http://www.apple.com/hotnews/

This new? just saw it... can't see anything about it on mactalk..



Third Party Applications on the iPhone
Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February. We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users. With our revolutionary multi-touch interface, powerful hardware and advanced software architecture, we believe we have created the best mobile platform ever for developers.

It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task. Some claim that viruses and malware are not a problem on mobile phones—this is simply not true. There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.

Some companies are already taking action. Nokia, for example, is not allowing any applications to be loaded onto some of their newest phones unless they have a digital signature that can be traced back to a known developer. While this makes such a phone less than “totally open,” we believe it is a step in the right direction. We are working on an advanced system which will offer developers broad access to natively program the iPhone’s amazing software platform while at the same time protecting users from malicious programs.

We think a few months of patience now will be rewarded by many years of great third party applications running on safe and reliable iPhones.

Steve

P.S.: The SDK will also allow developers to create applications for iPod touch. [Oct 17, 2007]

i'm looking forward to all the wonderful creations that'll be appearing in Feb - Transmission on the touch would be awesome lol!!

Nice one... now all we need is for iPhones to be shipped over unlocked from France

Between this and potentially unlocked iPhones, I'm preparing to ditch the 3 contract I have

This is so true, and well said.

It really does explain it all nicely.

But this is where he lost me, how can a mobile phone/cellphone virus spread with an iPod touch?

Are there WiFi viruses out there?

Of course he could say well the two are tied at the hip, and you will just have to wait.

hell yeah.time to start planning

We know that the iPhone+Touch have both WiFi and the iPhone has Bluetooth. Furthermore, we know that all processes, even the standard applications and interface commands on the two, run as root - so any actions and any mistakes that these processes make have the ability to read and write any file or network interface on the device.

Consider a vulnerability similar to the one that makes the browser TIFF jailbreak possible. What if, instead of just crashing the browser, a vulnerability enabled another application, a virus, to be saved on the device's "disk" and later executed. Away goes that process, opening a network interface, reading your email, contacts, and addresses, and squirting those across a network. All standard stuff and IMHO facilitated by permitting all processes to run as root. As I've previously said, what were they thinking?

Yes, there are hundreds of specific WiFi viruses in-the-wild already (one of my university research topics), but that's not what we're talking about here. Viruses that traverse the Internet are not satellite- or Ethernet-viruses - they do not exploit vulnerabilities in their transport media, they just use the media to reach the device or system under attack.

Now this is exciting news....

iSlayer widgets and apps on iPhone / iPod Touch!

OK - let's start some predictions flowing . . . what sort of apps will people come up with? I've got a Touch and can't wait for some cool stuff . . .

Andrew

quinn!

Awesome. Looks like I'll have to get an iPhone then.

WoooooooooooW I am floored Steve Jobs has given in and will open up iPhone & iTouch.

Whats the catch ?

Bloody great news! The list of apps already being developed should increase pretty rapidly, and I would expect more companies to jump on the bandwagon now that there's an official SDK.

Thank god Apple came to their senses. Now let's just hope their 'digital signature' implementation isn't too restrictive.

The first catch will be registering as a developer and digitally signing all apps.

The second catch - which will suck for developers - may well be that all apps have to be sold through iTunes and Apple will take a cut.

The first one is probably a good idea.

The second one I think is terrible - one developer I respect has said that will mean he wouldn't support the platform and I don't blame him.

I'm not so pessimistic; Apple already freely promotes a number of free and for-purchase widgets and applications on its Download pages, so I'll feel they'll continue that practice.

Developers may have to provide (expose) their source code to Apple, before Apple will examine and compile the source and then sign the binary, and Apple may charge Developers a fee for that service.