Head

Apple had a change of heart when CEO Steve Jobs issued a statement last Wednesday that now allowed iPhone and iPod Touch users to install third-party applications. The decision, which was entirely predictable, followed after criticism from developers and some iPhone and iPod users about shutting them out of the software platform.

Apple issued a software update on September 27, which prevented the installation of add-ons directly on the phone and only allowed developers to use iPhone’s Safari web-based browser applications. Such acts tried to control the use of unofficial programs on the handset.

Launched in late June, the iPhone is a revolutionary product which combines three remarkable features – a smart phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and an internet wireless device with email and web browsing plus search engines – rolled into one small and light handheld device introducing an entirely new user interface. The Touch, however, looks a lot like an iPhone but does not have the function of a cell phone.

The release of the full-blown software development kit will take until February 2008. This will make the iPhone more of a mobile computer where developers will be able to create hundreds of new third-party application programs without the fear of voiding the phone’s warranties. The software development kit, which will naturally work with iPod, will also give iPhone users protection from viruses, malware applications, and privacy attacks. After the announcement, some third-party developers immediately started the “jailbreak” and began installing native binaries on their phones coming up with new ways to use the device.