Apple iPhone SDK Summary

Allot was announced yesterday at Apples Headquarters at 1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino California, from great new news about MS Exchange and Push Support for the iPhone, to great new announcements about the much anticipated SDK and new iPhone Applications, Games and the release Firmware 2.0 later this year. Apples official Press release can be found here
and you can read some of the Key Points of the event yesterday with some photos from Engadget and Gizmodo:

Enterprise Solutions: MS Exchange

Apple announced that the iPhone will now fully support MS Exchange, this means that Push Email, Push Calendar, Push Contacts, Global Address List, Cisco VPM, Certificates and WPA2/ 802.1x, Security Policies, Device Config, Remote Wipe will all work now on the iPhone jsut as it does on your other mobile devices and computers.

The iPhone 2.0 software provides a configuration utility that allows IT administrators to easily and quickly set up many iPhones, including password policies, VPN setting, installing certificates, email server settings and more. Once the configuration is defined it can be easily and securely delivered via web link or email to the user. To install, all the user has to do is authenticate with a user ID or password, download the configuration and tap install. Once installed, the user will have access to all their corporate IT services.

Official iPhone SDK

The iPhone Software Developers Kit (SDK) is like the holy grail for iPhone Developers, it is a complete suite of development applications, diagnosis apps, simulators for testing and apps user interface creation and tweaking. This really is the Development Suite that everyone wanted and more.

With the iPhone SDK, third party developers will be able to 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. 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.

The Four levels of SDK Development

• Cocoa Touch - Multi-touch events, Multi-touch controls, Acceleromter, View Hierarchy, Localization, Alerts, Web View, People Picker, Image Picker, Camera

• Media - Core Audio, OpenAL, Audio Mixing, Audio Recording, Video Playback, JPG, PNG, TIFF, PDS Quartz, Core Animation, Embedded OpenGL

• Core Services - Collections, Address Book, Networking, File access, SQLite, Core Location, Net Services Threading, Preferences, URL utilities

• Core OS - OS X Kernel, BSD TCP/IP, Sockets, Power Management, Keychain, Certificates, File System, Lib System, Security, Bonjour

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) included with the Official SDK:

• XCode
  XCode will be used to build/compile code for the iPhone. Works with the iPhone SDK documentation, and has a built in debugger.

• Interface Builder
  Design and Construct Graphic User Interfaces for the iPhone with Interface Builder. It has a complete library of iPhone interface graphics and menu’s, just drag them onto the wrok area to start putting together your GUI.

• iPhone Simulator
  iPhone Simulator runs on any Intel Mac and simulates the entire API stack on your computer.

• Developer Program
  You will be able to download the SDK from Apple’s site for FREE (like i have). You can join the developer program to test your app on the iPhone and iPod touch and then if you wish to distribute/license your app costs $99 USD.

The iPhone App Store

• Very Similar to iTunes Wifi Music Store in Look and Interface
• Featured apps, just added, staff favorites, and most popular apps
• Search and Download Applications over Wifi and Edge
• Developers pick their price and keep 70% of it.
• Zero charge to the developer for free apps!
• No Malicious/Illegal apps
• App Store will be available in iPhone Firmware 2.0 in June

Phone 2.0 Firmware Update

iPhone firmware 2.0 and the new SDK + the new capabilities will be released in June 2008 to all iPhone owners for FREE, iPod Touch users will have to pay for the added features.

Tutorials

Once you regsiter as an Apple Developer you can download eleven (11) video tutorials on the iPhone SDK via itunes. So I am sure there will be allot of new apps being created soon, if they will get them to work on Jailbreaked and Activated Unlocked iPhones is another thing.

Summary

It was truly a
fantastic event yesterday, if you have not had a chance to view it, you can check out a Online Video Stream of the Event. I have downloaded all 2.2GB of the SDK and installed all 5.5GB of it on my MacMini, WOW its HUGE!! BUT its incredibly user friendly and comes with great documentation and samples to get you started.

I have no idea what I am doing in it LOL :), but I am certain that it has the tools to allow developers that have done so much without it, to now do so much more.

iPhone 2.0 in June along with SDK Applications via App Store

Apple has announced that the much anticipated iPhone 2.0 firmware update as well as the SDK Apps we saw today at the SDK Road Map press Conference will be released to all in June (and will eb free not like the iPod Touch update) and that developers will receive a beta version soon to test and give feedback to Apple.

I am sure that the beta will be leaked and a version of it will end up in the right hands. more as today unfolds, but we have seen allot today and i am sure there is still allot more to come.

The iPhone App Store

Steve Jobs announces the new Apple iPhone App Store for the iPhone.

Just like any apple store its got that great polished look with a very user friendly interface (very similar to the iTunes Wifi Store on the iPhone), cant wait to play with this

• Developers pick their price and keep 70% of it.
• Zero charge to the developer for free apps!
• No Malicious/Illegal apps
• All available in iPhone Firmware 2.0 in June

SDK TIME!!! - Apple Unveils the SDK

Apple is revealing all the little secrets that will make the SDK work currently at the Apple SDK Road Map Press Conference. Deverlopers will be using the same SDK that apple uses to build iPhone Apps. Using core services, media layer, and Cocoa.

B. Lam - courtesy Gizmodo

“Xcode is the basis for OS X dev. It’s been expanded to support iPhone dev now. Xcode knows all about the iPhone SDK, and supports it likewise.”

Fantastic looking Interface builder:

Remote Debugging - Sweet!

Below - Iphone Software Emulation - debug and test iPhone apps developed by the SDK on OSX - amazingly sweet

Demo Time - Touch FX - the first iPhone SDK App??

Game Demo Time - Touch Fighter - turn/rotate/tilt the phone to steer and tap on the screen to shoot, cool

EA Demos a game that they made in two Only weeks, called spore, no word if they will release, but shpws promising turn around time for porting existing games.

Sega demos Games for the iPhone as well!!

NEWS - iPhone ActiveSync and Exchange support

Both Engadget and Gizmodo are reporting that MS Exhange Email support is finally here on the iPhone! iPhone will have ActiveSync and Exchange support. Push Email, Push Calendar, Push Contacts, Global Address List, Cisco VPM, Certificates and WPA2/ 802.1x, Security Policies, Device Config, Remote Wipe. read more on either live blog coverage

The Calm before the iPhone SDK Storm

Things have been pretty still over here at MyTriniPhone.com, between nursing a broken toe and catching up on work for my full time job, I have been kept busy while we waited for today.

Apple is having a big press event today, and we expect Steve Jobs to take the stage and say he loves beautiful things, uhh, we do too Steve, lets see some beautiful things iPhone for the today.

I am not sure if anything new as far as applications or firmware for the iPhone will be announced today, but what I do hope he will announce is the partnerships with new companies to develop existing applications to port to the iPhone and a real date that developers will get their hands on the SDK.

I think Office applications are needed, so iWork (preferably) or MS Mobile Office or something that you can adjust/edit/create simple office documents, spread sheets and a folder that you can access through some kind of Apple Finder to store and organize your documents. Of course there is a great market for licensed games with the backing and development from the Game Dev’s. We already know that Steve is saying Flash will not show up without development from Adobe, but can the SDK help developers like Adobe barnstorm Apples mobile device, will we see a host of applications making a debut on the iPhone? FireFox maybe? I also think the iPhone also needs a simple photo editing app, to do cropping, adjust colour, create a simple slide show and then be able to email it..

So at today at 10am (PST), or about 2pm TriniTime we should find out where this Road Map of Steve’s will take us and if there are some great new iPhone apps at our destination.