View this article at: http://dev.macnn.com/articles/07/09/11/apple.iphone.apps.alright
Tuesday, Sep 11, 2007 11:40am

Apple takes neutral stance ...

Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPod marketing, is assuring independent coders that the company does not oppose the development of native applications for the iPhone. Instead, says Joswiak, Apple has adopted a neutral position. It will not attempt to deter development, or halt it with new firmware updates, but neither will the company provide any assistance, or take any action to fix updates that accidentally break third-party native apps. This position could change, but Joswiak notes that it would require a re-evaluation by Apple.

Challenged with the notion that most updates to Mac OS X do not break third-party software, Joswiak argues that Apple has more experience with Mac desktops than the iPhone platform, and that buyer expectations for the two technlogies is different. Mac owners demand that third-party software be ready for them, whereas the iPhone has always been limited in purpose. Many native apps have already been created for the iPhone, less than three months after its debut. These range from AIM and IRC clients through to gaming software such as an Nintendo emulator.