So Apple has finally lifted the curtain on the long-awaited iPhone SDK.

Here is a quick rundown of the main features:

• the SDK is basically Xcode, with special stuff for the iPhone…
  
• there will be a $99 fee for developper, who will receive an authentication key
• the developpers choose the price of their apps, and keep 70% of the revenue (no credit card charges, no hosting fees)
• developpers can choose to release their app for free at no charge on Apple’s side
• the apps will work on the iPhone and iPod touch
• the apps will be distributed via the AppStore, accessible on the iPhone or in iTunes
  
• apps updates will be automatically distributed through the AppStore
• demos of apps (developped in a week or two) were shown: a motion-sensitive space shooter, EA’s Spore (!), a medical app…
• for the business-oriented people, the iPhone (and the touch) will get push e-mail, push contacts and push calendars, using Exchange’s ActiveSync, as well as remote swipe of the phone’s content
• Apple will provide large companies with a way to deploy apps on their corporate iPhone fleet

Oh yes, the whole stuff will be available on your iPhone/iPod touch in early June, along with the 2.0 version of the iPhone OS.
Sooooo, what can I say? Well, I remember reading here and there a few weeks/month ago that the SDK would suck, that the probable distribution on the iTunes Store would be a big roadblock for small developpers etc etc.
Well, I think people should be satisfied now: we have a cheap SDK (read “gratis”), a minor entrance fee for getting a certification key ($99), which is probably more about avoiding to have the AppStore flooded with junk, and a full-fledged Xcode development environment, complete with interface builder and full access to everything. And it looks like development is easy and fast if we believe what Jobs’ guest devs said on stage (2 weeks for AIM on the iPhone???).
Oh yeah and Jobs said they would “limit” VoIP apps on EDGE but allow it freely on wifi. Yummie!

On the business-side, the iPhone gets everything people had been lamenting about: push-everything, remote wipe, centrally-controlled apps deployment, and of course the SDK to develop said apps. And as a bonus, ActiveSync means that the iPhone talks directly to the Exchange server, while Blackberrys have to go through a “plugin” server that then talks to Exchange.

To end on a funny note, let’s quote a question by Engadget’s staffer, and Jobs’ answer:

Ryan Block from Engadget: “Will a SIM unlock be considered software that won’t be allowed on the AppStore?”
Jobs: “Yyyyyyes…”

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 21:16 CET and is filed under Software, iPhone. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.