14 DAY TRIAL // iPhone SDK 4 beta is now available for download to members of the iPhone Developer Program, Apple has announced. The package includes a beta of the iPhone OS 4.0 software, which developers can employ and start coding new applications to take advantage of the 1,500 new APIs that Apple has opened up to them. New iPhone apps can be set to run in the background, as the user switches between them thanks to the new multitasking feature, they can include iAds, and can work with Game Center, Apple's new social gaming network.
“iPhone OS 4 is the next generation of the world's most innovative mobile operating system,” Apple stresses on its website. “Its unique capabilities and new technologies will change what you thought was possible on a mobile platform,” the company adds. “With a rich set of over 1500 new APIs, iPhone SDK for iPhone OS 4 provides you with an amazing range of technologies to enhance the functionality of your iPhone and iPod touch apps. iPhone Developer Program members can visit the iPhone Dev Center to download the iPhone SDK 4 beta now,” the Mac maker is happy to inform developers.
Three key features out of the total of 100 new ones set to debut with iPhone 4.0 are of particular concern to iPhone Developers this time around. One of those is Multitasking support. iPhone OS 4 delivers seven new multitasking services that allow apps to perform tasks in the background. These allegedly don’t impact battery life and performance, and include Background audio, Voice over IP, Background location, Push notifications, Local notifications, Task finishing, and Fast app switching.
iAd, another important enhancement that developers should learn about, is Apple's new mobile advertising platform, which, in the company’s own words, “combines the emotion of TV ads with the interactivity of web ads.” Ads implemented with Apple’s iAd platform are expected to generate revenue for developers whose apps are free of charge. If so, they’ll get 60 percent of the loot.
Finally, Game Center is the third most important OS 4.0-enhancement that developers need to keep in mind while coding their apps. Particularly targeting game developers, the new SDK includes a developer preview of the GameKit APIs. These will allow devs to create apps that enable end users to invite friends to play a game, start a multiplayer game through matchmaking, track their achievements, and compare their scores on a leader board.