CKOHLER

It’s been over a week since Apple released the details reguarding their iPhone software development kit. Response to the event was very encouraging and the demonstrations made were more impressive than I was expecting. Over 100,000 downloads of the SDK beta indicates that many ambitious developers are eager to start creating apps for this evolving, new platform.

The predictions I made in my recent post didn’t turn out to be all that accurate, however. Here’s a quick break down:

• Developer Registration Codes - This one was easy and I was right on the money. Apple is requiring devs to register with them to receive a code that will be embedded into their apps. Basically, this is DRM for applications. This gives Apple the power to disallow and deactivate malicious developers and apps retroactively. A good policy.

• Corporate Custom Apps - Apple is going to solve the issue of corporate custom app delivery by giving corporations their own delivery system (a custom App Store the businesses maintain themselves) as long as they are willing to pay the price.

• Developers Releasing of Apps Directly - I missed the mark here. Almost everyone but me assumed Apple would control the distribution of apps and they were right. While being able to directly download apps on the device wirelessly using a simple, universal interface is nice, the Apple developer approval process is still a big concern that I fear could hinder adoption of the platform by developers who want to push the limits.

The third point in particular is both discouraging and welcome. I completely agree that the benefits of quality control, security and stability are issues that Apple’s approval process hold paramount and for that I can not falter them. None the less, the real issue now becomes where will the lines be ultimately drawn and how big will the “grey area” be for developers to work within? Will Apple be more flexible in the future regarding what is and isn’t allowed? How long will it take for developers and/or their apps to be approved for distribution? This all remains to be seen.

These concerns aside, I’m really encouraged by the power of what this SDK brings. For the first time since the 1990s, it feels like we are witnessing the emergence of a new computing platform that could realistically sit along side the desktop and laptop as a full featured computing device that is not simply a peripheral that compliments them but a platform in its own right.

Furthermore, the iPhone is also shaping up to be a serious contender in the mobile gaming market. Seeing games like Super Monkey Ball and Spore already demonstrated in playable form indicate to me that Apple has an opportunity to also turn the iPhone into a competitive handheld gaming system; maybe the first since the Sony PSP to actually be capable of directly competing with Nintendo’s long time portable gaming dominance.

Shot during the course of a typical work day, this video is the first I’ve made using my new Aiptek A-HD camcorder. The campus you see is the University of Evansville, where I work as a web developer. The music is from “My Life” performed by Billy Joel. I edited this video in iMovie ‘08 in less than an hour. It was the first time I’d used the new version.

• View HD Vimeo version
• View YouTube Version

I’m not exactly sure how I stumbled upon it but on Tuesday I started reading online about a very inexpensive pocket camcorder. The reviews were mostly positive and the price was so affordable, I picked one up on a whim that evening. It’s the Aiptek A-HD 720p and while it is lacking some features you’ll likely find on most camcorders, it makes up for these omissions in some rather unique ways. First up, this tiny pocket sized device is tapeless and records full 1280×720p HD video directly onto an SD card and the quality of the video is superb. Also, because it records directly into H.264 format, editing the video is a snap on my Mac and I never have to bother rewinding tapes. I can get over 2 hours of full quality HD on a single 4GB SD card. It can also act as an H.264 video converter accepting composite video in and digitizing it at standard television resolution. Super lightweight, the battery life is long lasting since there are no moving parts and the device is extremely easy to use.

As for the camera’s weak points, it has a very poor internal microphone with a short range. Also, if the sound around the camera is too loud, the audio tends to pop and distort. There is even a subtle hiss. Another issue is that there is no image stabilization or actual zoom worth using. While these issues might have prevented me from picking up another camcorder like this, I was willing to overlook them because of what is by far this camera’s best feature: the price tag. You can pick one up for only $120 bucks. This is hundreds of dollars less than the next available HD camcorder! If you’re willing to live with less than stellar audio and lack of zoom, everything else about this device makes it a worth owning.

The link below is a short 10 second bit of raw video taken straight off the camera so you can see the full HD resolution it records. One last tidbit, the camera’s files will also playback on my Xbox 360 in full 720p HD! This is certainly a fun little gadget.

exampleHD.mp4 - 10sec 1280×720p H.264 video AAC audio

Next Thursday, on March 6th, 2008, Apple will hold a special town hall style event to announce their plans for third-party software development on the iPhone and iPod Touch. We will likely see the release of the official software development kit (or in the very least, a preview) as well as the release of some new third-party apps already built using the SDK.

For a while now, I’ve been assuming that third party applications would only be made available and/or sold through an Apple maintained area on the iTunes store. However, I’ve given it a lot of thought and I no longer think that’s how it will work.

First up, judging by their event flyer, Apple appears to be emphasizing the enterprise market much more than I would have imagined. In the enterprise space, companies like to develop custom applications for their end users to run that are exclusive to their business. These people aren’t going to want proprietary apps like these listed in some kind of public directory. They’ll want to distribute these apps privately making the idea of an “only available through iTunes” delivery method unrealistic.

Secondly, if Apple seriously wants iPhone development to be huge they wouldn’t create some kind of manual, per-app approval process. This would only limit and slow down available titles. What they really want is to rally developers to create selection and diversity while at the same time controlling what these apps can do. Thus, all they need to do is require developers to use their SDK where the APIs contained within control what developers can and cannot do.

Thus, here’s my best guess for what Apple will announce:

1. The SDK will be free but each developer will have a unique code embedded into their apps. They will have to register this code with Apple before they can compile their applications and distribute them. What this does is guarantee that only apps built using Apple’s approved APIs can be installed while also giving Apple a mechanism (via software updates) to retroactively disable rouge apps from being run.
2. Developers will likely release their apps themselves via the web. If apps do show up in iTunes, it’ll only be through an optional, multi-developer maintained area similar to the webapps area hosted on Apple.com or the podcasts section in iTunes. Keeping this maintained by the developers themselves would prevent Apple from running into conflict of interest issues.
3. The apps will come as a file with a new extension that is registered to open in iTunes. Double clicking this file adds it to the user’s library of available, sync-able apps. At the same time, the file’s developer key can be checked against Apple’s servers to ensure that the developer and/or the application is legit and not flagged as being harmful before being installed on the device.

These are just my predictions. If Apple goes another route, I won’t cry foul however I certainly hope they’ve considered these same issues. Whatever their solution, I hope they can provide at least the same amount of flexibility to make the iPhone and iPod a strong platform in the future.

A night of continuous snow and freezing rain turned my car into a block of ice. There wasn’t a single inch without a sheet of frozen water covering it this morning. The university decided to close down today so I get to stay home. However, I think I’m going to de-ice my car none the less. I have to pick up some food for lunch and dinner. Wish me luck!