Iphone SDK doubts
OMG, the Iphone SDK has been with us a couple of months. Aren’t you blown away by those killer applications?
Yeah, what killer applications! Update: A friend kindly informed me no iphone applications will be on general release until version 2.0 of the Iphone is released. Currently we’re on 1.4. So that’s why. :)
The most amazing thing I’ve seen is video playback with iplayer which is… a Web application.
I see a number of problems with Iphone’s developer environment:
- There isn’t a community (there is a “hacker” community I give you that)
- You want to unlock your device and also work with Apple’s SDK? Er… good luck
- Xcode IDE development stack IMO is very beta and unstable. for e.g. I can’t seem to “provision” my Ipod touch. w.t.f.
- WHO the HELL is going to learn Objective C?
- You can’t ssh to the device unless you unlock it. Bleh.
- There no C/POSIX support AFAIK. If there is, please show me some sample code.
- If you build an application you basically have to distribute it via Apple Itunes right? That’s incredibly limited.
- Bad packaging
- Developers need to be Mac users right? Those MacBooks are expensive.
- Developing for Safari is so much easier. A webclip (“native” menu item for Web app) is painless for example and it’ll work on unlocked or locked Iphones!
- You need an Apple Developer Community(ADC) login. PITA.
Ok, you could painfully install a proper GNU toolchain. But seriously. It’s so much easier on other devices like maemo, I just can’t be bothered. If then, I amazingly write an innovative native C application I (assume I) can only deliver it with Installer.app on an unlocked Iphone. That’s so not great.
I really don’t see the “native” Apple Iphone platform working for 3rd party developers. The Web application platform, yes, though not this…
I’m left wondering why Apple don’t instead expose device APIs.