iPhone OS 3.0's funky new SDK toys

3:06PM Wednesday March 18, 2009

Apple has just announced what will be in the next iPhone OS. The new features cover off many of the areas people had found lacking, like copy and paste and search.

Apple's spin on OS 3 is here, but suffice to say those two new features leave another 98, so yes, it's a major release. Developers (if they're members of Apple's iPhone developer program) can already get their hands on 3 from Apple's Developer Connection site to start leveraging the new abilities. They'll get an updated iPhone Software Development Kit containing over 1000 new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), including peer-to-peer connections over Bonjour (Apple's local area network protocol); an app interface for hardware accessories (ie docking stations); access to users' iPod music libraries (to add their own tunes to games etc); a new Maps API and the push notification support they've long been asking for.

Developers are reportedly pretty happy with all this, according to Reuters. It means the iPhone will remain a really cool device for them.

Video: Apple updates iPhone software

Developers like developing for iPhone because the returns are fast - improvements could well increase application revenue. And while many write the iPhone off as a mere blip on the radar of powerhouse cell and smart-phone maker Nokia, Apple also just revealed the device's sales figures: 17 million iPhones have been sold. There have also been 13 million iPod Touches sold (these are also capable of running OS 3).

Apple, in its OS 3 briefing, stated the firm shipped 800,000,000 apps from iTunes in the first eight months. Eight billion! Seventy per cent of revenue from paid apps goes to the developers.

There are 25,000 titles in the App Store in iTunes but this is still growing. In fact, 50,000 companies have signed up for the iPhone developer program. Staggeringly, more than half of those have not developed mobile software before. So yes, iPhone and touch App developers will be smiling, and allowing access to the port on the iPhone and iPod touch also creates new business opportunities for hardware makers.

App developers will now have access to the iPhone's proximity sensor, users' iPod libraries, streaming video and audio via HTTP, system-wide Data Detectors and there are even built-in VoIP APIs.

Ars Technica points out that a particularly useful new API "allows developers to call up a drop-down sheet for sending an email without having to quit the current app and launch the Mail app."

Apple also announced that iPhone OS 3.0 will offer developers the option of selling subscriptions, extra levels, eBooks or other content from within their applications due to a new service called In-App Purchase.

Apple was already very pleasantly surprised (and shocked, in some cases) at the ingenuity of app developers to date. OS 3 will give them an impressive new lease of life.

So, how would you like to be an iPhone app developer? The Interdisciplinary Unit of the Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies at AUT is about to run the first New Zealand iPhone SDK Workshop. The two-day event will be held at AUT University on Thursday 9th and (note, Good) Friday 10th April 2009, 9am to 5pm. Places are limited, but AUT hopes to run others in future.

To register interest or for more info, email Charles Walker (charles.walker@aut.ac.nz). It will cost $50 for students; $300 for others.

But what about users? The most criticised lack in the iPhone OS was always cut and paste. OS 3 adds that.

The next most criticised lack was not being able to search. That's been added, too. As in Mac OS X, it's called Spotlight, but it will be accessed by swiping left from the Home screen - previously this action just bounced back to the Home screen.

A new peer-to-peer capability will let iPhone users in proximity to each other interact - to take part in the same game, for example.

Apple also promised multimedia messaging capability with the new 3.0 software. That means users can send each other photographs from the iPhone, over the cell network (you could already email photos from the iPhone, of course). Hopefully, Vodafone NZ will support this.

Push notification has also come up to speed in OS 3 - this was supposed to appear in the iPhone OS 2.0 update. Apple admits it was late on this. As Senior Vice President of iPhone Software Engineering Scott Forstall said at the launch event: "We had to complete rearchitect the server for Push Notifications." It sounds like he had to invent a completely new word, too ... but the result will be that third-party servers can send text or sound notifications to Apple's server, which will then 'push' them to users' iPhones.

Maps have had some work. They can now be added to applications and access many of the same GUI features found in the existing Google Maps application for iPhone. You'll be able to pinch and zoom in or out, switch between street, hybrid, and satellite views, add custom notes and access all the normal core location features. The only catch is, developers may have to supply their own maps.

Another welcome addition is a widescreen (landscape) keyboard, which will be added to a number of key iPhone apps including Mail, Messaging and Notes, enabling users to more easily type on the iPhone's screen. That's good for those with sausage digits.

Calendar will sync with CalDAV and .ICS calendars too, not just Apple's iCal.

Even stock marketeers get more - widescreen stock charts with more info in them.

All in all, it looks like lots for everyone in iPhone/Touch OS 3. Bring it on! iPhone customers will be able to download the new iPhone OS 3.0 software free, soon, but those 13 million iPod touch customers will have purchase it as a software update.

- Mark Webster mac.nz

PHOTO: Apple Senior Vice President, iPhone Software Scott Forstall talks about the new iPhone OS 3.0 (AP)

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