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Jobs woos devs with iPhone OS iOS 4

'Let's you and me get rich'

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The iPhone OS has changed its name, and when it's released for the iPhone and iPod touch this June 21 (free), it will be juiced with expanded money-making opportunities for developers.

Today, at his Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, Steve Jobs let his 5,000-or-so most ardent admirers know that iPhone OS 4.0, announced on April 8, is now iOS 4. Which only makes sense. Having started out merely on the iPhone, Apple's mobile operating system has spread to the iPod touch and the iPad — and the name iPhone/Pod/Pad OS 4 doesn't exactly roll of the tongue.

Jobs gave an overview of iOS 4's capabilities, adding little new beyond that which he unveiled at the iPhone OS 4.0 announcement: multitasking, folders, improved data protection, device management, wireless app distribution, support for multiple Exchange accounts, a unified Mail inbox, SSL VPN support, Exchange Server 2010 support, and the like. He also pointed out that iOS 4 will include 1500 new APIs, including such niceties as in-app SMS and performance-profiling tools.

What appeared to best float Jobs' boat, however, was the upcoming launch of Apple's iAd mobile advertising platform, which is scheduled to go live on July 1. Jobs said Cupertino has so far received $60m in commitments from advertisers for the remainder of the year.

But why is Apple launching iAds? "To help our developers earn money." Or as his presentation slide explained a bit more fully: "To help our developers earn money so they continue to create free and low-cost apps." Which, of course, sells iOS devices: iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads.

Remember, Apple has admitted that its App Store is not a money-maker — its 225,000 apps are there to entice purchases of hardware. And that enticement is working: Jobs claimed that the 100 millionth iOS device will be sold this month, and that last week the number of total App Store downloads passed five billion.

Apple has never revealed how many of those downloads are free apps and how many are paid. Frankly, it doesn't care, other than it wants to ensure that the devs who are cranking them out keep cranking them out. And to ensure that they will, Cupertino needs to make doing so worth their while.

The iAd equation is that developers will get 60 per cent of the ad take. As Jobs told the devs in today's crowd, Apple will sell and host the ads, so "all you have to do is tell us where to put them, and then make money."

And when devs make money, they develop a deep affection for the platform that pays them — and Jobs noted today that Apple has passed $1bn in App Store revenues to devs. So far. The Apple ecosystem in which developers create the apps that drive iOS devices sales will only get stronger when iOS 4 is released this summer for the iPhone and iPod touch, and this fall for the iPad.

Steve Jobs isn't rewarding devs for their loyalty or painting over the vagaries and inconsistencies of the App Store police with bucks. He's merely emulating the wisdom of "Monkey Boy" Steve Ballmer when he famously chanted: " Developers! Developers! Developers!" Developers! ®

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Let me get this straight...

He's making the assumption that the phone being jailbroken automatically means his game has been pirated?

What a fucktard.

My phone is jailbroken. I did so to install yellowsn0w (and then blackra1n) so that I could use an O2 payg phone on T-Mobile.

However I have spent quite a bit of money on apps. I would hate to think that the people whose apps I regularly use would accuse me of pirating their app simply because my phone is jailbroken.

If they're going to have that attitude I'll have my money back and run a pirate version - it's only what they're expecting anyway!!

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Anonymous Coward

So very little for end users then...

Adverts and more adverts basically.... As if being locked into iTunes was bad enough, it's about to get a WHOLE LOT WORSE....

6
0

Why?

Why would lawyers be "at the ready"?

What are they going to do?

I mean, you do realise that Apple have licensed the rights to the name iOS from Cisco, don't you?

You didn't know that?

Ah. Now you have learned the dangers of going off half-cocked in your rush to bleat about things of which you know bugger all!

5
0

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