iPhone opening up for third party applications

Apple is trying to open up the platform to developers while maintaining the security of iPhone users from viruses, malware and privacy attacks

Apple is opening up the iPhone to third party software developers - although they'll have to wait until February for a Software Development Kit

Published on Oct 18, 2007

Apple-approved third party iPhone software will be available early next year after Steve jobs announced that an iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) will be coming in February.

The SDK will enable developers to create native applications that users will be able to load on to their iPhones. Since the iPhone launch at the end of June, Apple has tried to maintain the iPhone as a closed system, encouraging hackers and programmers to develop unsanctioned third-party applications.

Apple published Steve Jobs’ comments on the SDK release on its Hot News page at http://www.apple.com/hotnews/.

Jobs insisted that Apple wanted third party applications on the iPhone and said Apple was “excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users”.

He said that it would take until February to release an SDK because Apple was trying to open up the platform to developers while maintaining the security of iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks and so on.

Jobs indicated that there may yet be some level of control over third party application approval by pointing to Nokia’s system requiring digital signatures for third party apps before loading on to its Symban smartphones.

"While this makes such a phone less than 'totally open,'," Jobs commented, "we believe it is a step in the right direction. We are working on an advanced system which will offer developers broad access to natively program the iPhone’s amazing software platform while at the same time protecting users from malicious program."