Virtual Coach » Got questions about iPhone software? Get the FAQs here!

Got questions about iPhone software? Get the FAQs here!

March 7, 2008 Barbara No comments

Yesterday the iPhone world was abuzz with the news about the iPhone SDK! What great apps would be available for the future? What games would play on it? How would email work? etc.etc.etc.

Well, the wonderful folk over at Macworld took it upon themselves to answer:

Can I buy these programs on my Mac, or just on the iPhone?

Can I download iPhone programs off the Web, or any place other than the App Store and iTunes?

Can I try the iPhone SDK?

Can iPhone programs read and write to the iPhone’s filesystem, so I can save documents like I do on my Mac?

Could someone post a free program on the App Store and then force users to pay for a registration code to make it functional, thereby bypassing Apple’s 30% cut on App Store sales?

How much will it cost to put an application on the App Store?

I’m a Windows developer and really, really want in on this sweet iPhone action, yet the iPhone developer tools run only on Intel Macs running Leopard. WTF?

I’m a developer. Do I know who’s buying my software, or does Apple hide that from me? Are these people my customers, or Apple’s?

If I buy a program for my iPhone, can I also transfer it to my significant other’s iPhone?

Is someone at Apple going to decide which programs are approved and which ones aren’t? Won’t that take a lot of time?

Is there a limited amount of storage on the iPhone for applications?

What about internal, “private” software? What about beta testing?

What about software updates?

What did Apple announce Thursday, in a nutshell?

What if someone writes a malicious program?

What if you’ve synced your phone on one computer and then restore it on another?
Do you lose your apps until you sync to the original?

What kind of programs can we expect to see?

What kind of stuff does Apple say it won’t allow developers to create?

What kinds of iPhone programs will be allowed, and what won’t?

What’s a “bandwidth hog?”

Will Mac software run on the iPhone?

Will iPhone shareware not be an option on the iPhone?