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Developer response to iPhone announcement mixed
Third-party developers are giving mixed responses to the announcement that while they are welcome to create Web 2.0 applications that run on the iPhone, they are currently blocked from creating widgets that run locally on the device. “We’re a little disappointed,” said Daniel Waylonis, a software engineer at Google. “It was not the announcement we were hoping for.” Although web-based applications have been heralded as the future of software, many developers at Apple’s WWDC conference were hoping for a true iPhone SDK. “Using Ajax for the iPhone is [bullcrap],” said French programmer Jacques Foucry. Web programmer Dominique Baillon, a colleague of Foucry, agreed. “I’m quite comfortable with web applications, but I need something that I can run locally (on the iPhone) and that will work when I’m not connected to the internet.”
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1
That’s exactly what I think. It’s higly ridiculous. How many of this phones are they thinking to sell? How can it compete with a smartphone while it’s just a phone with browser and music player in it? Are they blind in Apple? Can’t they see that the whole popularity of Palm OS based devices lies within the innormous library of programs? I really hoped that I will no longer have to carry two devices with me: a phone and a handheld… but I guess I’ll have wait for someone to develop something less sophisticated than iPhone but actually usefull. And BTW - how about Office attachments in mail? Probably no because they won’t let create Office to Go for iPhone. How come that on Treo you can run thousands of applications and they do not create a threat to… I don’t know what actually… but it’s safe to run them but same approach would be dangerous to apply on iPhone?
Posted by Piotr on June 12, 2007 at 6:36 AM (PDT)
2
And one more thing. Have you watched the interview with Jobs and Gates? Wasn’t it Jobs who said that web-based software is cool but they’ve created separate application for Google maps and it works so much better that Google maps through the browser? And now what? It’s a little inconsistency as I see it.
Posted by Piotr on June 12, 2007 at 6:40 AM (PDT)
3
I do think that the Web 2.0 apps is a cop-out. What I think is that Apple simply does not have anything ready (SDK-wise) for iPhone developers. What I would like to see is Google Gears, Flash and access to OS X. If iPhone is really running OS X, then I should be able to develop on it.
Posted by Mdavid on June 12, 2007 at 7:28 AM (PDT)
4
The iPhone will be amazingly successful without 3rd party apps. Once it has cemented itself as the most popular phone, as the iPod has done in the music player space, I’m sure Apple will come out with more powerful ways for 3rd party apps to run on it. They just don’t want to jeopardize the experience for the average Joe as it comes out of the gates.
Posted by Cool Cat on June 12, 2007 at 9:44 AM (PDT)
5
As a developer I too agree that this is a cop out.
But it’s a pretty good cop out, since the iPhone is designed to be an always-connected device, and will serve us while we wait for Apple to come out with a suitably sandboxed framework. I’m hoping for something similar to Dashcode myself.
Posted by dasmb on June 12, 2007 at 9:45 AM (PDT)
6
Some time ago SJ told developers that they should use apple development tools, then Apple changed to Intel processors and those who followed is advice where able to easily build Universal Binaries, now he is telling them to use web 2.0, AJAX and Dashcode (for widgets). If I were a developer I would listen. Some time in the near future it may well turn out to be really easy to develop real apps for iPhone for those who do follow is advice.
Posted by pracova on June 12, 2007 at 3:57 PM (PDT)
7
“it’s a pretty good cop out, since the iPhone is designed to be an always-connected device”... right, and you actually have a network coverage throughout the country. Give me a break. Imagine situation where you’re paing for gas in the middle of the desert and you’re not able to file the payment in your expense tracking app (personally I use one)... because there is no network coverage. Really great!
Posted by Piotr on June 13, 2007 at 2:23 AM (PDT)
8
I took the initial response as “we’re up to our arms in alligators right now just trying to get this thing launched… so here’s a bone to tide you over.” This would have gone over so much better if his Steveness would have said “initially” you create Web 2.0 apps, “eventually” we plan to expand on that to develop widget-like apps with Javascript or Flash.
Posted by C. Lee Smith on June 13, 2007 at 12:45 PM (PDT)