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Ya es oficial, al final Steve Jobs ha cedido y ha anunciado públicamente que habrá un SDK oficial de Apple para desarrollar aplicaciones para el iPhone y el iPod Touch. Este SDK (entorno de desarrollo) estará disponible en febrero. Cito textualmente la noticia anunciada en el apartado de Hot News de Apple.com:

Third Party Applications on the iPhone

Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February. We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users. With our revolutionary multi-touch interface, powerful hardware and advanced software architecture, we believe we have created the best mobile platform ever for developers.

It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task. Some claim that viruses and malware are not a problem on mobile phones—this is simply not true. There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.

Some companies are already taking action. Nokia, for example, is not allowing any applications to be loaded onto some of their newest phones unless they have a digital signature that can be traced back to a known developer. While this makes such a phone less than “totally open,” we believe it is a step in the right direction. We are working on an advanced system which will offer developers broad access to natively program the iPhone’s amazing software platform while at the same time protecting users from malicious programs.

We think a few months of patience now will be rewarded by many years of great third party applications running on safe and reliable iPhones.

Steve

P.S.: The SDK will also allow developers to create applications for iPod touch. [Oct 17, 2007]

La presión de la comunidad de usuarios que han llevado siempre por lema el consagrado “Think Different” ha obligado a Apple a publicar el SDK que se pedía a gritos desde todos los sectores.

Esto no es más que el comienzo de una nueva generación de nuevos dispositivos que se caracterizarán por la acogida de los usuarios y por un conjunto de aplicaciones que no tendrá nada que envidiar a otras plataformas.

Lo que más me ha gustado es el énfasis que ha hecho Steve Jobs en centrar el foco en las cuestiones de la seguridad y evitar que esta nueva plataforma sea un Microsoft Windows 2ª parte, lleno de troyanos, virus y todo tipo de malware.

Por la parte que me toca ya he añadido al Google Reader, el RSS del ADC (Apple Developer Connection) para estar al tanto de posibles avances y material para el iPhone y el iPod Touch.