 10:21 AM

the more the merrier!

twoodcc · Mar 25, 2008, 10:24 AM

i guess this is good news.

walnuts · Mar 25, 2008, 10:27 AM

The big question here is will Apple let a company as large as Microsoft slide with the no storage rule- as far as I can tell, any microsoft app (word, excel, ppt docs creation or editing) requires some sort of file system.

This would be huge if it really works out though...

elcid · Mar 25, 2008, 10:27 AM

It's a brand new system in a brand new world. If Microsoft does it better then everyone else then there is nothing really to say regarding them. I agree, the more the merrier.

And having Office on an iPhone would be the end all for other Enterprise phones.

Les Kern · Mar 25, 2008, 10:31 AM

Get your own phone, don't mess this one up.
"Microsoft iPhone Gadget 1.0"
Home Edistion - $1.99, Power User Edition - $5.99, Business Level One Edition - $6.29, Business Level Three Edition - $7.91, Business Level Five Edition - $10.45, Site License Level One 100 to 1,000 Users - $6.89 each, Site license Level Two 1,001- 10,000 users - Call, Tech Support package - $1.99 per incident, Tech Support Silver - $1.45 per incident, Silver - $1.09, Gold - Call, Media Pack - $2.99, Upgrade Path Level One - Call, Upgrade Path Level Two - Call.

Sayer · Mar 25, 2008, 10:33 AM

One sure way to drain the battery quickly is to leave sound input on for a while.

Also as to the "developers won't be able to access the dock connector" that is not entirely accurate.

Apple docs state that you won't need to because the iPhone OS will recognize the connection of a device automatically and provide the devices services to apps transparently (be they audio in/out or video in/out). So Apple will mediate/provide OS support for device makers if needed.

Far different than no access at all.

The iPhone is not a desktop or laptop computer, it has much stricter requirements for operation than even a laptop. Forget about cell network access, battery life and memory are so tight its amazing a "real" web browser is possible on the iPhone at all.

Adokimus · Mar 25, 2008, 10:33 AM

This is awesome news for business users. It brings me one step closer to my plan to buy 3G, 32GB iPhone for work/play...

(yes, i know it's not out yet)

mdntcallr · Mar 25, 2008, 10:35 AM

i guess this is ok, no idea on what we would need on iphone office wise.

but... opening and editing word docs and more would be nice. so would alot more stuff.
but... given microsoft's Windows Media Player support on mac, (DRM variant crippled), i would rather not have apple give them preferred access to iphone.

neiltc13 · Mar 25, 2008, 10:39 AM

Windows Live Messenger for iPhone would be a dream come true!

dbwie · Mar 25, 2008, 10:41 AM

If Apple would allow office suites to work on the iPhone, I imagine that iWork apps would be among the first available for the iPhone. And if there was a way to hook up the iPhone to an LCD projector for keynote presentations from the iPhone.... ooooohhh.

walnuts · Mar 25, 2008, 10:41 AM

We probably shouldn't expect anything quickly from Microsoft either. They were one of the last to go UB- they were quite hampered with rewriting their software for the Mac intel platform. Now they are going to write for an entirely new platform? This may take a while, even if they could get apple to agree to let file access/storage work on the iphone. I'm pretty skeptical.

ruckus · Mar 25, 2008, 10:43 AM

Having every possible option in terms of software on the iPhone can only benefit the iPhone. Being 100% compatible with every file format etc means just about everyone can't say "but it doesn't support feature x". The more iPhones that are out, the more Apps are sold. The more Apps are sold, the more devs (and serious development studios) will see the iPhone as a development platform, and will create even more solutions for out pleasure.

It can only help the iPhone in the long run.

juanm · Mar 25, 2008, 10:46 AM

It starts getting interesting. Add GPS to the next gen, and I'll go to france to buy an unlocked one.

krye · Mar 25, 2008, 10:49 AM

Give me a break. How about an iPhone with a slot for me to stick my....

TheSpecialist · Mar 25, 2008, 10:50 AM

I guess this is good news

But wouldn't it be better if Apple brought out iWork, Pages and Numbers for iPhone? I'd rather have that than office

!

snakedoctor · Mar 25, 2008, 10:53 AM

Fix Excel 2008 first.

TheSpecialist · Mar 25, 2008, 10:54 AM

I could be wrong, but I thought you could only use a France unlocked iPhone in the borders of France, but you can use every France carrier. But not go outside the country? Could be wrong

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juan Moro

It starts getting interesting. Add GPS to the next gen, and I'll go to france to buy an unlocked one.

chabig · Mar 25, 2008, 10:54 AM

This is standard the Microsoft MO with Apple. Become a developer, get the tools, learn all you can about the system, then release your own copy. That's exactly how Windows was developed in the 80s.

stockscalper · Mar 25, 2008, 10:57 AM

Letting Microsoft have iphone code is like letting Colonel Sanders in the hen house to do an inspection. Will Apple never learn? They gave Microsoft copies of the code to the Mac OS so Micro$haft could develop Multiplan and Word and all Micro$haft did was reverse engineer the code to develop Windows. Micro$hsaft is only interested in figuring out how to make a device to compete with the iphone on the Zune platform.

TheSpecialist · Mar 25, 2008, 11:03 AM

Damn I think you guys could be right. I'm getting scared now Microsoft is going to do this

it be better if they don't give code that Microsoft could abuse, or just develop iWork, Pages and Numbers and be done for it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chabig

This is standard the Microsoft MO with Apple. Become a developer, get the tools, learn all you can about the system, then release your own copy. That's exactly how Windows was developed in the 80s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockscalper

Letting Microsoft have iphone code is like letting Colonel Sanders in the hen house to do an inspection. Will Apple never learn? They gave Microsoft copies of the code to the Mac OS so Micro$haft could develop Multiplan and Word and all Micro$haft did was reverse engineer the code to develop Windows. Micro$hsaft is only interested in figuring out how to make a device to compete with the iphone on the Zune platform.

Rot'nApple · Mar 25, 2008, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chabig

This is standard the Microsoft MO with Apple. Become a developer, get the tools, learn all you can about the system, then release your own copy. That's exactly how Windows was developed in the 80s.

My worries exactly! Just omit these five words from this quote and...

""It’s really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone," Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Specialized Devices and Applications Group, told Fortune on Monday."

...so you can soon see a Zune phone version in a candy bar design, color combo possibly silver and black, with a "home button", touchscreen, IE8, MS MarketPlace for downloadable music and third party apps, etc.

I just see that coming down the pike for some reason...

Adokimus · Mar 25, 2008, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdntcallr

i guess this is ok, no idea on what we would need on iphone office wise.

but... opening and editing word docs and more would be nice. so would alot more stuff.
but... given microsoft's Windows Media Player support on mac, (DRM variant crippled), i would rather not have apple give them preferred access to iphone.

For me, mostly Outlook for mail, word and excel, even powerpoint, for viewing and editing docs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockscalper

Letting Microsoft have iphone code is like letting Colonel Sanders in the hen house to do an inspection. Will Apple never learn? They gave Microsoft copies of the code to the Mac OS so Micro$haft could develop Multiplan and Word and all Micro$haft did was reverse engineer the code to develop Windows. Micro$hsaft is only interested in figuring out how to make a device to compete with the iphone on the Zune platform.

If Microsoft were to reverse engineer the iPhone code for their own purposes, they wouldn't need a software developer's kit to do it. Relax.

ruckus · Mar 25, 2008, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSpecialist

Damn I think you guys could be right. I'm getting scared now Microsoft is going to do this

it be better if they don't give code that Microsoft could abuse, or just develop iWork, Pages and Numbers and be done for it.

The SDK is free and I'm sure they have many copies of it right now. I don't think MS will get any exclusive access to OS code.

Mar 25, 2008, 10:24 AM	#4
twoodcc macrumors 603 Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Right side of wrong	i guess this is good news. __________________ tville pump Smarter than the average bear

Mar 25, 2008, 10:31 AM	#7
Les Kern macrumors 68020 Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Alabama	Get your own phone, don't mess this one up. "Microsoft iPhone Gadget 1.0" Home Edistion - $1.99, Power User Edition - $5.99, Business Level One Edition - $6.29, Business Level Three Edition - $7.91, Business Level Five Edition - $10.45, Site License Level One 100 to 1,000 Users - $6.89 each, Site license Level Two 1,001- 10,000 users - Call, Tech Support package - $1.99 per incident, Tech Support Silver - $1.45 per incident, Silver - $1.09, Gold - Call, Media Pack - $2.99, Upgrade Path Level One - Call, Upgrade Path Level Two - Call. __________________ "The facts have a liberal bias." - Steven Colbert

Mar 25, 2008, 10:33 AM	#8
Sayer macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Austin, TX	One sure way to drain the battery quickly is to leave sound input on for a while. Also as to the "developers won't be able to access the dock connector" that is not entirely accurate. Apple docs state that you won't need to because the iPhone OS will recognize the connection of a device automatically and provide the devices services to apps transparently (be they audio in/out or video in/out). So Apple will mediate/provide OS support for device makers if needed. Far different than no access at all. The iPhone is not a desktop or laptop computer, it has much stricter requirements for operation than even a laptop. Forget about cell network access, battery life and memory are so tight its amazing a "real" web browser is possible on the iPhone at all. __________________ Obama Joker = RACIST :: Bush Joker = Political Commentary Obama Bows to world leaders that violate 200+ years of protocol: 2

Mar 25, 2008, 10:33 AM	#9
Adokimus macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Boston, MA	This is awesome news for business users. It brings me one step closer to my plan to buy 3G, 32GB iPhone for work/play... (yes, i know it's not out yet) __________________ 12" Dell m1210 2.0 GHz C2D 12" Apple PowerBook 1.5 GHz G4 [sarcasm]jokes[/sarcasm]

Mar 25, 2008, 10:35 AM	#10
mdntcallr macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Los Angeles, CA	i guess this is ok, no idea on what we would need on iphone office wise. but... opening and editing word docs and more would be nice. so would alot more stuff. but... given microsoft's Windows Media Player support on mac, (DRM variant crippled), i would rather not have apple give them preferred access to iphone. __________________ "Bite my Shiny Metal Ass!" Bender (Futurama)

Mar 25, 2008, 10:20 AM	#2
Niiro13 macrumors 68000 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Illinois	Word Processing??? OH SNAP!!!

Mar 25, 2008, 10:21 AM	#3
SilentLoner macrumors 6502 Join Date: Dec 2007	the more the merrier!

Mar 25, 2008, 10:27 AM	#5
walnuts macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Mineola, NY	The big question here is will Apple let a company as large as Microsoft slide with the no storage rule- as far as I can tell, any microsoft app (word, excel, ppt docs creation or editing) requires some sort of file system. This would be huge if it really works out though...

Mar 25, 2008, 10:27 AM	#6
elcid macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2007	It's a brand new system in a brand new world. If Microsoft does it better then everyone else then there is nothing really to say regarding them. I agree, the more the merrier. And having Office on an iPhone would be the end all for other Enterprise phones.

Mar 25, 2008, 10:39 AM	#11
neiltc13 macrumors 68020 Join Date: May 2006 Location: United Kingdom	Windows Live Messenger for iPhone would be a dream come true!

Mar 25, 2008, 10:41 AM	#12
dbwie macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: New Orleans, LA, USA	iWork If Apple would allow office suites to work on the iPhone, I imagine that iWork apps would be among the first available for the iPhone. And if there was a way to hook up the iPhone to an LCD projector for keynote presentations from the iPhone.... ooooohhh.

Mar 25, 2008, 10:43 AM	#14
ruckus macrumors regular Join Date: Oct 2005	Having every possible option in terms of software on the iPhone can only benefit the iPhone. Being 100% compatible with every file format etc means just about everyone can't say "but it doesn't support feature x". The more iPhones that are out, the more Apps are sold. The more Apps are sold, the more devs (and serious development studios) will see the iPhone as a development platform, and will create even more solutions for out pleasure. It can only help the iPhone in the long run.

Mar 25, 2008, 10:46 AM	#15
juanm macrumors 6502a Join Date: May 2006 Location: Valencia, Spain	It starts getting interesting. Add GPS to the next gen, and I'll go to france to buy an unlocked one.

Mar 25, 2008, 10:49 AM	#16
krye macrumors 68000 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: USA	Give me a break. How about an iPhone with a slot for me to stick my.... __________________ RyeMAC3.net RescueMyClassicMac.com iNeedCoffeeToCode.com 8 Core Mac Pro, 30" ACD, iPod Mini, Nano, Shuffle, iPhone 3G, MSi Wind with OSX

Mar 25, 2008, 10:50 AM	#17
TheSpecialist macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: The Netherlands, Europe	I guess this is good news But wouldn't it be better if Apple brought out iWork, Pages and Numbers for iPhone? I'd rather have that than office!

Mar 25, 2008, 10:53 AM	#18
snakedoctor macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2008	Fix Excel 2008 first.

Mar 25, 2008, 10:54 AM	#20
chabig macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2002	This is standard the Microsoft MO with Apple. Become a developer, get the tools, learn all you can about the system, then release your own copy. That's exactly how Windows was developed in the 80s.

Mar 25, 2008, 10:57 AM	#21
stockscalper macrumors regular Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Area 51	Letting Microsoft have iphone code is like letting Colonel Sanders in the hen house to do an inspection. Will Apple never learn? They gave Microsoft copies of the code to the Mac OS so Micro$haft could develop Multiplan and Word and all Micro$haft did was reverse engineer the code to develop Windows. Micro$hsaft is only interested in figuring out how to make a device to compete with the iphone on the Zune platform. __________________ You'll never know what you don't know

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