Apple doing an SDK for the iPhone - First Take

Michael Gartenberg | October 17, 2007, 09:35 PM

The news that Apple is doing an SDK for the iPhone was released today and it's not a surprise and as we have written would likely to happen. The more important part of the news was the direction that Apple seems to be taking this, not as a PC modeled open development market where anyone can write, sell and install apps for the phone but rather a more closed system that I would expect to more akin to the current marketplace for iPhone games sold via iTunes only.

It's a good move for Apple to tap into the developer community to extend the features of the iPhone as well as the iPod Touch, the question is will Apple be able to keep the marketplace closed against those who want to find ways to keep it open and at who gets tired first in the game of cat and mouse. For most users, it's a non-issue, whatever Apple delivers will be what they use. The other side is how fast Apple can get developers to innovate for the platform, a large catalog of applications and diversity of the marketplace is one of the differentiated areas for Windows Mobile, Palm, RIM and Nokia, that's something that might not be as big a difference going into the second half of 08.