The iPhone SDK - What can you Imagine?

[TurboSC]

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm very excited for the upcoming Software Developers Kit being released by Apple.

A few speculations out the way first, being that this is a rumor site, what do you think the future of this will hold for the iPhone / iPod Touch?

What are your feelings about applications being sold through Apple, and the existence of the homebrew, rogue developers / software unlockers?

If you have any late breaking information regarding the SDK or anything that is an interesting topic related to the SDK, please feel free to share your thoughts.

 

[Sobe]

I think it will probably be disappointing at first, then round into shape by summer, with a few bumps in the road along the way as people bitch/whine about cost and availability.

 

[TurboSC]

lol true. I'm just glad to know that Apple will listen and improve their products in a timely manner.

 

[Bernie-Mac]

Concerning bitching about price, why would you pay for apps that you can easily get for free? if apple charges for apps, i am sticking with a happy jailbroken iphone

 

[DaffyDuck]

Concerning bitching about price, why would you pay for apps that you can easily get for free? if apple charges for apps, i am sticking with a happy jailbroken iphone

The pay for apps are likely to be of higher quality than the free ones. Some (including myself) are willing to pay for quality.

 

[bosxe]

The pay for apps are likely to be of higher quality than the free ones. Some (including myself) are willing to pay for quality.

AGREED

After my phone flat-out crashed on me when I needed it the most, I decided I will play by Apple's game from here on out.

(I had a 1.1.3 jailbroken phone, all of a sudden while using one of the 3rd party apps it crashed and would only boot to the recovery screen.)

 

[Sobe]

Concerning bitching about price, why would you pay for apps that you can easily get for free? if apple charges for apps, i am sticking with a happy jailbroken iphone

I suppose if you're already hacking your phone, it's less of a concern for you than it is for those who have not done so.

Basically it goes back to the same old arguments why you would hack your phone versus not doing so.

Also, there are some crazy people like me who just like playing by the rules, even if the man is trying to keep us all down.

 

[Bernie-Mac]

there has not been an app so far that i have come across that was not as stable if not more stable that what apple has given us so far, so that isnt an issue. But to each their own, ill spend my money else where

 

[monstergirly]

i'm looking forward to the SDK because i got an iphone as a replacement for an old RZR and my crappy old palm zire. i want it to be a PDA and i don't plan to use it as a iPod/multimedia thing. there are native apps for palm that i hope are replicated (or improved upon) for the iphone, such as the splash wallet suite of databases (password locker/checkbook/shopping list/photo organizer) and documents to go... also more functional/customizable notes and to do's.

i haven't hacked my iphone but i've been wanting to just to have summerboard (i think that is what it is called?) because it's all about the GUI sometimes... slingplayer would also be nice.

web apps really aren't doing it for me. some do some of the things i would want them to (cute little shopping lists, etc.), but edge is slow and even if you are connected to a wireless network it is still a pain to have to do everything in safari... and there is no ad-blocker for the iphone safari!

i find that all i do with my fancy new device lately is play the match 3 fruit game on macmost. BORING!

if the apps are distributed through iTunes, that is fine with me. i've had a pretty good experience with all of the apple software and itunes/iphoto/etc. based services that i have used. but i do think that they shouldn't ONLY be available through itunes.

my 2 cents!

 

[wizard]

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm very excited for the upcoming Software Developers Kit being released by Apple.

I'm skeptical that Apple will do the right thing. However they can prove me wrong.

A few speculations out the way first, being that this is a rumor site, what do you think the future of this will hold for the iPhone / iPod Touch?

If done right this can be huge.

The thing is access has to be real good, writing apps like Skype must not be restricted. Second Apple needs to get mobile OS fleshed out quick.

Here I'm talking about the Bluetooth stack. It needs to support the common profiles so that interesting apps can be written. A SDK is not of much use if you can't get to external devices such as GPS recievers, RS232 adapters, modems and such.

What are your feelings about applications being sold through Apple, and the existence of the homebrew, rogue developers / software unlockers?

I'm fine with it as long as there are alternative ways to install personal or company software. IPhone and even Touch could be huge in the business world for a low cost and simple compute platform. The key here is that we need a way to load software that keeps it safe from third parties, Itunes isn't acceptable here.

As to third party development I suspect it will remain hot. OK warm, mostly because I suspect Apple will be restrictive enough that some apps won't be possible. If Apple becomes extremely open then maybe the activity will wither away, but I don't expect that from Apple.

If you have any late breaking information regarding the SDK or anything that is an interesting topic related to the SDK, please feel free to share your thoughts.

No late breaking news here. In any event lets face it we are like 4 days away from the hopeful release of the SDK. What we really need is a thread on the SDK and its limitations.

Dave

 

[wizard]

Sorry

 

[chr1s60]

Concerning bitching about price, why would you pay for apps that you can easily get for free? if apple charges for apps, i am sticking with a happy jailbroken iphone

Just another person wanting other people to work hard and spend a lot of time making something that they can take for free. Imagine if the whole world was like that.

The apps that are sold SHOULD be a much higher quality than those found for free and will also not contain the need to do any jailbreaking and therefor not have any chance at voiding a warranty for whatever reason.

 

[zetsurin]

Odd, the only thing that has crashed for me is ... Safari.

As for those defending the whole price thing, I think as long as the price is realistic then there is no problem. The corcen I have is from what I see on desktop OSX where people routinely knock together weekend apps and charge $20 - 30 for them (with the obligatory 'family pack' for $50). In this way it's simply just great to have the unofficial SDK _now_ as I have coded up a number of useful apps that I myself need. I guess if you aren't able to code for yourself or don't have time, paying is fine provided the developers don't take the p1ss like they do on the desktop. I've coded with very limited documentation and have to say writing apps on the iPhone is INSANELY easy, so high high prices will be unwarranted. I sell my own shareware by the way, so understand the whole economics of it all, but I personally don't charge more than 5 or at most 10 bucks for anything.

 

[iSamurai]

firefox
skype
gchat

hope it will be easy to install... on 1.1.3... and also free, too, as these are free on mac/pc/whatever else... so i hope i wont pay a dime.

 

[Chad H]

If I had to guess the SDK will be a huge hit. If you look at the demographics 70% of people with iPhones don't have the knowledge or time to jailbreak a phone. So, they will purchase the apps. I know I will based on them being higher quality and less buggy. Given that statement price is also a form factor somewhat. I'm not paying $10 for one but somewhere along the lines of $2 a piece of $3 is reasonable to me.