Apple opens iPhone software to outside developers

[yiozik]

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CUPERTINO, Calfornia, March 6, 2008 (AFP) - Apple on Thursday opened its iPhone software to outside developers in an effort to make the hot devices even more popular.

Apple executives unveiled an iPhone software development kit created to let programmers craft hip or useful programs for the touch-screen mobile devices combining telephone, video, music, and Internet connectivity.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said it wasn't unfettering iPhones completely and that software creations would be vetted before being made available exclusively at a newly-launched online Apps Store.

"We think this is going to be a boon for developers," Jobs said during an invitation-only preview of the kit at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California.

"Hopefully, people will think iPhones are even more valuable and buy more of them. This is not an open source project, it is a for-profit project."

Renowned Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, joined Jobs to announce that his company started an "iFund" to finance entrepreneurs developing programs for the iPhone platform.

"Today we are witnessing history; the launch of the SDK for iPhone," Doerr said. "New platforms are very rare but they can be transformational."

Doerr said is starting the iFund with 100 million dollars for investments, saying Amazon was funded with eight million dollars and Google with 24 million dollars.

"That should be enough to start about a dozen Amazons or even four Googles," Doerr quipped. "If we start running out of money, we will look around for some more."

Applications crafted for iPhones will also work on iPod Touch models, which are basically iPhones without the telephone capabilities, according to Jobs.

Apple will let developers set prices for their applications and give them 70 percent of sales, keeping the remainder to run the Apps Store.

Software for engineers to develop programs in a virtual iPhone model on Macintosh computers is available from Apple's website.

Programming wizards can work on actual iPhones by registering in a developers program at Apple for 99 dollars. Registering in the program lets Apple keep track of who makes which programs, Jobs said.

"If they write a malicious application we track them down and tell their parents," Jobs joked while explaining why developers have to register to make iPhone programs.

"We will turn off the spigot and no one else will get it."

The iPhone developers kit has been given to thousands of programmers for beta testing and will be distributed in June with a free "iPhone 2.0" software update, Jobs said.