“Apple is working on solutions that will help developers get more face time on the iPhone, but there are currently no plans to offer a “true” iPhone SDK that would allow developers to create native apps, a source at Apple has told Ars,” Jacqui Cheng reports for Ars Technica.
“The company is currently planning a handful of updates to Safari and the iPhone that may appease some of the common complaints about developing for the device. For example, Apple is currently jamming on adding offline storage capabilities to Safari—something that would rival Google Gears in being able to serve up web applications locally without having to access the Internet,” Cheng reports.
“Our source says that the project is entirely for the iPhone: ‘The entire purpose of all this work is to make the iPhone ‘SDK’ (WebKit) more usable,’ our source told us. Because of this, the SDK will remain web-based, he said, with the applications remaining constrained to HTML, CSS, and a nice splash of lemon-scented AJAX,” Cheng reports.
More in the full article here.
Being able to save the web apps locally would at least be a step in the right direction, albeit a baby one. It would permit things like Vindigo, where the backend data could be updated when it’s online, but the “most recent” copy would be available regardless.
Also, local RSS reader lists (I hate having to sign in and tell someone what I’m reading)
And all those crappy web games would be available while I’m on the subway!
FLASH!!!!!!!
Just adding Flash support would open up the door to all sorts of applications, games, presentations, etc.. FLEX and FLASH advancements present many opportunities in lieu of a platform SDK.
Tell Apple you want FLASH:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html
While you’re there… also tell them you want:
– Multiple email delete
– Checklist function in Notes
– Notes synching with Leopard
– AccuWeather for Weather (like OS X widget – Yahoo is often off)
Screw Flash and Adobe.
Open is the way to go.
Pardon the OT question.. anyone else having issues with your stock listings widget? Mine’s been touch and go for the past couple of days.. mostly go.
How about copy and paste, and let the Bluetooth connect to my Mac to use on the mobile network if I need to, and send/receive files.
“Screw Flash and Adobe.
Open is the way to go.”
i agree, i dont like flash
Huh???!!!!
Are you kidding me? So let me get this straight. Apple is now going to “improve” iPhone apps by downloading websites to my iPhone and taking up valuable memory? Get real. If you’re going to do that you may as well just let me install the app directly on my iPhone. It would probably take less space, run faster, and be more stable. Who the hell is coming up with these bone head ideas at Apple? Just give us a true native SDK and go away and let us give the iPhone beautiful useful wonderful apps.
ibookfast: “anyone else having issues with your stock listings widget?”
It’s just you.
Keep flash OFF the iPhone I say…
@ ibookfast
“..having issues with your stock listings widget?”
Yes… prices/percentage not showing at all. Thought it might be a font issue on my end, but guess not.
@ CandTsmac & bob
“Screw Flash”
What’s wrong with Flash/Flex? I support AJAX and other ‘open’ technologies, but there’s a whole lot you could do with Flash support.
PLEASE open up the iPhone to REAL apps!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for listening.
How about some REAL APPS !!!!!!!!!!!
This web based stuff is garbage !!!!!!! Get off the GREED and open up the iPhone.
I love my iPhone but it’s frustrating when this device could and should do so much more!
Many of you are awfully quick to open up a young product to potential crapware. I much prefer to give Apple the time it needs to make sure the iPhone stays secure once it is opened up for third party apps.
Just a thought here. The iPhone has only been out for what,,, 3 months and people are hating it cause it can not handle full computer functions yet????
People…. It has only just come out. Give it 9 months to a year. I am sure that Apple was not fully sure of how successful it would be. And I remember some cell phone execs saying that it takes years to make a good phone. OK, Apple compressed years into months. But how about giving them some breathing room.?????
THere are a number of issues possibly coming up including a new processor, Google docs on line (hint using Safari in iPhone) etc.
Later,
en
I agree with mac4life.
I have a Symbian phone (SE P910) and it crashes daily due to the crapware I’ve installed on it.
If a web app can store and run locally then it’s fine with me. I can wait until the iPhone is mature enough or until Apple can sandbox the apps from the rest of the phone.
Anyway, it’s the whiners who moan about not being able to install native apps who will be the first to once the iPhone starts crashing because of them.
NO FLASH!!!!! NO! NO! NO! NEVER!!!!
First to moan I meant.
D’oh Proof read dude!!!
the gPhone will be better for everyone who wants to install crapware, malware maybe some goodware…all kinds of wares on your phone.
The current strategy for iPhone is pretty good IMO. just needs GPS and some minor software usability improvements from Apple.
I’ve had the iPhone for 2 weeks now, and it is worth $1200 to me, that’s what I would have paid for it. I feel almost guilty having paid only $399.
Meh. Whatever.
You can use a data-URL (someone calls this “boonies mode”) to store your app on your iPhone now.More here:
http://blog.clawpaws.net/post/2007/07/16/Storing-iPhone-apps-locally-with-data-URLs
In the desktop computing world users are much more tolerant of glitches, unintended functions, and erratic useablity than the phone world. (Just look to windows’ marketshare) Phones need to just work– like you dial the number, it rings, someone answers. As with all products with this heritage Appl is responsibly insuring that the dumb box side will always work without stupid loss of core functionality. With out a stable, rock-solid core the iPhone would be a footnote. Which isn’t to say users should not opine for expanded features, but good, use-changing devices need to not out develop the majority of users. Yet i must remember to remember– patience is a virtue only to persons who have lived a good bit of life.
For those who have posted their distaste for Flash…. why? It’s almost a standard at this point.
I have to agree with Why no Flash?:
Flash is EVERYWHERE. Why not have it on the iPhone?
Flash is great in a lot of ways, but it leaves much to be desired. Flash plugins are very processor intensive (it’s main roadblock for the iPhone.) Secondly, editing with Adobe Flash can be a real pain in the ass. It can be very confusing for even experienced users; often doing the exact same thing seems to work or not work for no obvious reason. Thirdly, there is Flash’s Actionscript language is a total mess; that language is far from mature, and it’s syntax has changed drastically with nearly with nearly every major release Flash (especially CS3.) Open platforms are definitely the way to go in the long run.
SVG format has a very promising future web animation. Find out more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalable_Vector_Graphics
By the way, can one of you lucky iPhone owners check to see if SVG has been implemented on the iPhone yet?
Here’s a good test:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e3/Firefox-logo.svg
Tell me if you can see this image, and if you can zoom into the image with resolution independence.
Many people mention GPS. I think the iPhone is the best platform for mobile GPS, because of the touchscreen, the size of the screen and the performance.
I am sure it will make it to the iPhone, probably with the next revision, and I am sure there is a working version in Apple’s labs.
But if they’d thrown everything they had in version 1, first would they get it on time for a June lanuch ? And most important, what would be left for version 2 ?
We’re also waiting for iChat AV on the iPhone in an upcoming revision, but one thing at a time guys, we already have a hell of a phone though it’s never enough…
Talking about 2-way video, did anyone make a connection with this 3,5″ prototype touchscreen shown last week, that has business card scanning abilities in everyone pixels ? It should be able to act like an integrated iSight camera maybe ? What do you think ?
Anyway, I guess we need to let them breathe a little. Like “en” said “People…. It has only just come out. Give it 9 months to a year”