Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone Web Development Guidelines
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Does Java really matter to most people anymore?
The Flash limitation I can see, but can somebody point me to the top 5 sites that won't work due to java? As in, what are the 5 largest/popular sites that won't work because of Java? I honestly can't think of a single one.
I think ditching Java is going to be just fine.
The Flash limitation I can see, but can somebody point me to the top 5 sites that won't work due to java? As in, what are the 5 largest/popular sites that won't work because of Java? I honestly can't think of a single one.
I think ditching Java is going to be just fine.
iPhone commands for Safari I know so far:
sms:
tel:
mailto:
I'm very curious as to what protection is in place (a difficult problem) as I could write javascript that when the page loaded it sent the link "tel:"
or I could put a meta refresh tel:
hmm.
sms:
tel:
mailto:
I'm very curious as to what protection is in place (a difficult problem) as I could write javascript that when the page loaded it sent the link "tel:"
or I could put a meta refresh tel:
hmm.
This is the biggest disappointment for those who actually get 3G coverage. Which isn't all that many. This is a valid gripe if you are in a 3G coverage area, so you're right here.I know the iphone is the most wanted product on the planet, but this first itteration leaves a lot to be desired.
full featured internet?
No 3G?
Name me one website you actually frequent, that you'd want access to on your phone, that won't work because of this. Java is fairly rare these days except for specialized things. If you disabled Java from people's desktop browsers, most wouldn't notice.
This is mildly annoying, but if there's no technical reason it can't be done I imagine we'd see a flash update eventually.
Guess what the best selling iPod (by far) is? 4 GB Nano. Since the iPhone adds video, get yourself the 8 GB version, and you have an extra 4 GB for video, which is a dozen or more TV shows or 4 full length movies. Not bad. The storage beats all but a few of the newest and most expensive phones out there.
Again: iPod. I'd rather have 8GB built-in than an army of 2GB SD cards I have to keep snapping in and out. Judging by the iPod, this is not an issue.
I can see a few specific people getting "screwed" by the iPhone: those who live in 3G coverage areas who need corporate email support. Other than that small group, the iPhone will offer the same capabilities as any competing phone (and many more). I'm actually in a 3G coverage area, but I'm not too annoyed because over half the time I'm in some sort of Wi-fi network and the recent EDGE upgrades make it slightly more bearable. I'll be happy to get a 3G iPhone in 2 years when my contract is up, though
I *REALLY* wish people would stop blaming ATT
..for all of the above...it makes you, and other Mac people, look like complete idiots.
ATT sells MANY MANY MANY phones that support java, flash and user installable apps. They...just...don't..care.
APPLE did it. A P P L E...precious, untouchable A P P L E has chosen to close this platform.
Apple. Not "The Man"...not ATT...not Bill Gates.
Apple. Ok? Yes, Apple "would do this to us"...they "do it" all the time! The difference between us, and everyone else in computing, is we are so will to do the Stockholm Syndrome thing and turn a blind eye.
Apple made the phone. Cingular hadn't even *seen* the thing before november of last year and it was near *feature complete* (the camera and calandar software were stubs) THEN.
Geez.
My guess (this is my default guess for all iPhone limitations
When RIM tried to ship free games pre-installed on its Blackberry, AT&T stopped them, forcing RIM to sell the games through AT&T's online store (for which AT&T got a cut). There are numerous other similar examples.
Also, don't forget, AT&T is strongly against Net Neutrality. They want to control everything you do, and take a cut in the process.
The true iPhone will be one without a wireless carrier and only WiFi (with VOIP), and it will allow us to install our own applications on it, and it will come with an SDK. It will probably be called an iPod.
..for all of the above...it makes you, and other Mac people, look like complete idiots.
ATT sells MANY MANY MANY phones that support java, flash and user installable apps. They...just...don't..care.
APPLE did it. A P P L E...precious, untouchable A P P L E has chosen to close this platform.
Apple. Not "The Man"...not ATT...not Bill Gates.
Apple. Ok? Yes, Apple "would do this to us"...they "do it" all the time! The difference between us, and everyone else in computing, is we are so will to do the Stockholm Syndrome thing and turn a blind eye.
Apple made the phone. Cingular hadn't even *seen* the thing before november of last year and it was near *feature complete* (the camera and calandar software were stubs) THEN.
Geez.
Yes, I think you're right.
On a related note, I am quite positive most of the people dejected over the lack of Java support are in fact confusing that with Javascript support. It has been said by me and quite a few others on these boards: Java and Javascript ARE NOT THE SAME THING!
The iPhone supports Javascript which is a very good thing.
While the iPhone does not support Java, like the above poster said, you WON'T MISS IT. I guarantee it.
I wonder if Google will make a version of their "Street View" that will work without Flash for the iPhone. Being able to bring up a picture of an address would be a genuinely useful feature on a portable device IMHO. Of course it would be more useful if the iPhone featured some form of GPS.
Why did you open the thread and waste one of your 3 posts here? Come on man, this is really easy to avoid. I am not interested in buying an iPhone (I barely use my current phone). I think the technology is interesting and may have wider application use elsewhere.
One subject, I personally have zero interest in, is gaming. I also find many of the gaming posters to be juvenille, self-serving whiners. However, they have every right to pursue whatever interests them, and certainly do not need my blessing to do so. I ignore all things 'gaming' and everyone is happy. You might consider a similar approach with the iPhone threads.
JavaScript and SVG support mean that it would not be really difficult to create online games for the iPhone.
Tetris wil probably work straight away. And what more could you possibly want?
MONOPOLY!!!
Javascript, Flash, etc.
The 5-second timeout is as some described it here. It's for scripts running haywire. Waiting for internet content doesn't count towards the timeout. The Safari we all know has the same rule. As someone else pointed out, so does Firefox (with the time being 10 seconds). So this is nothing at all to fret about, and is a good thing.
Flash - I'll be shocked beyond all of everything if Flash doesn't appear sometime soon. They know it's important (Apple and Adobe). I expect it will have some reasonable limitations, similar to the HTML layout rules discussed in the original post. Apple needed to finish the iPhone before Adobe could start writing the plugin. Just my guess.
Java - don't expect Java. Possible, but not likely. Didn't Steve say "Java is dead" at the D5 conference?
Quicktime - not all codec's will work (there's a lot of them!). H.264 baseline, which is what you should be using anyway, and you're golden. No streaming, just progressive, but don't let that bug you - wait until the 29th and you'll see why.
I expect Apple will post an official web programming guide for the Safari for iPhone the day of or very soon after release. They already have lots of technical documentation for Safari for the desktop. Some sites will already work great, some won't. <div> is your friend.
Web page sizes - think of it this way. Say a web site was written to only run on a 30" cinema display (or larger). Try viewing that site on a 17" iMac or 13" MacBook. Yeah you'll be able to get it to work, but the experience will be less than pleasurable. Apple's done better than you could reasonably expect with the small iPhone. Really.
If you don't think your web site will display properly on an iPhone, think about writing a unique CSS for it (as you would for mobile phones, print-only CSS, etc). Think about it in term of max pixel width per <div> block.
Bottom line is Safari for iPhone will be the best dang web browser ever on a handheld, with appropriate adjustments for its form factor. If you want better, stick a MacBook in your pocket.
Big questions for me remain real battery life, and voice quality. For internet, this thing will rock.
The 5-second timeout is as some described it here. It's for scripts running haywire. Waiting for internet content doesn't count towards the timeout. The Safari we all know has the same rule. As someone else pointed out, so does Firefox (with the time being 10 seconds). So this is nothing at all to fret about, and is a good thing.
Flash - I'll be shocked beyond all of everything if Flash doesn't appear sometime soon. They know it's important (Apple and Adobe). I expect it will have some reasonable limitations, similar to the HTML layout rules discussed in the original post. Apple needed to finish the iPhone before Adobe could start writing the plugin. Just my guess.
Java - don't expect Java. Possible, but not likely. Didn't Steve say "Java is dead" at the D5 conference?
Quicktime - not all codec's will work (there's a lot of them!). H.264 baseline, which is what you should be using anyway, and you're golden. No streaming, just progressive, but don't let that bug you - wait until the 29th and you'll see why.
I expect Apple will post an official web programming guide for the Safari for iPhone the day of or very soon after release. They already have lots of technical documentation for Safari for the desktop. Some sites will already work great, some won't. <div> is your friend.
Web page sizes - think of it this way. Say a web site was written to only run on a 30" cinema display (or larger). Try viewing that site on a 17" iMac or 13" MacBook. Yeah you'll be able to get it to work, but the experience will be less than pleasurable. Apple's done better than you could reasonably expect with the small iPhone. Really.
If you don't think your web site will display properly on an iPhone, think about writing a unique CSS for it (as you would for mobile phones, print-only CSS, etc). Think about it in term of max pixel width per <div> block.
Bottom line is Safari for iPhone will be the best dang web browser ever on a handheld, with appropriate adjustments for its form factor. If you want better, stick a MacBook in your pocket.
Big questions for me remain real battery life, and voice quality. For internet, this thing will rock.
Hate to burst your bubble, but your comparison to the Nokia N95 is completely incorrect.Certainly a LOT more storage than Nokia's latest uber-complicated $1100 monster:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/05/01/review_nokia_n95/print.html
160 MB--expandable to only 2GB--on a phone that costs far more than an iPhone (even at discounted street prices), is nearly twice as thick, has a tiny screen with no touch-based UI, lacks anything approaching iPhone's Safari... and gets half the talk time
Just to put the iPhone in the context of much "higher-end" competitors
It is currently selling at Dell.com for $736. It is unlocked and unbranded, meaning that you can use it with any GSM carrier (not only AT&T). It is quadband (like the iPhone), but available now, which means it's available throughout Europe. It also has GPS, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (and A2DP, meaning stereo over Bluetooth), and WiFi (802.11b/g). The GPS works with the built-in mapping program that has maps for most every country, and you can preload map data for which state or country you like.
The N95 also operates on the UMTS 2100MHz band, which translates to 3G data for most everywhere BUT the United States. (However, T-Mobile USA is going to be rolling out their 3G UMTS network on the 2100MHz band later this year, which means all those nice 3G phones in Europe will work here.) Oh yea, not to mention the forward-facing VGA camera for video calls; or the built-in VoIP support. (Oh yea, the N95 has a great message editor that automatically switches to MMS when you add a picture, sound or video clip to your SMS ... you can't do that on the iPhone because the iPhone does not support MMS!)
The N95 also has a hot-swappable MicroSD card, which is now available in 8.0GB sizes. Its media player plays MP3 and AAC, as well as MPEG-4. Its camera is a 5MP Carl Zeiss optics with auto-focus and flash, and does video at 30fps. Not only does it take pictures and videos, but it comes with image and video editors built-in.
When it comes web browsing, the web browser on the N95 (just like all S60 3rd. Ed. devices) is basically Safari (it's based on Webkit, and has been for over a year), and includes a feed reeder for RSS/Atom subscriptions. It also comes with Flash Lite, and the next version (S60 3 FP2) will include widgets. The S60 system is built on Symbian 9.1, which has been tested tried and true in the field and in use by many many people. Not to mention that programs may be written in C++ or Java for the device.
The N95 will also sync with your Mac through iSync, as well as sync your music through iTunes and your photos through iPhoto. You can also have as many email accounts as you wish on the device, and supports push email for Blackberry and Exchange accounts. You can also use is as a wireless modem for your Mac over Bluetooth. Plug your N95 into your TV and play your videos full screen at 30fps, or PowerPoint presentations. Or plug it in to your HP printer, because printing support is built-in, as well as viewers for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF; editors are available.
What does the iPhone have that the N95 doesn't? A touchscreen, which sounds great, but ever tried to punch in a number without using any physical keys? It's not as easy as it sounds, especially if you're doing other things at the same time. Plus, touchscreens have reduced contrast in sunlight, which the N95 does not suffer from. Coverflow? Eh, so it's eye candy. And automatically switching between portrait and landscape modes? The N95 can't do it automatically, but it does switch between portrait and landscape.
After seeing the list of things the iPhone cannot do, and every that the N95 can do, I think you can see who the clear winner is. Not to mention that if AT&T sells it without a contract, the price will probably be $200 more than listed. That makes it almost the same price.
The iPhone is NOT a smartphone, it's merely a well-hyped "feature"-phone. If you want a smartphone, look at Palm, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, UIQ or S60.
I wonder if the iPhone can pop up a keyboard for uses OTHER than forms/URLs/searches? Maybe too rarely needed to bother with, but it would be handy at times.
Well most phones around right now do support Java, albeit a mobile version. The fact that iPhone has no java at all or a 3rd party SDK means its geniunely less flexible in terms of 3rd party apps than most phones on the market today.
Even my old Sony Ericcsson phone has the ability to install 3rd party apps, like Opera Mini for example.
By leaving out Java Apple are continuing to ensure that no proper (i.e. not just flashy AJAX) 3rd party applications can run on the iPhone.
Yes exactly. A great way of getting your bearings and figuring out where you are. Being able to bring up a picture of the place you are walking to would help in a lot of cases, despite the obvious snideness of your response. Especially in America where putting numbers on buildings is a forgotten art in many places.
Don't quote me on it, but I don't believe SVG is part of the browser feature set. Nor is Canvas.
1. You'll be surprised by what you can do with AJAX...stay tuned.
2. Apple has intentionally and deliberately closed off 3rd party apps. It was closed in January. They said so. it wasn't in the cards. and i'm betting at least on 80%+ odds that there will never, ever be a general developer sdk.
Actually, from what I've been told it does scrape pages. If the phone number is reasonably well-formed and not split by tags, Safari will auto-recognize it as a clickable object. There is also the tel: URL scheme, which.
I doubt it. I'm sure we'll see some cool AJAX stuff, but you're deep in the RDF if you believe that AJAX apps can get anywhere near the flexibility of a real SDK.
Yes, they stated it, I know, I've read all the same articles you have. That doesn't make it suck any less that they're taking this path.