06/11, 6:20pm
Developers must get approval in writing
Apple has quietly changed its iPhone SDK terms to allow more flexibility for applications that use interpreted code. Section 3.3.2 was previously worded as an absolute ban on code interpreters other than Apple's own built-in systems. Developers viewed this as a prohibition of cross-compilers, such as Adobe's Flash-to-iPhone utility that would have allowed apps to be written in Flash and run natively on the iPhone.
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05/03, 11:45pm
Apple could dodge FTC complaints with SDK change
Apple could avoid a possible FTC antitrust investigation by changing the terms of the iPhone 4.0 SDK, insiders said Monday night. The FTC would supposedly leave Apple alone if it let developers write iPhone apps using other tools, such as Adobe's Flash CS5 or MonoTouch. How likely this would be wasn't described.
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04/27, 3:40pm
Warnings hint at 3G video support
The latest iPhone 4 SDK beta appears to include new code related to video conferencing functionality. Although basic video conferencing provisions have been included in the past firmware releases, the latest offering expands a number of status and error strings.
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04/21, 7:50am
Adobe exec says Apple being anti-competitive
Adobe Product Manager Mike Chambers late yesterday said his company will no longer put development time into the Flash-to-iPhone conversion tool in Flash CS5. While it will still ship with the CS5 suite, the component won't get significant updates in the foreseeable future. Chambers stressed that Apple's ban on cross-compiling in the iPhone 4.0 SDK made it untenable to continue, and he accused Apple of being anti-competitive.
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04/16, 1:45pm
Cartoons originally deemed potentially offensive
Apple has reversed its rejection of an iPhone app, NewsToons, that features caricatures of political figures and various other editorial cartoons, according to the Wall Street Journal. The title was originally denied entry to the App Store because Apple's review team found it to be in violation of the iPhone SDK, which prohibits any content that "ridicules public figures."
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04/13, 2:55pm
Adobe may force Apple to allow outside dev tools
A rumor on Tuesday claimed that Adobe was near suing Apple over the company's decision to ban cross-compilers in the iPhone 4.0 SDK. Contacts near Adobe purportedly said the Flash developer has already made up its mind and is set to file a lawsuit "within a few weeks." How Adobe would approach the case or what exactly it would demand weren't mentioned by ITWorld's writer, but it's presumed Adobe would have a court force Apple to allow third-party tools.
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04/09, 8:05pm
Adobe wants Apple to reconsider iPhone 4 SDK
Adobe Platform Evangelist Lee Brimelow today hit out at Apple's seeming decision to ban cross-compiling tools in the iPhone 4.0 SDK with accusations of excessive restrictions. He argued that there was no practical reason to make the move other than to exert "tyrannical control" and that it was part of a "crusade" against Adobe in which developers were unwillingly playing a role. He even went so far as to accuse Apple of trying to hurt Creative Suite 5, although the company had this observation pulled.
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03/17, 7:10pm
iPad SDK still unfinished at beta 5
Apple on Wednesday released beta 5 of the iPhone 3.2 SDK for iPad through the iPhone Dev Center. The release has come just over a week after the launch of beta 4 and shows Apple accelerating its effort to refine the software before the iPad is available on April 3rd. Previously, Apple had released beta 3 and earlier seeds in largely consistent two-week intervals.
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02/21, 2:55pm
iPhone SDK has hooks for video chat
A discovery in the iPhone 3.2 developer kit suggests Apple is opening the door to video calls on its device. Icons in the Telephony UI framework would cover accepting or declining a video chat invitation; code references alternately make references to "iChat" and (in the video toolbox) "VideoChat." No apps are currently included that would support the feature.
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02/09, 6:50pm
SDK offers new tools for iPad content
Apple on Tuesday released a second beta version of the iPhone 3.2 SDK to developers. The first beta was initially seeded last month following the iPad unveiling. Many of the new features are focused on the iPad, with tools geared for the larger screen resolution. Although the device has yet to be released, developers can view UI layouts and debug apps on an iPad simulator.
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01/04, 2:40pm
Apple event on 27th may show iPhone OS 4
Apple's late January event could have more than just the anticipated tablet itself in store, a rumor suggests. Certain developers have allegedly been seeded a beta of the iPhone OS 4.0 development kit that, among other adaptations, would include a simulator and tools to accommodate a new resolution and screen area.
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11/16, 6:45pm
Apps rejected for using private APIs
Apple has allegedly expanded its iPhone app review process to include computerized filtering of submissions, according to Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber. The new "static analysis tools" are designed to catch developers trying to use Apple's private APIs, which the iPhone SDK terms explicitly prohibits.
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04/01, 4:00am
Celio Mulls iPhone Redfly
Celio is investigating a version of its Redfly mobile companions for the iPhone, a company representative has told Electronista at an event ahead of CTIA. While no definitive support has been planned, the device maker says it has already been experimenting with drivers that would let a connected iPhone use a Redfly's larger screen and keyboard. It's not certain whether this would include every feature or whether it would connect through Bluetooth, USB, or both.
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03/17, 2:45pm
Apple iPhone 3 Event Live
MacNN and Electronista provided real-time coverage of Apple's preview today of iPhone 3.0, the next major release of its mobile operating system, as well as an updated version of the iPhone SDK to match. Click through to the extended area to see news as it appeared in reverse chronological order, including the Q&A session after the presentation. All times were Eastern.
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03/17, 1:45pm
iPhone 3.0 revealed
(Update with release info) Apple on Tuesday unveiled iPhone 3.0, described as a "major update" to the iPhone operating system. Prominent among the new features is the overdue addition of push notification, which Apple says required a rearchitecting of its servers to accommodate. Companies can use the technology to deliver signals such as sounds and text alerts, which are pushed from third-party sources to Apple, and then to iPhones.
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03/12, 12:45pm
Apple iPhone 3 0 Event
Apple today invited the press to a special event where it will provide an early look at the iPhone 3.0 firmware. To be held March 17th at the Town Hall theater on the company's campus, the event will focus primarily on the iPhone SDK but will also give the public a look at some features of what end users will experience. No clues are given as to what the software will contain beyond a major revision.
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12/07, 6:20pm
iPhone TV out capabilities
Freeverse has dabbled with an undocumented iPhone SDK feature that allows apps to use the TV-out function, according to Ars Technica. The developer applied the MPTVOutWindow class to its Moto Chaser game, creating a demo that played on an external display. Users still control the vehicle by tilting the device, but view the racing action on a TV instead of the touchscreen. The experience also benefits from the sound output routing to the TV or other A/V system.
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06/19, 2:30pm
iSharephone announced
iPhone enterprise developer Webstate has announced iSharephone, a native application for Apple's iPhone 3G that allows the user to access the Microsoft Office SharePoint portal. Sharepoint is Microsoft Office 2007's server program that allows content management, publishing and collaboration. It also allows people, data and document searches and data analysis. iSharephone, as yet unpriced, will allow users of Sharepoint to access the information from the field.
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05/17, 10:00pm
iPhoneDevCamp 2 in August
iPhoneDevCamp 2 is an upcoming not-for-profit gathering to develop applications for iPhone and iPod touch using both the native SDK and web standards. The second event, which follows the first iPhoneDevCamp held in early July 2007, is being held at Adobe Systems offices in San Francisco from August 1-3 and will include Cocoa Touch developers, web developers, UI designers, and testers. Designed as a hand-on event, the organizers say that development projects will include both solo and team efforts, based on expertise, to work in ad-hoc project development teams. Projects will include new applications for iPhone and iPod touch, migrating Mac OS X applications to iPhone and iPod touch, and testing and optimizing applications for iPhone and iPod touch.
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04/27, 7:20pm
iControl for iPhone
Apple may be preparing to add iPhone (and iPod touch) functions to connect to and play media from nearby iTunes sources. Citing an "anonymous tipster," TUAW reports that code found in the latest firmware release points to a new iPhone application called iControl, which it says could be part of Apple's own plan to release new software applications based on forthcoming iPhone SDK. Based on strings found in the code of the latest private iPhone firmware beta, the application would allow users to connect to shared iTunes library running on a PC to playback songs or view videos. According to the report, the media navigator will allow users to view videos, play podcasts, listen to music and even support shuffle playback from the iTunes library. If true, iPhone and iPod touch users would not only be able to playback media from their device, but may also be able to actively control iTunes installed on a PC.
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04/08, 5:05pm
SDK beta times out
Developers participating in the iPhone SDK beta are discovering that the device is "bricking" itself after the limited-time beta expires. TUAW readers point out that this shouldn't come as a surprise, since a note posted for developers says that the beta would indeed expire if not kept current. Another user notes that the next development firmware version has yet to be seeded to non-enterprise developers, while another still says that a call to the Apple Developer Connection revealed an updated SDK masquerading as an older one.
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03/28, 3:00pm
iPhone SDK beta 2
Apple has released the second beta of its iPhone SDK for registered developers. The new release includes an Interface Builder, which allows the drag-and-drop integration of graphical components which can be linked to underlying Objective-C code created in Xcode. The new SDK build is a 1.3GB download, available from Apple's Developer Connection site. You must be a registered developer to download the SDK, but no fee or program acceptance is required. Apple's development kit uses the same programming language and interface used by Apple itself and now includes Cocoa Touch, an API designed to add touchscreen input.
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03/06, 7:50pm
Id eyes iPhone SDK
Id software head John Carmack today expressed interest in Apple's iPhone SDK (Software Development Kit) in a comment on a popular tech news website. The iPhone SDK, which Apple released today during a town-hall meeting at its campus in Cupertino, will bring support for OpenGL/OpenAL to mobile developers alongside access to the handset's 3-axis Accelerometer. "Just based on the blurbs, it looks very good -- a simulator plus debugging on the native device is the best of both worlds, and a 70 percent royalty deal for apps over iTunes is quite good," Cormack wrote in a comment on Slashdot.org.
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03/04, 5:05pm
3G iPhone in four months?
In advance of Apple's 3G iPhone announcement, Citigroup believes the new version of the device could be surfacing within four months. According to AppleInsider, analyst Rich Garder came to the conclusion based on input from several industry sources, which he claims confirms a 3G version of the iPhone during the second quarter. Caris & Co. analyst Shebly Seyrafi believes that Apple will meet its 10 million unit goal, but will not succeed in putting adequate pressure on the rest of the market.
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02/29, 10:15am
Tight iPhone SDK control
Apple will announce tight regulation of iPhone applications at its March 6th SDK event, say several anonymous sources. Although the SDK has been hotly anticipated as a means of turning iPhones into handheld computers, Apple will for various reasons restrict how iPhone software operates and is distributed. Users will for instance have to acquire applications through the iTunes Store, instead of through independent websites, where it may sometimes be more convenient.
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11/26, 4:00pm
iPhone Early SDK
Exclusive Some developers are gaining early access to Apple's iPhone and iPod touch software developer kit, according to reliable sources speaking to Electronista. A handful of companies are said to be getting rough versions of the tools to help code more advanced applications than would be possible with the current web-only solution. Exact details of what the kit allows are unknown, though it is confirmed that it produces native programs and somewhat resembles Google's OpenSocial in that it mediates between the programmer and the iPhone operating system.
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