Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone
Gearlog interview clears up iPhone and Touch details
Gearlog scored an interview with Apple's Greg Joswiak that shines a light on some outstanding questions about the iPhone and iTouch. In a nutshell, the key points are:
No Bluetooth on Touch. Internet pictures implying otherwise are errors.
Touch will run iPhone software. Same hardware as the iPhone, same OS. Software should port without problem.
Apple makes no accommodations for hacking. Software updates will continue to "reset" iPhones and Touches. Apple does not actively oppose 3rd party hacks but they will not support them either.
No SDK. I'm reading between the lines here, but Joswiak's "not hate" and not "support" indicates that Apple has no plans for open 3rd party development.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Luigi193 said 4:14PM on 9-11-2007
WHY NOT!
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cameron said 4:24PM on 9-11-2007
Ya know, they said the same thing about installing Windows on your Intel Macs a few months before they released BootCamp. This doesn't mean that Apple won't release an SDK. They just don't want you to know if they will.
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SubGenius said 4:37PM on 9-11-2007
cameron is right, Joswiack(if that is his real name) will only spout the company line. Apple is definitely investigating possibilities but will not commit to it until all the pieces are in place.
My best guess is that they need some time for the APIs to mature as well as get all the proper tools and developer programs in place before announcing.
Had they announced that prematurely, developers would have held off developing for Safari (which Apple very much wants adopted).
Had they released an API prematurely, developers would be complaining that it is alpha/beta quality.
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Jon said 4:42PM on 9-11-2007
If the hardware is the same, I wonder if basic "drag and drop" of an application from the iPhone to the Touch will work?
For the un-editable portable calendar for instance, could you just copy the iPhone version and then have full functionality restored?
How about the mail app? If iPod touch doesn't come with the same iPhone mail app, maybe it could just be copied over...hmmm
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Stephen Lang said 4:56PM on 9-11-2007
I doubt they are doing anything to prevent the iPhone apps from running on iTouch, so we may be good to go there. Although if we copy the Calendar app, we need to make sure synchronization is 2-way.
I think sooner or later there will be officially available additional apps for both devices, first or third party. Someone is going to develop something too cool for Apple to pass up. And even if not, it looks like installing our own stuff will be fine (if occasionaly broken by an Apple update.)
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Stephen Lang said 4:56PM on 9-11-2007
I doubt they are doing anything to prevent the iPhone apps from running on iTouch, so we may be good to go there. Although if we copy the Calendar app, we need to make sure synchronization is 2-way.
I think sooner or later there will be officially available additional apps for both devices, first or third party. Someone is going to develop something too cool for Apple to pass up. And even if not, it looks like installing our own stuff will be fine (if occasionaly broken by an Apple update.)
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Cory said 4:58PM on 9-11-2007
Yes, why not!!!!
Apple would kill the competition if it was open - I don't mean they won't anyhow, but it would be a massacre.
Same with AppleTV - make an easy way to add codecs and watch it explode - right now I have mine hacked and I'm finally using it more.
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Rob Huebner said 5:39PM on 9-11-2007
Wow, what's with that whole "No SDK" thing? Is your Apple barometer broken? That is *exactly* what I would expect Apple to say if they were working on an SDK. Let's put it this way, what if at the last moment they decide the SDK needs more work. If they told us it will be ready, we will all throw a fit about Apple not meeting the deadline. Since they're not telling us, it's all gravy, man :) .
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Jon said 7:21PM on 9-11-2007
Apple would be stupid NOT to have an SDK. Killer apps are the best way of locking people to the phone to ensure that when their contract expires, they renew it.
I think it's likely that it will be released around the same time as Leopard, in order to coincide with Xcode 3. It would be silly for them to release an update for Xcode 2 with iPhone support when Xcode 3 is so close. Apple have been developing the iPhone for so long that they would not have left the SDK as an afterthought.
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Cycomachead said 7:47PM on 9-11-2007
You know this may have been said before, but here goes:
iPhone/touch run Leopard, right? or as far as we know. Apple is the most secretive company-rivaling the NSA-j/k. Leopard isn't out yet. So if there are new things for programmers in Leopard (like CoreData was added to Tiger) then we probably won't have guides on programming because they disclose details about Leopard.
So once Leopard is released we could see an iPhone software update, but I'm still not to sure on this one being that Apple is backing web apps so heavily.
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Reg Muffet said 8:20PM on 9-11-2007
All I can say is that if there is no SDK announced at WWDC 08, there will be blood flowing down the streets outside Moscone...
(In fact, I believe Wil Shipley has already placed an order for a guillotine (who would've thunk Amazon carried this line) to be delivered July '08.)
Blood in the streets, I tell you. The wrath of angry developers would exceed that of Khan.
Vive la révolution!
.
PS In other news, Steve said video on an iPod was digging in the wrong place - cue Raiders of the Lost Ark clip. And whadya know, EVERY iPod (bar the tie clip) now does video.
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Reg said 8:28PM on 9-11-2007
All I can say is that if there is no SDK announced at WWDC 08, there will be blood flowing down the streets outside Moscone...
(In fact, I believe Wil Shipley has already placed an order for a guillotine (who would've thunk Amazon carried this line) to be delivered July '08.)
Blood in the streets, I tell you. The wrath of angry developers would exceed that of Khan.
Vive la révolution!
.
PS In other news, Steve said video on an iPod was digging in the wrong place - cue Raiders of the Lost Ark clip. And whadya know, EVERY iPod (bar the tie clip) now does video.
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Reg said 8:37PM on 9-11-2007
Sorry for the double post. Stupid comment form not updating for 10 mins. What does Weblogs, Inc run on, FoxPro on a Pentium III?
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Zoli said 10:14PM on 9-11-2007
Erica:
Do you know if there is a way to write a piece of software that will enable A2DP profile bluetooth on the iphone? I know that on the treo 650, which did not support a2dp, you can buy some software and it will enable it.
It would be amazing if you could use bluetooth headphones with the iphone.
-Zoli
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Bryan Hughes said 10:28PM on 9-11-2007
Does anyone else think that software and the iPod Touch may be part of something much larger? Here's what I'm thinking: Apple begins selling software for a nominal fee via iTunes. This would give Apple a stranglehold on selling both 1st party and 3rd party applications and become a fantastic medium for developers wanting to create great products that can reach millions almost instantly.
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Big John said 11:10PM on 9-11-2007
Is anyone else as baffled with the "OMG Calendar is broken" outcry as I am? I just don't get what the big deal is. Other iterations of the iPod couldn't add calendar events... why would this one? Just because it looks like an iPhone? I just don't get it.
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James F said 11:18PM on 9-11-2007
This hopefully means the Mail app is portable to the touch, or some other email app nobody released yet.
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Jen said 11:43PM on 9-11-2007
I just want the iphone without the phone or camera. I have a phone that I'm already paying service for and I don't need yet another $20 fee. Give me a good pda (with calendar), stocks, music, maps, etc. and I'll be very happy. Why take all of the best features out and then charge almost as much for the thing. I just don't get it.
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