Apple to open up iPhone
Apple has angered long-time fans by not allowing outsiders to make programmes that would run easily on the iPhone.
Blocking outsiders from making programs that would run easily on the iPhone has been one of
a series of restrictions that have annoyed users, even leading to some lawsuits.
Jobs, in comments on Apple’s Web site, said a kit for developers still will not be
available until February, as the company works out how to open up the phone without
exposing it to malicious programs.
“We think a few months of patience now will be rewarded by many years of great third party
applications running on safe and reliable iPhones,” Jobs said.
Developers have tried to open up the iPhone for use in the United States on networks
beyond Apple’s US partner, AT%26T, though Apple has blocked many such moves.
Spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said Apple has not changed its policy on locking the phone to
other networks.
But until now, Apple also had stopped software engineers from creating whatever they
wanted to run on the iPhone, without delivering them through the iPhone’s Web browser.
Some 200 applications have been created for use on those terms, but consumers and software
makers have seen that as an extra layer of rules and technology that was unnecessary and
throttled innovation.
Under the new policy, applications will be allowed to run in so-called native mode.
Jobs said he expects malicious developers to focus on the iPhone. “Since the iPhone is the
most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target,” he said.
Apple could require a digital signature for programs to authenticate their developer, he
added, referring to a system that he said mobile phone maker Nokia is implementing.
While this makes such a phone less than “totally open, we believe it is a step in the
right direction,” Jobs said.
Click here to read the post on Apple’s site.
