Apple working on improvements to Web-based iPhone SDK

Apple is reportedly working on solutions that will help developers gain more exposure for their Web-based iPhone apps, but presently holds no plans to issue a "true" software developers kit (SDK) that would allow for native third-party application development.

Our friends over at Ars are citing what we believe to be a reliable source in saying that the Cupertino-based company is currently working on a handful of updates to Safari and the iPhone that may address some of the more common gripes developers are waging regarding their ability to write useful apps for the touch-screen handset.

"For example, Apple is currently jamming on adding offline storage capabilities to Safari — something that would rival Google Gears in being able to serve up web applications locally without having to access the Internet," Ars writes.

The publication's sources say that the project is entirely geared towards the iPhone, with the goal of making the current WebKit-based iPhone 'SDK' more functional from a developer standpoint, in turn allowing them to produce more user-friendly applications for end users.

Those same sources say that because of this, the SDK will remain web-based, where applications will continue to be based primarily on a mix of HTML, CSS, and AJAX technologies, rather than native Mac OS X APIs.

Still, Ars hints at the distinct possibility that Apple as part of its improvements will offer "more local JavaScript access to useful iPhone functionalities, and developers might eventually also be able to create home screen icons that will point to their (presumably) offline web apps."

As for why Apple continues to block efforts on the part of developers to write more powerful native applications for iPhone, their sources have no concrete explanation. However, once source offered the following quote as part of his theory: "[Steve] Jobs is a control freak and doesn't want people messing with perfection."

54 Comments

bingeboy 8 comments · 18 Years

About 17 years ago

Who cares about web apps? We want native 3rd party apps. Apple is going down a dark path!

neven 54 comments · 20 Years

If this is true, it's bittersweet news for me. As a web developer I would certainly appreciate some real support with iPhone web apps from Apple, but as an iPhone user, I'm a little disappointed that web apps are all we'll get.

Here's hoping that:

1) We get an actual SDK, not a few scattered tech papers. Something Dashcode-like?
2) It lets web apps pop out of Safari and run full-screen
3) It gives us capabilities beyond what's currently possible on the web

This *could* support quite decent apps, if done right. But until an iPhone web app runs ONLY on iPhone (and iPod Touch), it won't be taking full advantage of its features.

macinthe408 1050 comments · 18 Years

If Jobs is a control freak, why not open up an iPhone Certification Lab at Apple? Get the platinum seal of approval on your app and it's ready.

You also get a 512-bit hash "seal of approval" that you insert into the code, which gets decoded by the iPhone at runtime. This prevents unauthorized developers from circumventing the approval process.

JUST GET ME 3RD PARTY APPS!!!!!!!!

mr_cazorp 39 comments · 18 Years

I'm tellin ya. If this is all I can expect from this platform - a crash-prone Safari, bare-bones email, crappy webapps that require a working Internet connection to run, and Apple Approved Cashflow Enhancing Applications (like iTunes and the spiffy Starbucks interface) - then I'm sorry, but I'm outta here when my AT&T sub is up - maybe even before then. As hardware, iPhone is more computer than phone. In fact it's the first palmtop computer I've ever seen that was actually pleasant to use.

As an enhanced iPod with phone and email, iPhone is fantastic. But as a device that lives up to its potential, it's turning out to be an appalling travesty. Apple: liberate this device!

Sent from Steve Jobs' iPhone.
(Cause it sure doesn't feel like it's mine.)