Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 07 March 2008 07:53
Your IT -
Mobility
Page 2 of 5
Apple’s press release on the iPhone 2.0 beta explains some great new features, talks about the SDK itself, and explains new enterprise features such as “support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to provide secure, over-the-air push email, contacts and calendars as well as remote wipe, and the addition of Cisco IPsec VPN for encrypted access to private corporate networks.”
Developers will be very happy to known that they’ll get access to “a rich set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and tools” which Apple says they can use “to create innovative applications for iPhone and iPod touch.”
Only US based developers will get access to the SDK to start, with Apple promising the SDK program will be rolled out to other countries ‘in the coming months’.
But those US developers, which pay Apple a US $99 fee (US $299 for
enterprise customers wanting to develop iPhone apps), and which pass Apple’s
developer vetting procedures, can then download the beta iPhone SDK for free and run the iPhone Simulator on their Mac – with no word of a Windows iPhone Simulator, and also probably no likelihood of one ever appearing.
Apple says the iPhone SDK lets third party developers “build native applications for the iPhone with a rich set of APIs, including programming interfaces for Core OS, Core Services, Media and Cocoa Touch technologies.”
In addition, the iPhone SDK will “allow developers to create amazing applications that leverage the iPhone’s groundbreaking Multi-Touch user interface, animation technology, large storage, built-in three-axis accelerometer and geographical location technology to deliver truly innovative mobile applications.”
Now, that’s cool – but there isn’t any mention of developers getting access to the Bluetooth stack – I’d sure love to be able to use my A2DP Bluetooth stereo headphones or even a Bluetooth keyboard. There is, however mention of games - official games are coming to the iPhone!
But there’s also no mention of Flash, system-wide search, copy and paste or notes synchronisation – but of these at least a synchronisable notes program could be written easily enough, so I’d imagine.
So what about Exchange ActiveSync? We all know just how friendly Apple and Microsoft are on one level, while on the other, are fiercely competitive. Well, ActiveSync is here, as Apple has (gasp!) licensed it. Please read onto page 3.
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