iPhone Analysis Part 2 - Not Closed For Sure
In my previous post on the iPhone, I said that I thought Apple’s biggest mistake with iPhone was to make it a closed device. That is, it was looking like Apple would not allow third-party independent developers to build applications for iPhone. However, I may have some good news….
I’ve just been told that, while they might so far be leaning towards making iPhone closed, the powers that be at Apple haven’t actually taken a final decision on this. And, in fact, to this end, they’re still considering putting Java on iPhone. So, if enough Apple developers make it known to Apple that they want to develop applications for iPhone, they may well get their wish.
For what it’s worth, I think Apple should ship either Java SE, or the CDC version of Java ME (not CLDC) with iPhone. I don’t mind which - whatever makes most sense for the hardware (I’m guessing it’s a Samsung ARM chip in there, but I could be wrong). And, it would be great to have as many JSRs as they can put in there, to let developers interact with the phone hardware and other features.
Having said that, the key thing with any Java implementation for iPhone is that Java apps on iPhone need to be first-class applications. That is - they need to look and feel just like native apps. That means Apple would need to ship a special Java class library that lets developers deal with multi-touch gestures; and also interact with the fantastic graphics etc. Also, it needs to be easy for anyone to build and deploy applications for the phone e.g. they could make the development environment work well in Netbeans. The big benefit of Java for device makers, of course, is that they can ensure that developers can’t screw the phone up, and cause problems on the phone network, because of a buggy application.
I really it hope this happens. iPhone would be an incredible device to develop applications for, and the developer community could do some amazing things with this platform, if they’re given the right tools. So, if you’re an Apple developer, please let Apple know if you want to develop applications for iPhone!
I don’t think Apple could have all this ready for launch. But, it might not take too long, if the right people can only be persuaded to make the relevant decisions.
So, from that perspective, no they wouldn’t really know, would they?! I would say it’s pretty good information though. If I had to put a percentage on the accuracy, I would say there’s probably a greater than 70% chance of it being on the money.
MyMicroISV » iPhone - Open or Closed? on 11 Jan 2007 at 8:17 pm
[...] According to this report, the decision has not been made. If you know any Apple exec’s now is a good time to ring their bell about this, or at least join this petition. Do you as developer want an open or closed future? [...]