iPhone to support third-party Web 2.0 applications

Presenting at its annual developers conference on Monday, Apple announced that its forthcoming iPhone device will run applications created with Web 2.0 Internet standards when it begins shipping on June 29.

The Cupertino-based company said developers can create Web 2.0 applications which look and behave just like the applications built into iPhone, and which can seamlessly access iPhoneâ€™s services, including making a phone call, sending an email and displaying a location in Google Maps.

Third-party applications created using Web 2.0 standards can extend iPhoneâ€™s capabilities without compromising its reliability or security, company chief executive Steve Jobs explained. However, they will be forced to run through the iPhones's Safari web browser, not function as standalone applications.

â€œDevelopers and users alike are going to be very surprised and pleased at how great these applications look and work on iPhone,â€ Jobs said. â€œOur innovative approach, using Web 2.0-based standards, lets developers create amazing new applications while keeping the iPhone secure and reliable.â€

Web 2.0-based applications are being embraced by leading developers because they are far more interactive and responsive than traditional web applications, and can be easily distributed over the Internet and painlessly updated by simply changing the code on the developersâ€™ own servers.

The modern web standards also provide secure data access and transactions, like those used with Amazon.com or online banking.