Apple announce release date of iPhone developer tools

Cupertino (CA) - Apple’s developer connection announced today that it has all necessary software developmental tools for the iPhone. Developers can now plan to port their custom developed applications directly to the iPhone and iTouch handhelds all from one site. The complete developer suite will be released in February, 2008.

When the iPhone was first released in June, it was not known when, or if, developers would be able to begin creating their own custom applications. Many considered that to be a significant shortcoming in the iPhone. Later we learned that the developer tools will be released in February, 2008. There was initially a great deal of hope that the iPhone contained an x86 processor at its heart. However, since then we’ve learned that no Intel-based x86 CPU is inside. In addition, with Apple’s close relationship to Intel it seems that there won’t be an x86 processor within, at least not for the forseeable. The early hope of having that x86-based solution, one which would allow developers to utilize all of the existing developer tools, may now be smashed. But in the end, it may prove of little consequence. Apple has now released documentation that a full developer suite, one which allows programmers to create everything needed to make their iPhones and iTouchs sing with new, happy web-enabled applications, will mean everything’s available for iPhone development from a central location on Apple’s website.

Apple’s new developer tools will include overview documentation, sample code, videos on how to create all aspects of software, a full reference library with all APIs and documentation, a compatible Safari 3 release for custom expanded web apps, and more. All told, Apple highlighted well over a dozen specific components of the iPhone/iTouch that is now targeted with this development effort. As with all Apple developer tools, iPhone development is free following registration.