iPhone Apps - the game changes again. Is this the new lock-out?

With the announcement and release of the iPhone SDK and Enterprise support, the game has changed again. This is a hugely positive step from Apple and reinforces the fact that they are listening to users and the market in general. But who will get access to them?

I have to say that personally I’m very encouraged with Apple’s recently announced approach to both Enterprise Support and 3rd-party Application Development. This is exactly what developers and iPhone supporters at large were hoping for.

Up until recently, I was almost resigned to the fact that Apple would eventually end up being just another Microsoft - behaving like an overgrown “monopolist, copycat and bully” - which is indeed a very depressing prospect. (See Elgan asks “Is Apple the New Microsoft?” Everyone responds!) However, with this recent move, perhaps we now have some evidence to suggest that this is not so! Maybe Apple actually is quite a different company - one that can recognise it’s mistakes and make the required adjustments?

Previously I wrote that I thought Apple was taking the wrong path with the iPhone, and I asked how could Mr. Jobs redeem himself? I suggested 2 things:

“(1) Release an official Apple iPhone software development kit that’s given away for free, and includes all the necessary tools to build compelling iPhone applications.”

Done - 10 out of 10 Mr. Jobs.

“(2) Release a fully unlocked phone for sale in every market where an exclusive Network contract negotiation is not immediately pending.”

Hmmm - still some work to do here.

Ok - so we’re not there yet, I hear you say. That small issue of not allowing unlocked phones is still a problem. True - but this week has been a dramatic step forward - and there may be some hope on the unlocking front as well…see Will Apple eventually allow unlocked iPhones? I am starting to believe that one of the reasons Apple took the locked-carrier approach in the first place was simply to control demand.

At the very least it appears Apple has finally and fully embraced the iPhone as a Platform - web-apps are useful in the right scenario, but on their own they’re not the answer.

It this the new lock-out?

One of the questions I still have though is if these new Apps are distributed via the App Store, will non-free Apps only be in iTunes Stores in the countries that have official carriers providing the iPhone (i.e. currently US, UK, Germany and France)? Currently, you can only rent movies via the US iTunes store - will it be the same for iPhone Apps in June? If this is the case, the current jailbroken Installer App (which allows installation of literally hundreds of 3rd-party Applications) will continue to flourish.

Definitely, if only legit iPhone users (i.e. not unlockers) can get access to what I can only assume will eventually be a plethora of premium non-free Applications, there will suddenly be a huge difference between the “haves and have nots” - unless someone can figure out how to hack iTunes as well.

Regardless, there is little doubt that the new firmware (v2.0) coming in June (that supports the new App SDK) will take a completely different approach to the unlocking issue. One way or the other, not having access to these new Apps once they arrive would be a severe handicap to any iPhone user. It will be interesting to see how this one unfolds…