iPhone apps coming fast and furious

Filed under: Developer, Internet, Apple, iPhone

iPhone apps coming fast and furious

by David Chartier Aug 3rd 2007

No Apple hasn't finally given us what we want by releasing an official iPhone SDK so developers can create true apps for the phone, but that doesn't seem to be holding back enterprising hackers. Erica Sadun at our sister site The Unofficial Apple Weblog has released a basic text editor and even a screenshot app for the iPhone, while Gizmodo has MobileTerminal, a command line app that should allow for all kinds of iPhone hackery goodness.

Gizmodo also makes a great point: the code for MobileTerminal is being hosted at Google Code, which could mean a number of things, including:

Apple hasn't fired up the cease & desist engine just yet
They are quietly sanctioning this kind of hacking
They're listening to demand and are working on opening the phone up
They already have an iPhone SDK prepared and are waiting for something like Leopard in October because of specific code constraints

While we're likely to never hear word from tight-lipped Apple on an official iPhone SDK until it's actually made available to download, power users and iPhone enthusiasts are sure to take some solace in the fact that iPhone hackers seem to have opened it up quite a bit on their own already. We'll definitely be keeping an eye on what grassroots iPhone apps appear.

Tags: Apple, developers, development, iPhone, Mobile Terminal, MobileTerminal, screenshots, SDK, software, ssh, terminal

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Bucky said 6:22AM on 8-05-2007

Waiting for Leopard could be what's happening, as, unlike the Apple TV, the iPhone runs off of an adapted version of Leopard (Apple TV runs off an adapted version of Tiger). We know this because the iPhone has Core Animation technology. Apple may have even given an SDK to the developers that have a copy of Leopard, and we cannot tell, because they are under a strict NDA. WWDC does tell developers things that Apple will not tell the general public. For example, the Quick Look feature of Leopard was revealed to developers at WWDC 2006 (download the Mac OS X State of the Union Address from ADC in iTunes)

David Chartier said 2:23PM on 8-05-2007

#2: That's a great point, and something I'm really hoping for. I can't wait for true, native iPhone apps. Web apps are cute and all, but the web is inarguably limited in terms of power and integration when compared to true software.

My hope is further bolstered from the number of iPhone features that were obviously designed to sync with Leopard (like the Notes app).

Optimized said 9:26AM on 8-06-2007

I think it would be great if someone could create a app for telemedicine!

chloe67 said 8:38AM on 8-08-2007

Your comments: I was having a problem with downloads on my iphone and
read a blog
post here at download squad the other day. It really helped me out and
I love the site the post suggested. The link to the site was on a
squidoo lens - www.squidoo.com/iphonerevolution - I can't seem to
find the inital post, but figured the site may help other's looking
for really cool and easy downloads for their iphone

klye said 10:46AM on 9-13-2007

http://www.iphonedownloadsonline.com/
A great site if you own an iPhone!! :)

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