Steve Talks about iPhone Third Party Apps

Steve Jobs has finally lifted the veil on third party applications for the iPhone. The word is February.

Steve explains on the apple web site the challenge between making great applications and protecting the phone both in terms of security and user experience. I am posting the entire article below. I'm okay with this. Just please do more than make "Pac-Man" and give me something to make my iPhone even more useful.


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Third Party Applications on the iPhone
Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February. We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users. With our revolutionary multi-touch interface, powerful hardware and advanced software architecture, we believe we have created the best mobile platform ever for developers.

It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task. Some claim that viruses and malware are not a problem on mobile phones—this is simply not true. There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.

Some companies are already taking action. Nokia, for example, is not allowing any applications to be loaded onto some of their newest phones unless they have a digital signature that can be traced back to a known developer. While this makes such a phone less than “totally open,” 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 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.

Steve

P.S.: The SDK will also allow developers to create applications for iPod touch.

Leopard Release and Rambling

Well I've had my head down in a case the last few days and finally got a chance to come up for air to find the Leopard release date is confirmed. I know anybody that is smart about these things will tell you to wait until well after the October 26 release date to install it on your machine. I, on the other hand, plan to install it on the day of release with reckless abandon. Furthermore, while it upgrades my system I plan on running underneath a ladder, with scissors!

I'm particularly happy that Apple has stated they will now by syncing notes with the iPhone. Hopefully this will be the case for tasks as well although I could probably live without that since my current system seems to work pretty well.

Anyway, I am looking forward to producing some new screencasts with interesting Leopard features in just a few weeks.

Take Notes Like Thomas Edison

I found a great blog entry on taking notes like Thomas Edison. Apparently he was using file tagging before file tagging was hip. I don't take notes nearly as well as I should but found this article inspirational. Check it out.

Review - GarageSale

GarageSale is the premiere eBay selling application for the Macintosh platform. The application gives you an easy interface to collect the data you need for your eBay sales and allows you to avoid the drudgery of crawling through the eBay web sale process. Frankly, being able to set all of your eBay sale preferences with familiar Mac-friendly menus and checkboxes alone probably makes this $29.99 application worth it but it actually gives you quite a bit more.

If your auctions include several photos you can host up to ten through GarageSale’s free image hosting service. If you really want to go crazy, the program will interface with your own web server or .Mac account. Either way, you can say goodbye to eBay image hosting fees. Speaking of photos, the program looks right into your iPhoto library making the incorporation of your photos seamless and much less painful than eBay’s upload system. In a pinch, you could even use your iSight camera.

Likewise, you can also set custom start times for your auctions and again GarageSale will perform a function that eBay would otherwise charge you for. If you run an eBay store, the application also allows for direct uploads. I did not, however, test that feature.

Perhaps my favorite feature is the built in listing templates. There are at least a hundred different customizable templates that can give your auction exactly the “look” you want. I liked the “spotlight” template and used it to good effect. Once you get your templates set you can re-use them for future sales. This is really convenient if you are selling similar items.

GarageSale doesn’t stop after you make your listing however. After your auction starts, the application also assists you in communicating with prospective and eventual buyers. Again it uses customizable templates to allow you to get the job done with very little trouble. Although the pre-built templates are very god, make sure to read them carefully before using them. I needed to change a few of them for my selling preferences. Thankfully, GarageSale remembered my changes.

There is a user group to assist you in using the application. I’ve had some experience selling on eBay and using GarageSale was really easy. If you are a new seller you would need to take your time the first few times through the system, but I still think it would be easier to learn how to sale on eBay through GarageSale than through the eBay site.

This application is very convenient and makes the selling process much easier and the fantastic templates give your product more zip. I think it is worth trying for anyone that is a regular eBay seller.

You can find GarageSale at iwascoding.com. A single user license will run you $29.99 and a family license will cost $49.99. You can download an unlicensed copy that will allow you to upload 3 auctions. If you do any amount of selling on eBay, I would recommend this application. It brings the Mac experience to one more piece of your online world.

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Windows, You Are Dead to Me

Today I'm delivering the last PC Box in my home to my brother-in-law. May God have mercy on him.

The Ultimate Quicksilver Leap

I read once that when Cortez landed in the new world, the first thing he did was burn his ships so his men didn't get any strange ideas about going back. For all of you Quicksilver geeks (like me), one of the guys over at waferbaby just burned his ships by removing Finder.app from his Mac and mapping the finder icon to our beloved Quicksilver. Now while this act inspires no end of geek awe in me, I can't see myself actually doing this. I always believe in using what works best and fastest. Sometimes that is the often maligned finder. Especially when I need to browse for something that I can't remember the name for. Anyway, if you are ready to make the leap, you can get instruction on how to do so right here.

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More Love for 50mm

Not only does Bill Bumgarner explain the benefits of a 50mm lens more coherently than I do, he also has a slick title. Read about The Nifty Fifty.  I've been using my 50mm a few weeks now. I must admit I was surprised at how close the 50mm gets. I still have lots to learn with this lens but man am I liking what I'm getting so far.

iPhone Third Party Applications Speculation

I've been thinking about this whole iPhone third party application situation. Specifically, what is up Apple's sleeve? Well I certainly don't have any inside scoop on all of this but I do have an opinion.

* I think Apple is quietly putting together a software developer kit that is either already in the hands of a few choice developers with really strong non-disclosure agreement or about to be released to them.

* When it does release, I don't think the SDK will ever be generally available. I think it will be a relatively short list of select developers and grow over time ... s l o w l y.

* Apple will screen and approve everything before it is released to us plebeians. It is all about preserving the user experience. Apple will also make a few bucks off it since the stuff will only be available through iTunes.

* There isn't going to be a whole lot of innovation but everything that does release will be very slick.

* There will be more games than actual productivity type applications. This will crimp my zen.

There you have it. The MacSparky crystal ball. Now when I'm proven wrong, everyone can laugh.

Empty Pockets

So last weekend I was catching up with a few RSS feeds and saw lifehacker was doing a bit on what you carry in your pockets. Well my camera was sitting next to my Mac and I figured, "why not?". Anyway, if you are really bored and curious as to what is in my pockets, go here.

8.5 Proofreading Tips and Techniques

DailyWritingTips.com, one of my favorite blogs, did a recent summary of proofreading tips and techniques. They are all excellent. I particularly like a few:

Put it on Paper
I have a nice monitor in my office. I know how to fill the screen with text but I still miss errors when proofreading on the screen. I always print out a draft and move away from the computer with a highlighter and my trusty red pen. Just make sure to recycle the paper from your drafts.

Have Someone Else Read It
I often recruit others to read my work as it nears completion. A lot of times I know in my head what I meant to say and, as a result, I completely pass over the fact that I didn't actually write what I was thinking.

A Half Tip From David...
One tip I'd like to add to the list is to avoid procrastination if at all possible. If you finish your draft early, you then have the luxury to put it down and come back to proofread it the next day. It is amazing the mistakes I've found when putting some time between generating drafts and proofreading them.

Check out the full article here.