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Apple Hardware Mozilla

Third Party iPhone Apps

Apple is said to be wrestling with the idea of allowing third party apps. In reality they are deciding if they should aid developers. I think it’s pretty clear there will be hacks to get third party software on there. The question is if Apple will bless the efforts or not.

Come on Steve… release the SDK and let us have some fun and make your product even more useful. The availability of good software is what has kept the Palm Treo and every Windows Mobile device alive despite Blackberry fever.

It would be an interesting platform for a Mobile XULRunner via Mozilla’s mobile efforts.

Don’t forget. Part of the Mac mini’s success is that it is small enough to embed in all sorts of places. Apple has even taken advantage of that press by putting it on their Mac mini page (lower right “Big Ideas”). Hackable products sell. Just ask Linksys about the WRT54G.

3 replies on “Third Party iPhone Apps”

Developers will probably find a way to get software on to the device. But I think the real question is if Steve will enable ISVs to make it easy for their customers to do a one-click installation and updates of the software, or if he will go with some type of “pay for inclusion and the updates are double” system (in the name of hindering viruses, of course). Developing is one problem, but with the smaller mobile apps, distribution is a larger part of the problem.

It sounds to me like they’re mainly thinking about webapps rather than other software. Which from Mozilla’s point of view is probably not such a bad thing….

It would be really nice if they also supported some sort of extension framework for whatever browser they put on the thing, but I see that as somewhat less likely 🙁

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