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WWDC: iPhone Release Time, Developer Access
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Can't wait to see the AJAX versions of Word and Excel.
I tend to agree, though, it's still not a substitute for a proper SDK.
how can the iPhone be a revolutionary internet communications device and not even offer IM? I have been so incredibly excited for this phone since it was first announced but now that it probably wont have IM and/or GPS type navigation capabilities, im not sure it's worth the investment. A very sad day...
It isn't *that* bad
Just my personal opinions of course...
Apple is doing a last minute rush to get the iPhone out the door. This isn't any secret: they are releasing the very last biz day of June, they announced the Leopard delay was because of iPhone, etc. A full developer SDK is tough to put together, and it just isn't as high on the priority list as getting the included apps solid for ship. I do believe there will be a full iPhone SDK, eventually. If Apple doesn't plan to do it, they'll probably start once the community begins figuring things out itself.
With that said, I don't think the iPhone picture right now is as bleak as some people here make it out to be. Imagine a version of Meebo specifically for the iPhone- that could handle IM services pretty well since OS X can multitask and leave the site/app open in the background. I think a lot of things like that will start popping up to fill in the immediate IM / MMS style gaps.
Of course, without a full SDK or full "unofficial" tear-down of the device, applications like Skype or smoothly animated games aren't possible. I'm sure AT&T doesn't want Skype (or its equivalent) happen, but it will. Apple needs to realize that true 3rd party apps are going to happen with or without their help, and if security/stability are truly important to them- they need to push out a real, supported SDK soon after the release.
Just my personal opinions of course...
Apple is doing a last minute rush to get the iPhone out the door. This isn't any secret: they are releasing the very last biz day of June, they announced the Leopard delay was because of iPhone, etc. A full developer SDK is tough to put together, and it just isn't as high on the priority list as getting the included apps solid for ship. I do believe there will be a full iPhone SDK, eventually. If Apple doesn't plan to do it, they'll probably start once the community begins figuring things out itself.
With that said, I don't think the iPhone picture right now is as bleak as some people here make it out to be. Imagine a version of Meebo specifically for the iPhone- that could handle IM services pretty well since OS X can multitask and leave the site/app open in the background. I think a lot of things like that will start popping up to fill in the immediate IM / MMS style gaps.
Of course, without a full SDK or full "unofficial" tear-down of the device, applications like Skype or smoothly animated games aren't possible. I'm sure AT&T doesn't want Skype (or its equivalent) happen, but it will. Apple needs to realize that true 3rd party apps are going to happen with or without their help, and if security/stability are truly important to them- they need to push out a real, supported SDK soon after the release.
I'm not 100% but has Apple ever said it is going to have IM or GPS? If they haven't why would you get excited about it if you know it isn't going to have what you want? It just doesn't make any sense at all.
What about the tons of patents in that thing, what about multitouch? So many cool things could have been done with this...
As I switch between multiple Xcode projects and Safari... I completely agree with your position.
I still think there are issues going on behind closed doors that we don't know about.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced at the end of the WWDC keynote that the iPhone would be released on June 29th [...] in the United States.
what about Canada??
I believe the browser based (open standards based) iPhone programmer access is good. There may be a "toolset" added to iPhone over time based on developer feedback.
Write once, deploy many (and soon and often) strategy.
iPhone does indeed resemble "Apple Tablet Nano".
Rocketman
Write once, deploy many (and soon and often) strategy.
iPhone does indeed resemble "Apple Tablet Nano".
Rocketman
Yes, you're missing something. The developer now needs a running application server + bandwidth for any app. The user needs to be connected permanently. And AJAX sucks.
For all those looking for IM on the iPhone, here ya go...
http://wwwm.meebo.com/
Ajax web based IM. How may hours do you think it will take to put a cute little iPhone-esque look together for this?
I am not a developer, and thus I don't have a full appreciation for what you can and can't do with an SDK vs the tools they will let you use to design web apps, but I think I'm OK with it from an end user perspective.
Can someone (and I know I'm going to get bombed for this one) please give me examples of things which could and should be done with an SDK that couldn't due to limitations of the Ajax / web tool set?
http://wwwm.meebo.com/
Ajax web based IM. How may hours do you think it will take to put a cute little iPhone-esque look together for this?
I am not a developer, and thus I don't have a full appreciation for what you can and can't do with an SDK vs the tools they will let you use to design web apps, but I think I'm OK with it from an end user perspective.
Can someone (and I know I'm going to get bombed for this one) please give me examples of things which could and should be done with an SDK that couldn't due to limitations of the Ajax / web tool set?
To the contrary they specifically say it will NOT have these features. See AT&T sales book thread.
Rocketman
I wonder if the iPhone version of Safari will permit local file loads?
An offline game like Sudoku would be possible if you could load up a local webarchive file, and then used local cookies for persistent storage of scores/puzzles/etc.
Yeah that makes me shudder a bit too, but I'll bet people do push it this far...
right! its the only new thing... everything else already existed, but now we'r havin all gizmos on one device!
Things like Skype would require direct access to sockets and audio hardware, so its a no-go as a AJAX app.
Games with smooth animation would also be rare/difficult.
In the very last business hour of that day too!
Good point. Leopard still has a very intense couple of months before it is released. I think Apple's developers have a pretty full plate right now.
Exactly. I was actually thinking about writing some AJAX stuff specifically for the iPhone (e.g. IM, terminal software) as a workaround when he said no 3rd party apps. So, now this hack is the official way of developing iPhone software. Absolutely disappointing.
you're absolutely right, i know, but for 600 is it THAT unreasonable to ask for the same feature set of phones half its price?
yeah, i am not going to watch this keynote, looked like a real snoozer...although i love looking at the new operating systems because they truly kick ass.
ive been reading this site the past couple of days and have come to following conclusions:
1. Its the first release...so what? Ipod 300 bucks + Blackberry/PDA 300 bucks = $600...one less thing for me to carry when i fly about 110K miles a year
2. I think that one of the amazing things about iphone is that its MacOSX. So it doesn't have a developer interface, it doesn't do MMS, it doesn't do chat...well guess what? Those can come in time because the phone will be updated via your iTunes most likely. Name me a manufacturer that will make updating your Cell Phone as easy as this. Certainly not with the Treo 700ws with Push...I had to pay someone for 4 days updating all the handhelds in my company to do push email.
3. It sounds like the people who watched the season finale of the Sopranos also post on this board...no one is cramming this phone down your throat. Is it going to be buggy? Heck yes...what first release isn't? There is a Treo 700w in the charles river in boston because it drove me up the wall with its problems.
It does sound like this thing is being rushed out the door. It just got FCC approval last month for goodness sake. But at the same rate Jobs has a board of directors to report to, and I dare say if Microsoft was making this phone...we'd see it in 2015 ;-)
whickey
ive been reading this site the past couple of days and have come to following conclusions:
1. Its the first release...so what? Ipod 300 bucks + Blackberry/PDA 300 bucks = $600...one less thing for me to carry when i fly about 110K miles a year
2. I think that one of the amazing things about iphone is that its MacOSX. So it doesn't have a developer interface, it doesn't do MMS, it doesn't do chat...well guess what? Those can come in time because the phone will be updated via your iTunes most likely. Name me a manufacturer that will make updating your Cell Phone as easy as this. Certainly not with the Treo 700ws with Push...I had to pay someone for 4 days updating all the handhelds in my company to do push email.
3. It sounds like the people who watched the season finale of the Sopranos also post on this board...no one is cramming this phone down your throat. Is it going to be buggy? Heck yes...what first release isn't? There is a Treo 700w in the charles river in boston because it drove me up the wall with its problems.
It does sound like this thing is being rushed out the door. It just got FCC approval last month for goodness sake. But at the same rate Jobs has a board of directors to report to, and I dare say if Microsoft was making this phone...we'd see it in 2015 ;-)
whickey
The sales book also says that features may change by the time the product is actually released, so nothing is set in stone yet. Apple has also public announced that they plan to update features on the phone over time via software updates.
Personally, I see this as a 1.0 product release, along with all the baggage that a 1.0 product carries with it.
will more and different apps be available on the iPhone like the ones on the home screen of the iPhone right now made by apple or will more apps just be the AJAX ones that developers are going to build? any thoughts?
with this web based software/applications, does this mean that we will see office apps coming from google for the iPhone? google docs and spreadsheets? because they are good programs and im sure would work nicely as a free software package to the iPhone.
Little apps developed by non-professionals should be developed with an SDK (possibly Java based) as AJAX is very hard to get right, especially when latency is as unpredictable as on a cell phone. Steve's concerned about stability and user experience. But this will lead to so many buggy apps it won't be funny.