Apple releases SDK and software plans for iPhone

A month late and still unfinished, Apple has finally delivered the third party software development kit for the iPhone, along with detailing its plans for how developers will get their software onto the Mac OS-based smartphone.

At an event held in California late yesterday, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs revealed details of the beta developer toolset, along with beta version of the next firmware release for the iPhone.

As well as bringing third party application support to the iPhone, the new firmware delivers a raft of enterprise connectivity and security features, addressing the long standing criticism that the iPhone is not suitable for large businesses.

Enterprise features added include support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, bringing true enterprise push email to the device in addition to existing POP3 and IMAP support.

The addition of Exchange Active Sync, which Apple has officially licensed from Microsoft, will also enable business users to access their Exchange calendars and address books over the air as well, a feature not currently available in any legitimate form on the iPhone.

To address business security concerns, the 2.0 firmware also adds support for Cisco IPsec VPNs, enabling iPhones to tunnel securely into the corporate network on both GPRS and Wi-Fi connections.

"The iPhone's enterprise features combined with its Multi-Touch user interface and advanced software architecture provide the best user experience and the most advanced software platform ever for a mobile device," said Jobs.

Wireless security has been improved further with the addition of WPA2 Enterprise support and 802.1x authentication, allowing IT departments to deploy iPhone and iPod Touch devices with hardened wireless encryption.

The iPhone 2.0 software provides a configuration utility to help IT departments configure and deploy multiple devices based on a pre-defined mobile policy, speeding up the configuration process for password policies, VPN settings, email configuration and other application setup.

Also announced, and the cause for some inexplicable concern among grassroots iPhone users, is that Apple will still have to approve all iPhone apps released for use on the device, and that software can only be distributed onto the device via the iTunes store, further ensuring Apple's control over the platform.

The process is not new - T-Mobile screens applications for its Sidekick smartphones and only makes them available via its own download service in order to ensure that available applications pass strict tests for device and network stability.

Apple plans to release the final version of the firmware, along with the SDK, by the end of June. It will be a free download. It is unclear whether users of the iPod Touch will have to pay for an update, as they did with the application release announced at Macworld in January.

Apple is also launching a developer scheme for iPhone software creators. Costing $99 (£50) a year, the scheme gives developers an iPhone SDK and development tools, pre-release iPhone software, technical support, help deploying code onto iPhones for testing and distribution of any subsequently developed applications via the new App Store, subject to application approval. An enterprise developer version of the scheme will cost $299 (£150) per year.

Apple iPhone news, reviews, themes and downloads at Know Your Mobile

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