Filed under: Apple Corporate, Other Events, iPhone
Get your SDK engines running
Invitations have just gone out to the major tech and Apple sites (i.e. not us) inviting the media to a no-holds-bar hoe-down at the Infinite Loop Ranch on March 6. According to Ars, Apple will hold an iPhone Software Roadmap event (notice how it's not called the "iPhone SDK introduction"?) to discuss the SDK and its new enterprise features (which means we were kind of right, only Apple was a week late). The party starts at 10 am Pacific, so make sure to put on your Yellow Sticky tees and square-dance with TUAW as we party like it's 2008!
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Chris Stroud said 1:35PM on 2-27-2008
now I can put that ADC membership to real use lol
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GRicha said 1:47PM on 2-27-2008
that's very good news
yokken said 1:46PM on 2-27-2008
lame. i want my sdk fix RITE NAO. seriously, a good native AIM client would be sweet.
or dope wars.
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Mike said 3:39PM on 2-27-2008
lol i had dope wars on my palm III
Peter Zich said 1:51PM on 2-27-2008
Hopefully most of the applications on hacked iPhones currently can be translated to SDK apps with little work. I'm also hoping that currently free apps don't get a price tag because of the signing process.
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Ryan Trevisol said 1:54PM on 2-27-2008
True that. I hope jailbreaking continues to work because I just used ZiPhone 2.4b with my 1.1.4 and it worked beautifully. I can't give up my summerboard. ;)
Brady Williams said 9:20PM on 2-27-2008
Yay Dopewars
YodaMac said 2:33PM on 2-27-2008
Yeah, good luck with that "no price tag" thing. Once the SDK hits, nothing for the iPhone will be free but webapps, and who will bother developing those anymore?....
(I like my webapps) :)
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Blaktornado said 2:38PM on 2-27-2008
Awww poor TUAW :(
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Kev Orng said 3:24PM on 2-27-2008
February 34th, right on schedule!
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Colin said 5:58PM on 2-27-2008
LOLL
David Foster said 3:29PM on 2-27-2008
Really, who cares at this point? Some info on the internals of the iPhone would be nice, but I really doubt that Apple has any mobile installer/updater planned as good as the one we already have on jailbroken phones. More than likely distribution will be coupled to iTunes and free applications may wind up nonexistent in their scheme. We will see. But really, nine months have gone by and the constant refrain "just give them some time" is a tad stale. All that is promised is a road map. I'd prefer some solid destinations.
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stevensnewest said 3:37PM on 2-27-2008
is this going on TOMORROW at 10 am pacific time?
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stevensnewest said 4:05PM on 2-27-2008
Never mind. I wasn't reading lol
brian said 3:56PM on 2-27-2008
why havent i heard anyone mention this in the past few months: what if the sdk doesnt work for current-gen iphones and ipod touches?
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George said 4:28PM on 2-27-2008
I think most people think that a situation like that would be too ridiculous a screw-job for Apple to get away with.
That being said, if it does happen, I'm immediately setting all my apple products on fire.
Rick said 4:02PM on 2-27-2008
LAME!!!!
I will definatly admit to being an Apple fanboy, but I really hope there is a good excuse. Web-apps are lame, and I really don't feel like voiding my warrenty to get applications. For crying out loud, they announced they were going to release the thing, and now they give us a 'road map'??
I liked Apple better when they only talked about products that were already shipping from their warehouse...
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(01) said 10:36PM on 2-27-2008
iPhone SDK AND Super Smash Brothers Brawl in the same weekend? Still my beating heart....
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DJ said 12:49AM on 2-28-2008
I want a yellow sticky tee!
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Will said 6:48PM on 2-28-2008
The way this is panning out, it would not surprise me for Apple to make developers have to pay for the SDK. (Whether its to register a key or whatever), and then, perhaps, have to pay to distribute their apps (minimally have to pay to register the application with iTunes).
The reason they'll charge for the SDK is basically to prevent Jane DoubleLatteNoFoam from readily downloading packages off of the web and installing them on their phone.
They may not specifically charge for the SDK but they may make it available only to higher end ADC members (like ADC Select members) that have paid for their subscriptions.
The thinking is that obviously a developer will need to be able to download code to their phone, otherwise what's the point.
I would like to think that they're not going to sell a "developers iPhone", but that any iPhone will do.
Then, the only two mechanisms to get an app on the phone will be through the SDK, or through iTunes.
In order to get a program from the SDK, the phone will have to be bound to the SDK (i.e. it will only be able to use applications signed by a specific SDK instance). So, you'll use your iPhone, download a "register SDK" app from iTunes, use that app to log in to the Apple Dev Center, and register the phone much like iTunes is registered now. Perhaps a phone can be registered to "a few" SDKs.
At that point, Joe Random user won't be able to download Fred Developers binary and install it on their iPhone, unless it's published through iTunes.
Instead, the user will have to "build" the application using their SDK, which signs the app with their key, which is registered with their iPhone. The SDK tool set then installs the app on the iPhone. In order to do that, the application must be distributed in a form that's "buildable" by the SDK. Now, this could be simply source code, or something as arcane as a big ol binary library with a shell of a wrapper in source code calling in to it (so they developer doesn't have to distribute "source code").
The iPhone may well even be limited to how many "SDK" apps it can install at one time, but I doubt that.
So, that means that users will not have a (readily) painless path to get 3rd party apps on to their iPhone, save those available on iTunes. It means you install a non-iTunes application, you'll need an SDK and a key. And if that costs money, that will deter random users from downloading random programs. Both from the cost point of view, along with building and deploying/installing point of view.
Also, by only allowing signed applications, Apple will "always" know who signed and developed a particular application (which means they could, perhaps, revoke the key or whatever if the developer goes astray or if a key gets stolen).
That's just the way I think this is going to pan out, I don't think that Apple is going to let every and anyone be able to develop and distribute binary apps for their iPhone through arbitrary channels.
Though I do think they should open up "widget" like coding (effectively embedded webapps) on the phone to the public at large.
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