“The iPhone, perhaps the hottest smartphone in the history of smartphones, lacks one of the most basic functions of pretty much every other smartphone on the market: the ability to accept, load and save third-party applications. Apple’s conciliatory approach to address the situation is to allow users access to third-party applications via the built-in Safari browser,” Chris Maxcer writes for MacNewsWorld.
“The iPhone version of Safari doesn’t support Java or Adobe’s Flash, which leaves out a couple of key technologies that help create rich applications — though Apple has at least seemed amenable to delivering Flash support at some unspecified future date,” Maxcer writes.
“Still, many Web-based applications for both personal and business use, as well as a handful of games, function fine via the iPhone, and some are even being developed and marketed specifically for the iPhone,” Maxcer writes. “However, is this a viable long-term method? Some third-party developers have created a mini industry around building and selling applications for smartphones — can they turn their innovation to the iPhone? Less than three months after the iPhone launched, more questions than answers abound when it comes to third-party applications.”
Full article here.
……………………Yes.
We need “approved” 3rd party apps. like the ability to install google chat or GPS software.
3rdparty development is needed, but it doesn’t need to be wide open so anyone can just create something for it.
This will allow apple’s “security”, maintain quality. and provide the mass people with extra software and functionanlity.
lets face it, edge is not fast enough to really use seamlessly for add on apps. and Wi-Fi is not always available.
I think they will do it but for the time being they want it all under their control. The majority of apps written by 3rd parties would be great, but it just takes one app to get a bit of traction and then to start causing problems and it tarnishes the whole thing. At least web apps are in a sandbox of sorts. Apple don’t have to worry about them or manage their implementation.
I can live with that.
The iPhone is a computer. It should act like one. I don’t care who makes the app, just that it works. I am rarely near a WiFi hotspot and Safari apps are just too slow. It is about time Apple stopped acting like Verizon and open up the iPhone features.
No way. Mobile Safari is TOO slow to do anything meaningful.
Open it up, Apple!
Do not ask for what you think you want just because other business have it already! namely mobile wince.
If the iphone were to be subjected to wince type apps, it would soon start to languish behind the other so called smart phones because no doubt someone somewhrer would be paid to write an app that would slow down all the other apps on it, if not just bring it down altogether.
The iphone will only be opened up to developers as you think it should when Apple inc are satisfied that the foundation they have built for it will not be eroded by malicious activities.
Never forget that in order for you to activate your iphone, you have had to provide alot of personal detail including your bank account details in order to set up a direct debit account for yourself. Why are you so keen to provide all that information to Lazy Bastards who’d rather steal your hard earned money rather than earn it themselves?!!!!!!
UNLESS OF COURSE YOU ARE THE GREEDY BASTARD WHO WOULD JUST LOVE TO BE ABLE TO DO SO!
Opening up the iPhone is probably a good idea, but it’s ridiculous to say that iPhone isn’t already a “smartphone”.
Since the iPhone downloads and runs Web applications (Javascript, Ajax, etc.) it is clearly a smartphone. Just because other “smartphones” can’t really do that seems like a bad reason for excluding iPhone from the club.
iPhone can also download and store Web applications as “data:” urls. That is, a multi-megabyte URL containing an entire application can be saved as a bookmark! For example, here’s a link to a very nice scientific calculator for the iPhone that works that way: “http://scicalc.belfry.com/”. No need to be online to use this.
You bet yer sweet ass it is.
Congratulations _?_!_…good job
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a lot of people are forgetting how ‘mature’ a lot of other phone os’s are, and how new the mobile osx is, its all baby steps, people want everything NOW, apple is thinking long term and is pacing itself, for a 1st effort its pretty amazing. google maps is a 3rd party app so im sure we’ll see other appear slowly and games. Quality control people
I agree with MXN, they will open it eventually, but they need to get the software perfected first. People have different standards for their phones than they have for their computers.
Also, Apple has said that they won’t stop people from developing and loading applications to the phone, they just won’t support them either. I think this solution, for the time being, is just fine. People who need/want certain capabilities can experiment at their own risk.
I am glad Apple is concentrating on refining the phone UI (which is incredible but can still be improved).
Thank you eMax for deciding that we should only have “approved” apps for the iPhone. I guess I couldn’t write an app myself then. Because “approved” would mean that someone would have to pay Apple enough money to get approved. This also would mean there would be no open source apps to choose from.
Replace the word iPhone with the word Mac and see if this would be reasonable for only “approved” apps.
How about something as simple as a terminal window? With SSH built-in. I’d love to be able to get a call about something wrong with a server and then be able to log in to that server remotely from my iPhone using an SSH connection. That would rock. And plenty of smart phones already have that capability.
Just give us FileMaker.
YES! Filemaker on iPhone would be great!
The new Zune 2 Phone with the patented “Squircle” navigation system will be released with full 3rd party support now and in the long term. In fact, I have it in high authority that the new Zune 2 code named ( backdoor ) will have new PMSS ( precognitive mood sensing system ) developed by a secreted 3rd party company. The background color will change according to your moods. Imagine your on a long road trip and the first rest stop is 10 miles away and the next one is 60 miles away. When your white Zune turns brown in the background its time to go poo poo on your first stop. Even if you don’t fee the “Urge” to purge, Zune 2 with PMSS will tell you to do so. Now thats what I call innovation from Redmond. Bill Gates and Ballmer once again has surpassed Jobs with useful innovative ideas.
I want to know the frame rate for Quake on my iPhone.
“secreted 3rd party company”
They were discharged?
Forget web-only apps. The real question MDN should be asking is…
Is Apple’s iPhone viable long-term?
Obviously the answer is NO.
NO Verizon content, NO WMA support, NO buttons. The iPhone is another ‘dead in the water’ Apple product. You MAC lemmings might want to look into the Motorola Q running magnificent Windows Mobile.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Re: FileMaker!
You people do know that you can turn any Filemaker solution into a web-accessible one with a single click of the mouse? And that the web-enabled FileMaker uses the exact technology (ajax, XML, etc.) that we are talking about here?
Just make a FileMaker layout that is the right size for iphone, publish to web… done.
No we don’t. If you have that, you slow development of the real iPhone to a crawl. I
It’s new, it’s got a great future, if Apple are allowed to develop it and move it on like thay have with the iPod.
Let’s not have it handicapped before it gets to maturity, and above, critical mass.
Maybe then. Just maybe..
we now have Zune Tang and OriginalRecipe with their particularly childish brand of humour.
Can’t you ban these plonkers MDN??
After having jail breaked my iPhone and having Installer transferred to my iPhone I have been able to install tons of third party apps that run natively on the iPhone, not through a web browser. The hacking community has done what Apple should have done from the beginning. It’s pretty amazing. I have added all sorts of additional apps that increase the value of the iPhone ten fold. Things like a voice recorder, RSS Reader, eBook Reader, Flickr Uploader, MacOSX Widget Launcher, GPS (via cel & WiFi), IM client, IRC client, VPN client, Text Editor, Image Previewer, Dictionary, Thesaurus, Many Games including Nintendo Emulater, and Wi-Fi Finder. Everyday there is something new and its all been free up to this point. I think it would be difficult for Apple to stop thi sactivity. If Apple were smart, and I think they are, they will release an SDK and turn the developers loose on this platform. That act alone will insure the complete success and domination of the iPhone for years to come.
I think it was smart of Apple not to turn the iPhone loose right from the beginning to developers. After all, they had to test the waters first, right?
I agree with Reality Check in that the SDK should eventually be released to reputible developers. But I would wait until HD capacity and goes up, and 3G becomes available on these…that’s what I am waiting for.
One more thing… this is for Jeff.
I also have SSH installed and a Terminal that works just like Terminal does in MacOSX. I use FTP to transfer my Nintendo ROMs from my Mac to my iPhone. So what you wish you had is already available. If you want to get started making your iPhone more productive go to http://iphone.nullriver.com/beta/ and get the AppTapp installer. Once you’ve got the Installer on your iPhone you can add as many apps and have as many icons on your iPhone that you can access by flicking the icons up and down the screen. Go to http://www.apptapp.com/summerboard/ to learn more about that.
There is no phaquen way you spent your own money on an Apple product.
Did you mug someone in the park for their money or their iPhone?
Did the idiot who hired you give you one for work?
Did you find a lost iPhone?
Did you just make up this bullshit about the iPhone just like all of your other posts?
Is your real name Paul Thurrott?
Come clean you bastard!
Zune Tang and OriginalRecipe are MDN posting under another name.
I am enjoying third party apps already on my iPhone as well. They seem to be doing quite well without Apple’s help. Of course and official SDK would be better, but I’m quite satisfied with what’s available already, and how easy it is to install/update/uninstall any of these apps using the AppTapp Installer. Best part is, it’s all free!
For years smartphones with Apps have failed to reach wide adoption, WAP has failed to reach wide adoption.
Jobs understands this, and he knows that the mobile industry needs to FIRST learn to deliver at least the simple capability of the internet and a browser. People do LOTS of useful things on the internet, but the experience never transferred to the phone.
Web based services that work are the low hanging fruit of the mobile business. If he starts opening up the phone, he is just following a failed model.
Mobile operators cannot see that the iPhone is the start of the destruction of their gatekeeper operation AKA mobile portals.
He will clean up with thousands of small developers delivering least common denominator web apps that will actual work on the phone.
Later? WHo knows. To get to C you need to start at A and pass B.
“Zune Tang and OriginalRecipe are MDN posting under another name.”
I find this hard to believe. Surely not.
It’s true. And don’t call me Shirley.
hows ’bout some MicroSoftee apps! (There are methods for Apple’s current madness.)
The iPod evolved over time and has become quite advanced and full-featured, as demonstrated by the iPod touch. It is an amazing iPod despite the fact that it is “crippled” by Apple to limit its application and WiFi functionality. If the iPhone did not exist, then everyone would be praising the iPod touch to extremes right now.
Clearly Apple has limited the iPod touch functionality in order to avoid competition with the iPhone and the associated cell/date service providers. If the touch were open to VOIP, then many people might bypass the iPhone. Apple likely promised not to facilitate that possibility, at least over the next few years of the exclusive service agreements with AT&T;, et. al.
“The iPod evolved over time and has become quite advanced and full-featured . . .”
Does that mean there’s still a glimmer of hope for humanity?
Apple will NEVER open the iPhone – unless sales start to lag.
What advantage would it be for Apple to tell developers it’s remaining closed then open it up later? If they were going to open it up at sometime, it would be smart to have developers ready to go when that time came. Instead Apple has thrown their support behind Web2.0 developers. To then suddenly open the iPhone to 3rd party native apps would be viewed as pulling the rug out from under those developers and ultimately show Apple to be an untrustworthy partner.
MDN word: Talk, as in too much, and not enough listen.
@KingMel
After reading Realty Check’s posts, I’d say there is a distinct probability that the iPod touch will be hacked to allow third party apps to be installed on it. Why couldn’t there be a VOIP client for the touch?
“Why couldn’t there be a VOIP client for the touch?”
No microphone?
The iPhone needs to at least have Flash support within the browser. This one supported technology would open up all sorts of possibilities for presentations, games & applications. Many different robust applications could be created with Flex, Flash & web technologies – some working online and some off.
I hope hackers focus on getting Flash installed while we wait around for Apple.
@ Reality Check or anyone who knows…
Can Flash or Flash plug-in for Safari be installed after jail breaking the iPhone? Any other way to get it going if not yet?
Seems that if this could be done more developers would begin tinkering with content development (presentations, games, apps, etc.). This in turn might move Apple to support Flash sooner than later. It’s not a technology only good for YouTube.
Need:
– Flash
– Java
– Native apps
Plus:
– MMS
– Video phone
– other the features that 99% of phone have, such as ability to delete a single SMS.
Not that any of this will stop me acquiring a UK model once they are available.
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Ah Zune Tang, what a wasted memory…”You MAC lemmings might want to look into the Motorola Q running magnificent Windows Mobile.”
Why just a while ago it was all that wait for the Zune phone, and now you are spouting Motorola.
Tsk tsk tsk.
Maybe you should get back to promoting the Zune phone’s wonderful features such as NO Verizon content, NO WMA support, NO buttons.
Your Attention Deficit Disorder. Our Sympathy.™
“it’s ridiculous to say that iPhone isn’t already a “smartphone”.”
Most analysts define it to be something more than a feature phone, but less than a smartphone.