The iPhone SDK gives developers the same extensive set of application programming interfaces and tools that Apple uses to develop native applications for the iPhone and iPod touch.
“The reaction to the iPhone SDK from the developer community has been incredible, with more than 100,000 downloads in the first four days,” says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing. “More than one million people have also watched the launch-event video on apple.com, demonstrating the enormous interest in developing applications for the iPhone.”
Apple has also previewed the new App Store, a way for developers to make applications available wirelessly to every iPhone and iPod touch user. Developers set the price of their programs themselves, including the option to offer them free, and receive 70 percent of sales revenue.
Leading companies including AOL, Electronic Arts, Epocrates, Salesforce.com, and Sega have already previewed applications developed with the SDK. Positive feedback from the developer community continues as more developers familiarize themselves with the new platform.
“The iPhone SDK gives us all the tools we need to develop powerful iPhone applications and is an important part of our overall mobile strategy,” says Rick Jensen, senior vice president of Intuit’s Small Business Group. “We are very excited that the iPhone offers our customers expanded ways to handle financial tasks wherever they happen to be.”
“We are very excited about Apple’s new SDK and the prospect of reaching every iPhone user through the App Store,” says Scott Rubin, vice president of sales and marketing at Namco Networks. “We cannot wait to show great new versions of classics such as PAC-MAN and Galaga that use the revolutionary capabilities of the iPhone and iPod touch.”
“Apple’s tools have given our development team the flexibility to make our SuitePhone application even richer in functionality,” says Luke Braud, vice president of software development at NetSuite. “NetSuite is enthusiastic about giving every iPhone user access to business-critical data anytime and anywhere.”
“With the iPhone SDK, Apple has become a major mobile-gaming platform,” emphasizes Jason Kapalka, co-founder and chief creative officer of PopCap. “The new SDK allows us to reinvent games such as Bejeweled, Zuma, and Peggle. The App Store will then let us reach every iPhone and iPod touch user worldwide.”
“Seventy percent of the sale price is unquestionably the best deal in the mobile sector. The App Store is easy and motivating for developers to use,” says Wayne B. Yurtin, president and CEO of Rocket Mobile. “We cannot wait to offer our first iPhone applications in the App Store.”
“Six Apart pioneered mobile blogging with the first iPhone-enabled blog service,” says Six Apart CEO Chris Alden. “With the next native version of TypePad already in development, we are taking mobile blogging to a new level.”
“The iPhone is the mobile platform game developers have always dreamed of,” says Scott Zerby, vice president of THQ Wireless. “We are exploring how to use the iPhone’s innovative user interface to develop an entirely new kind of gaming experience for our entertainment partners, who are so popular with consumers.”
The iPhone SDK beta is available immediately as a free download worldwide at developer.apple.com/iphone/program. The iPhone Developer Program will initially be offered only in the United States, with additional countries to follow in the coming months.
