14 DAY TRIAL // That there is an iPhone SDK on the way is already a well-established fact, what is still unclear at this point in time is exactly how the SDK will work and what features and limitations it will have. Although the particulars will likely remain largely unknown until next year, much can be deduced from statements made by the company.
Greg Joswiak, Apple's iPod and iPhone marketing chief, shed more light on the upcoming SDK during an interview with Fortune. During his open letter posted to the company's website in October, Steve Jobs already hinted that the company will keep a rather tight control over the development process and that the SDK will not be as open and permissive as that for OS X. Now Joswiak explains that one of the necessary security steps that will be taken is checking developer IDs at the door, as this will not only keep developers honest, but also provide a means for Apple to trace the origins of any malicious code. "That way if there's something wrong with an application, you have a way to track it back to where it came from," he said. "So one of the things we want to do, again, is create a development environment that is going to maintain the security and reliability of the iPhone yet at the same time offer developers some really cool things that we can do."
According to the Apple vice president, tackling both security and a robust development platform at the same time is a challenge, as they tend to be complete opposites at many times. This is also given as the reason why Apple will not be unveiling the SDK or any details about it until February next year. "Of course what we want to make sure we've done is keep the phone safe and reliable, and that's why it's taken us a little while to get this SDK out," he said. "Especially now that we'll have a real SDK which means legitimate developers are going to come into the space."
Interestingly, besides established developers, Joswiak also expects the SDK to draw new, smaller, grassroots coders. "Sometimes these one- or two-person teams have created the most dramatic things," he said. While undoubtedly many developers will be interested in the unique platform that is the iPhone and iPod touch, whether or not such small time developers will thrive depends a lot on details that have not yet been given, such as pricing of the SDK and any other agreements that might have to be signed before Apple lets you play.