Apple today unveiled the iPhone and iPod Touch Software Development Kit (SDK) and Microsoft Exchange support
Software developers finally get a look at the iPhone SDK roadmap to create applications for the phone. Over a year after the iPhone was introduced, and a couple of week late, Apple has given developers the tools they have been asking for. Starting today Apple will be open up the same APIs and tools that they use internally to build iPhone software. Now third-party developers can now begin to officially produce legitimate software, not iPhone software hacks. The SDK will rely on Apple’s Xcode development environment for Mac OS X, but optimized for the iPhone. So basically, if you can develop applications for the Mac then you should be able to do the same for the iPhone.
The full featured SDK gives developers full access to the iPhone’s core OS including graphics and networking. Apple created something called Interface Builder, that “Makes building your user interface as simple as drag-and-drop” plus debugging and analysis tools. What does this mean for the average iPhone user? It mean there will be a host of new software including everything from games and instant messaging to powerful business applications. The applications will be exclusively distributed through iTunes and the new AppStore, a new wireless store for iPhone applications. You can search applications right from your phone and then download them via Wi-Fi or through the cellular network. The same software developed with the SDK will also run on the iPod Touch including all the new enterprise additions.
Apple also introduced Microsoft Exchange support built right into iPhone, removing the greatest barrier for adoption of the iPhone into the corporate world. Apple has licensed ActiveSync with Exchange server from Microsoft. Built into the next software update, the iPhone will have access to push email, push contacts with global address book, live calendar events and remote wipe plus additional security. Although IT managers will inevitably find something to complain about, the list will have been reduced significantly, making the iPhone an almost unstoppable business tool.
The iPhone 2.0 software update that will make all this happen will not be available until June, but developers and companies will get a beta SDK starting today.
Considering how long the iPhone has been out it’s a wonder no one has filmed this before. I know there are plenty of people out there just like this guy with absolutely nothing better to do. So here’s what happens when your iPhone stopwatch runs for over 41 days and then runs out of numbers on the screen to display the time. This clip would have been twice as cool (or more) had the phone exploded, or sprouted arms and strangled the guy for wasting his time, but alas, no such excitement. Just a 1 and a lot of zeros.
Apple’s iTunes music store is now the number two music retailer in the U.S. trailing only Wal-Mart. With over six million songs from all the major labels, iTunes has sold over four billion songs since it started. I’m sure the record labels never imagined when Steve Jobs came to them with the idea to sell digital music online that it would grow into the juggernaut it is today.
The new iPhone model Q380 is out and the Chinese all want it. The only problem is that Apple does not make a model Q380 of their popular smartphone. It is a fake and apparently not everybody in China thinks so. The Epoch Times has a very interesting read on the world of counterfeit mobile phones and in particular the iPhone.
To meet iPhone demand, an underground factory produces a lot of fake iPhones under the CECT name. These phones cost between 600 to 2,000 yuan (approximately US$72.50 to $241.50).Recently, a gentleman from Hong Kong bought what he thought was the latest iPhone, model Q380, which was strongly recommended by an electronics store salesperson in Shenzhen. The salesperson claimed it was the latest official model, costing 680 yuan (approximately US$82.00), and could be returned within 3 months if it was broken. The gentleman found the sound too loud after buying it. He checked the official website, only to find that he had been cheated because apparently there was no official model for the so-called iPhone Q380.
Frankly I’m surprised this story was so entertaining to me, given that fact that so much fake stuff comes out of China. But I just love the fact that the man in the story is not happy with how loud the sound is but I apparently can’t get the sound loud enough.[via The Epoch Times]
Now that the iPhone 1.1.3 software update is out, and you can add Safari Web Clips to your home screen on the iPhone and Touch, don’t let your visitors settle for the generic icon that Safari will stick in there. Here are drop dead simple instructions on how to add your own web site icon or logo to your visitors iPhone or Touch.
1.) Fire up Photoshop and create a shiny new graphic at 114 x 114 px (technically the size is 57 x 57 px, but this size worked best for our icon)
2.) Save the file as a 8 bit PNG with the name apple-touch-icon.png
3.) Upload the file to the root directory of your web server. That’s it! Safari will re-size larger images and automatically add the glass look so it fits right in with your visitors other icons.
Apple today released the long awaited ultra-thin MacBook Air laptop. Steve Jobs used this years Macworld event to introduce the svelte 13.3″ laptop to the world. The computer is the world’s thinnest laptop. It’s tapering design is only .16″ thick in some places and .76″ at its thickest point. It is so thin that it can fit in an envelope! The machine features a standard 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 2 GB RAM, a 13.3″ LED widescreen display, magnetic latch, built-in iSight, MacBook-like keyboard with an ambient light sensor, multi-touch trackpad and 80 GB hard drive plus all the wireless connectivity you need for $1799.
The big selling point here is the ultra-thin design, but the multi-touch interface that allows you to manipulate object in much the same way as the iPhone but using the trackpad might be the most revolutionary for a laptop.This will undoubtedly spawn many imitations like the iPhone as touch computing is brought to the masses.
At Macworld today, Apple, Inc. unveiled the much rumored iTunes movie rental service. All of the major studios are on board, including Touchstone, Miramax, MGM, Lionsgate, Newline, FOX, Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, Universal, and Sony. The initial library will include over 1,000 movies and will be available 30 days after the DVD release. You can watch the movies anywhere (on Macs, PCs, all current iPods and iPhones) and have 30 days to begin watching the movie and 24 hours to finish. At $2.99 for older titles and $3.99 for new releases and $4.99 for a limited set of HD movies, the prices are in line with other on demand services.
With the release of the rental service Apple has updated their Apple TV, calling it Take 2. The quality of the movies is said to be comparable to DVD for the standard rentals with HD movies now featuring Dolby 5.1 surround sound. The Apple TV also received a software update and is now a stand-alone product and can be used independent of iTunes. This with the new HD capabilities should make the Apple TV more appealing to home theater buffs. On aspect that was only briefly touched on is iTunes Digital Copy. On select DVD’s a free iTunes Digital Copy will be provided for personal use. When you insert a compatible DVD into your computer, the iTunes version transfers to your iTunes library, ready to watch or sync to your iPod, iPhone, or Apple TV.
Apple’s iTunes music store is now the number two music retailer in the U.S. trailing only Wal-Mart. With over six million songs from all the major labels, iTunes has sold over four billion songs since it started. I’m sure the record labels never imagined when Steve Jobs came to them with the idea to sell digital music online that it would grow into the juggernaut it is today.
