Earlier today, Apple previewed its 3.0 OS and SDK. The SDK is available to developers immediately and the new OS software will be available to users “sometime this summer” (our guess would be June). The announcements made today were fairly major, with the updated SDK adding over 1000 new APIs. There are things new for both end users and developers; here are some highlights: iPhone_3.0 New End-user Features

  • Cut, copy and paste. Finally! Now you can do what Windows can do since version 1.0 on your iPhone :)
  • Data Tethering. Looks like we got what we wanted on our wish list. You can use iPhone as a 3G modem for your computer, but Apple will work with individual carriers on deals to support that.
  • Spotlight (search) everywhere. Apple’s major apps have all been expanded with search functionality and you can access spotlight from the home screen.
  • A new Voice Memos app which lets you record notes and reminders.
  • Updated Apps: Stocks, Mail, Text, YouTube and Notes. These will all support landscape views and will receive general enhancements.
  • Notes syncing to Mac and PC.
  • MMS. Yea! Videos! Pictures!
  • A2DP stereo Bluetooth.
  • Unlocked Bluetooth functionality on 2G iPod touch. The component that everyone though only worked with the Nike+ module in the 2G iPod Touch is indeed a Bluetooth radio that can work with any Bluetooth device. Apple has just been hiding that feature from us.
  • Parental controls for TV shows, movies and App Store apps. Apple wants kids of all ages to use iPhones and iPod Touch.
  • Auto-login for WiFi hotspots.

Definitely some nice enhancements for the 3.0 release. Existing iPhones will get the 3.0 upgrade for free when it becomes available. iPod Touch users will need to pay $9.95 for the upgrade. But perhaps of more significance are the new developer-centric features announced for the new SDK.

 

New SDK Features

  • Push notification via Apple’s server. This is Apple’s solution to apps require notifications. Still no background apps and it doesn’t look like Apple plans to have any. In the event today, Apple said they have done some experiments and they claim letting a background app run (AIM client) drained 80% more power. Running push notification only drained 20% more power.
  • Peer-to-peer connectivity over Bluetooth for gaming and other close range communication between iPhones and iPod Touch. It’s using Bon Jour under the hood.
  • In-App Purchase. This enables developers to request payments inside their apps. For example, you can create a game that asks the user for $0.50 for each additional level. Everything is still routed through App Store and Apple still gets 30% cut. This is very interesting and it is Apple’s solution to developers’ request for a subscription-based model.
  • Google Maps can now be embedded into apps. Turn-by-turn location is also now available.
  • Custom apps that directly talk to hardware accessories. They demo’d an app working with a blood pressure monitor.
  • New streaming video, audio and in-app voice APIs.

Big event. Interesting stuff. Apple also shared some interesting numbers with the media during today’s event:

  • Apple said they sold 17 million iPhones to date and 13 million iPod Touches. Developers now have 30 million devices running the same platform that they can target.
  • As we last reported, over 25,000 apps on the Apple App Store today.
  • There has been over 800,000 downloads of SDK.
  • 62% of developers were new to Apple’s platform.
  • Over 800 million downloads on App Store.

 

Our Thoughts

So what do we make of all this? We think developers and end-users will love all the new features announced today. We think the In-App purchase, push notification and peer-to-peer connectivity are the most interesting ones. In-App purchase literally enables new business models. Apps can essential have a trial or subscription-based model now, without Apple explicitly supporting them. Push notification is critical to support a whole category of apps like IM, reminders, etc., but background apps is still needed for other types of apps like location-aware apps, health-monitoring apps, etc. We also think the 80% battery drain claim is somewhat exaggerated and if done properly, the impact on battery should not be as big. Finally, we like the peer-to-peer capabilities because it enables many ad-hoc communication scenarios not only for games, but also social. For example, you can use these new APIs to exchange electronic business cards on the fly, or automatically share photos that were taken seconds ago.

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