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iPhone, iPod Touch SDK Details March 6th

SDK capability question

Don't know if anyone can shed any light on this, but I wonder if the SDK will give developers access to the actual phone part of the iPhone?

Specifically, would someone be able to write an app that controls how the phone reacts to certain calls that come in. I would love to have a phone where I can tell it that if a private or unrecognized call is received, immediately divert them to voice mail (or if the number is blocked/private, play a message saying 'sorry, if you feel like hiding your identity I refuse to accept your call').

It would be such a welcome feature. I've never seen a phone do this, and I'm not surprised since cell phone companies only very rarely introduce useful features that benefit the customer only.
 
ckohler said:
First up, Apple appears to be emphasizing the enterprise in this upcoming event. Lots of businesses like to develop custom applications for their end users to run their business. These people aren't going to want these kinds of apps listed in some kind of public directory. They'll want to distribute these apps privately.
Click to expand...

I think that Apple would come up with a distribution method that allows businesses to develop their own apps, but have the apps be certified by Apple before allowing the business to distribute them. Or maybe, businesses could have pages on the iTS where they require the user to enter a password to access the business's apps. I don't think that Apple will ignore the business sector and they definitely will find some method that works.
 
Here's a long shot:
Apple does Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday announcements?
iMac, ?, SDK

?
 
Most analysts are tracking the Apple will sell only 8.5 million phones this year, well short of the 10 million all things being equal, one reason AAPL is way down. GOOD enterprise implementation changes the assumptions. I expect that 10 million would be an achievable figure if you add in a 3g phone.
 
Bernie-Mac said:
Every one of the apps on installer is free. Apple should implement what installer does, make them free but accept donations, a lot of developers have received donations that have funded their apps and therefore made them free for the rest of us. If apple charges for apps, its back to jailbreaking for me, im not paying money for something i can get for free.
Click to expand...

Ideally, donations is a good idea, but it doesn't work in the real world. For example, a developer may get some donations for creating his app, but may not feel obligated to offer support to everyone that downloaded the app.

Let's say if a developer makes an app that seems like a good idea and people donate. What if it turns out to have many problems? Should the developer feel obliged to return the donations? After all, they are donations. :rolleyes:

That's why jailbroken apps doesn't work for the most of us. Because too many things are too complicated, buggy, and lack support. Which is why your average consumer would rather pay for a complete fully functional app, and would avoid using "free" half-baked ones.
 
TheQuestion said:
Most analysts are tracking the Apple will sell only 8.5 million phones this year, well short of the 10 million all things being equal...
Click to expand...
8.5 million this year + the ~4 million they sold last year = 12.5 million. Apple said they would sell 10 million BY the end of 2008, not JUST IN 2008. So, they'd still be good there.
 
DonSqueak said:
Does anyone agree with me that push-mail on .Mac is more than overdue if RIM is the target?
Click to expand...

Yes. It's time to up the ante with .Mac. The ONLY reason I re-subscribed was because of the .Mac Web Galleries. I like them. But .Mac needs more to keep me around. Could the data centers that were mentioned in rumors of old be pointing to an Apple push email system?
 
fishkorp said:
People that think apps like a Slingplayer will only be a couple bucks (or free) have to be crazy. The other mobile versions of Slingplayer are $20-30 dollars, why would the iPhone one be any different? Any serious application will cost money, no doubt about it.
Click to expand...

Agreed.
In most cases, you get what you pay for.
Again, most cases. :cool:
 
DisturbedLen said:
Apple would be making a mistake if the SDK is not opened up to the open source community. This is what we mean by FREE. Some developers actually believe in open source. Nothing wrong with that. Maybe I want Thunderbird or Firefox on my iPhone.
Click to expand...

Because of security issues in the iPhone and ongoing contracts with the telco providers, Apple will want direct control of any SDK apps.
 
It sounds like were getting a road map and not an actaull SDK release... I hope not. Let's get some aps on this thing already.:D
 
Keebler said:
i hope i don't get flamed, but i'm embarrassed to ask:

what the bleep is iphone SDK? i have no clue. ....
Click to expand...

I'm sorry man but I have to say that you should be embarassed. The iphone SDK is only the most important thing for the immediate future for apple.....thats all. The SDK or Software Development Kit is just like what it sounds like. Its givin to developers to help them develop software for computing devices in this case the iphone. So instead of just a few nice apps written by apple for the iphone you are now going to have hundreds if not eventually thousands of applications made by 3rd party developers to make the iphone do anything and everything everyone on this planet might possibly imagine.
Its extremely exciting for Apple right now.....and for us customers. :D
 
carrjar said:
Apple is not creating these applications...hence the name "third party" applications. These developers work hard to create something for people to use. Earning their money is appropriate...this gives developers an incentive for putting together a nice application. Sure, some people love developing software for fun...but I'm sure most, enjoy getting paid.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Apple is going to create an entire industry of 3rd party developers for their iphone....and other mobile devices coming soon. :)
People are going to start whole companies focused on creating apps for the iphone. Thats what I see happening.
 
I suspect that apps will be distributed and installed via itunes. Some apps will be hosted by apple and apple will charge for them. There will also be free apps, much like podcasts. People will host them themselves and submit a link to iTunes.
This would seem the sensible way to do it. Apple have always been good about supporting free/open source/shareware software on the mac.
The fact that 1.1.4 didn't fix the workaround that allowed 1.1.3 to be jailbroken would seem to also suggest that stopping people getting their own software on the iphone is no longer an issue for them. They'll be able to in a couple of weeks anyway, so what's the point.
 
olternaut said:
I'm sorry man but I have to say that you should be embarassed. The iphone SDK is only the most important thing for the immediate future for apple.....thats all. The SDK or Software Development Kit is just like what it sounds like. Its givin to developers to help them develop software for computing devices in this case the iphone. So instead of just a few nice apps written by apple for the iphone you are now going to have hundreds if not eventually thousands of applications made by 3rd party developers to make the iphone do anything and everything everyone on this planet might possibly imagine.
Its extremely exciting for Apple right now.....and for us customers. :D
Click to expand...

while the SDK is exciting it's not gonna sell a huge more amount of phones and theyre not gonna add massivley to the bottom line on the third party software. An enterprise initiative will sell more phones. Apple knows that it has to deal with enterprise in order to hit Blackberry/RIM where it hurts. I reckon that's hinted at on the software map. Enterprise first - iPhone into business and then I'm sad to say will come the SDK. I think we're going to have to wait a little yet
 
onionperson654 said:
With all of the talk of software, there is another major aspect to the "software" developers kit: HARDWARE, specifically non audio-out hardware, more the type of hardware that only will work for the touch and iphone.

While many 3rd party applications have already been written for jailbroken iphones/ipods, they are somewhat limited due to the fact that they're not Apple sanctioned. Hardware is even more at a loss, because few companies are going to invest in making a product that could be made useless at any moment and attacks Apple's 3rd party positions.

However, being able to write 3rd party apps could open up this arena. Hardware, and the software to run in with the SDK, could bring powerful new options to the iphone/ipod touch.

Personally, I'd like to see a portable keyboard so that taking notes on the ipod/iphone is as easy as on a laptop, just far more portable. I'm not going to go into the endless hardware options out there (feel free to post more on that below), but we all know they're out there.

So, lets hope for that the SDK allows for a product we KNOW won't be for free, hardware.
Click to expand...

For some reason i envision Nintendo and their Wii when you brought this up...
quite interesting
 
I hope that Steve won't be a dick to us and make us pay for the damn apps. I think that if apple let them be free their stock would benefit. People would then actually have a legit reason to get the phone. Maybe reaching the 10 million goal?
 
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