Introducing iPhone 2.0
On the surface, Apple’s town hall meeting yesterday introduced the official release of the iPhone SDK, but the event was really much more significant than that. The SDK actually ushers in a new era in mobile computing that will be dominated by Apple’s iPhone platform for the foreseeable future. In June, Apple will push out a new software update for iPhone 2.0 which will support native, third-party applications. This is Jailbreak for the rest of us. New applications will be delivered to consumers through Apple’s App Store, also coming in June, and will be as easy as downloading a podcast in iTunes. But the SDK wasn’t the only announcement to get us excited yesterday. Apple also gave us previews of native applications and new features in iPhone 2.0 to support Outlook Exchange, VoIP, games, and much, much more. Read on to get the run down.
Apple revealed that Disney and Nike have been testing the iPhone with Microsoft’s Exchange Server making the iPhone the the best mobile device for the enterprise. They also announced a $100 million dollar iFund with Kleiner Perkins to help kick start iPhone applications, so if you’ve got a good idea for one give them a call. We absolutely love the news that there will be no restrictions on VoIP applications using Wi-fi, a move that will bring Skype to the iPhone at last.
Here’s a summary of Apple’s latest news
- iPhone 2.0 software update in June. Free for iPhone users, small fee for iPod touch owners to upgrade
- Apple launches App Store in June for native iPhone applications
- First native iPhone applications announced: AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), Epocrates for doctors and clinicians, games from EA and Sega
- iPhone 2.0 includes support for Microsoft’s ActiveSync to deploy enterprise applications
- Enterprise support for VPN, Outlook Exchange, security, push email, push calendar, push contacts
- Cocoa Touch is the Cocoa-flavored application framework for the iPhone and includes XCode, Interface builder, Instruments, and an iPhone emulator for Leopard called iPhone Simulator - cost is $99
- No restrictions on Voice over IP applications as long as they use Wi-fi instead of the cell carrier
Are you sure that iPod touch owners need to pay a fee? What the f**k! Apple sucks!!!!
@Rajeesh - Yes, Apple’s press release said this upgrade would be a small fee for iPod touch owners, but didn’t say how much. Apple says they have to do this for some accounting reason, but we think they should just eat that cost to support their loyal customers. It just doesn’t seem fair that new customers purchasing an iPod touch will have the new firmware included with no additional cost, yet they with charge existing customers extra. We don’t get it.
does the new update have msn messenger too?
@mike - There has not been any announcement about MSN Messenger for iPhone 2.0, but we’re pretty certain someone will make one.
as an early adopter of the ipod touch [2007], i feel that we have had it rather ruff. first we buy the lush ipod touch only to have to pay for the 1.1.3 extras. secondly just a couple of mouths after opening the box we find that a larger GB modle has been released [for all those new third party apps we will soon be getting]. all that aside, now they wont us to part with more cash to get finally be able to get these apps?
i dont wont to sound harsh but do the fine people at Apple know that we all aren’t loaded in the cash department? as much as i wont to stay loyal to apple, i dont wont to brake the bank doin it!
i Will pay, but if i have to for a third time my loyalties may be tested.
Arlo Clyne
Really Screw this… If Apple thinks they can win over their already shaky following of jailbreakers with an expensive SDK that will also charge for submission of programs to the store (of which they might be rejected from) and loose out on the cool wireless app download capabilies then they’ve got another thing comming. I say we all stick with jailbreaking… they know how many of us are out there and if their sales don’t reflect the jailbreakers moving over to “their” product maybe they’ll think next time.
Can I use any messenger service ie Yahoo or MSN on ipod touch
@kate - We currently recommend you try Meebo, the cross platform IM client that works with Yahoo, MSN, AIM, and Google Talk. There’s nothing to install, just point your mobile Safari to http://www.meebo.com and sign into the IM service of your choice.
I just got my iPod touch yesterday,and I have all the new apps that normally cost 20$ us, for
free,yet I still feel the pain of all tho’s early buyers. I think apple should have just released the new applications alongside a
firmwire update
All apple care about are there precious iphone people what about the ipod touch there virtually the same. In that SDK video they mention the ipod touch once and that’s just to say that 2.0 will cost money.
Also apple seems to think they can rip us of in the UK the January update was £12.99 which is about $25 and it is 79p a song which is about $1.50
!!!!!!
What a rip off
Well it would be nice if Apple gave the big update for free, but they’ve a history of this particular scam going back to some sort of ethernet update in older macs. Its one of those things you just have to live with. I’m pleased there IS the option of updating, rather than just seeing all the sexy new features go into a new gen IPod.
The way I see it is this. I bought my iPod Touch for what it could do at the time, not what i was hoping it would do in the future. I’m pretty stoked by what it does at the moment so I’m happy, if i think I’ll be even more stoked by the 2.0 updates then i shall pay for those. If not. I’ve still got the same banging bit of kit thats serving me well and that i paid for in the first place.
It would be nice if people actually checked the facts before whining.
Apple have no choice but to charge iPod Touch users a fee for extra applications - it’s the way accounting law works. If a company upgrades (defined as adding extra functionality) a device that’s not subject to a subscription service then by law they have to charge for that upgrade. The iPhone, being subscription based is exempt.
@ Dean Lucas…. Thanks you sooooo much..X
Accounting law or not on Apple’s website they advertise widgets as a feature. I was always under the impression that widget’s were native applications and not web-run applications? Might be wrong, but was very disappointed when I bought mine, also had to pay for “January upgrade” at £12.99 even though I only bought it at the start of Feb.
First time buying an Apple product, might also be the last time…