The iPhone 3G: WC, WN, and WSM Part 2

Posted: 2008-07-02

It’s Third-Party Time!

Previously, I wrote about the changes in AT&T and Apple’s agreement regarding iPhone pricing and policy changes. Now, we get to move onto something a bit more fun and interesting: third-party apps. So the word on the street is that Apple will release their new App Store application and platform alongside the iPhone 2.0 software update on July 11th (for more information on the App store, here's the link).

”But that sounds like great news!”, you say to yourself. “Now we can have skype, free voice calling, cool little widgets, and instant messenger on iPhone just like Windows Mobile has had for years!”

Well, easy there Skip. I hate to burst your bubble, but it’s not exactly going to go down like that, at least not for the foreseeable future. For starters, no applications are allowed to run in the background, according to the agreement for the official iPhone SDK. That pretty much means any apps that run while not being up on the screen (in the background) like AOL Instant Manager or Skype Mobile won’t be allowed in their current forms. Instead, what Apple has done is allow developers to connect to a central push server which will then send information to iPhones based on application-specific events. For example, instead of running AIM Mobile on the iPhone, a user would sign into the service and then close the application. Afterwards, the AIM user would stay connected to the Apple push server and have badges (a superset icon, like the current SMS or missed call numbers), custom sounds, and text alert windows sent to the iPhone using a persistent connection. If that sounds like an unnecessary middle-man scenario, consider this: if you’re running multiple messengers or other applications in the background on your iPhone, not only are you draining your battery and slowing down the phone itself, but you’re also using much more of your data allotment because each program needs its own connection to the internet.

Now, some of you might be saying “Data allotment? But isn’t it supposed to be unlimited?. Well, not exactly.

You see, all the major mobile carriers usually say they offer “unlimited” service of one product or another but keep in mind that they’re offering that service because they don’t think anybody will ever use it to its maximum. Just as with any other corporation, mobile companies have their own infrastructure and bottom line to worry about. Since it costs them money to provide you with a service, they try to recoup that money and make a profit off their customers; business 101. But that scenario only works out when some people use their connections less than others. To put it simply, if everybody with an iPhone sat around watching youtube videos over their 3G connection all day, it would probably bring AT&T’s network to its knees right quick. With everyone using their iPhone for all these wonderful third-party apps, it was decided that it’d be best for everyone if instead of having many simultaneous connections to the iPhone , there’d only be one; the connection to the Apple push server. This cuts down on AT&T’s costs, how long it takes to send data to the iPhone itself, and ultimately, the cost to the consumer.

Alright, what’re those shiny new Apps gonna cost me?

Well, we’re mostly in luck. Apple’s stance on the app store has been very generous towards developers and therefore indirectly towards consumers. Here’s a quick recap of what was said at the March 6, 2008 iPhone Event and WWDC 2008:

• App prices will be set by developers. Apple’s not calling the shots on this one
• The developer picks the price of the App and Apple gets 30% right off the top
• The remaining 70% gets paid out monthly
• If the developer decides they want to distribute their app for free, Apple charges the developer nothing, thus creating a huge incentive for new developers without deep pockets
• Apps can cost anywhere from $0.99 up to your mum’s soul

• All apps can be downloaded through the wifi connection or synced through iTunes (they are DRM’d, in case you were wondering)
• Apps distributed via the store can be downloaded over the air if they weigh in at under 10MB’s
• Enterprises can also distribute custom applications by registering iPhones and distributing them over an intranet page. This’ll require more looking-into as to how exactly those apps get to the phones when the iPhone 2.0 Software update comes out
• Ad-hoc distribution: You get certified through the iPhone Developer Program and register up to 100 iPhones. You can then email those iPhones your apps. Neat-o.

So that’s it for the iPhone App store. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at chris (at) chaseds (dot) net or alternatively, you can just have a pulse because I guarantee you’ll be blitzkrieg’d by all this very same information in the next few days leading up to the iPhone’s release. Thank you major news media. Cheers!