Apple Shakes Things Up with SDK Agreement
Just when we thought that the new iPhone 4.0 OS announcement was done, Apple unveiled the new SDK and of course, the license agreement.
In a very surprising move, Apple is risking the support of many developers by choosing to block out the use of third party software for developing iPhone apps. Clause 3.3.1 states that “Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).”
Simply put, developers can no longer make use of the Adobe Flash Professional CS5 program in order to make their iPhone applications. This will definitely hamper the work progress for many developers. After all, Adobe’s software streamlines production time by making it easy to string together scripts with visual content in a familiar Flash environment. The output is then run through a compiler which makes the app compatible with the iPhone.
By taking out this process, developers could be facing a longer development time for their apps which would mean that the cost for producing apps may also increase.
Apple is confident that developers would be able to adapt with the change. While the tools that come with the SDK are considered to be more than sufficient, the limitation on allowed software would certainly be a heavy burden most particularly for independent and cross platform developers.
Considering that all that the new OS version brought with it was multitasking, this major change in the app development process is too much of a trade-off for many users.
Read more about the how Apple’s new license agreement is locking out Adobe at Mobile Choice UK.
