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On March 6th, Apple held a press conference to release some revolutionary new developments for the iPhone. These innovations promise to revolutionize the industry of smart phones and open up nearly infinite possibilities for its use. This conference centers around the upcoming release of the iPhone 2.0 Software. This features the new and improved iPhone Operating System, and the revolutionary Software Development Kit (SDK). The new iPhone OS will greatly enhance its performance and allow it to function as a tiny Apple computer. The SDK opens up user friendly application development software that will allow almost anyone to write their own programs for applications on their iPhone. On top of making it easy to create these applications, Apple announced their new system to allow programmers to sell their applications for whatever price they see fit.

The really important news is the release of the Software Development Kit. Apple has announced that they are opening up the same tools they use for developing their own software to the general public. This software allows users to simply drag and drop buttons and functions into a program control screen. They can edit the code and graphics on screen and instantly view the results. The iPhone simulator will run the program right on your desktop as if it was running directly from your phone. This makes debugging almost instantaneous.

Apple invited software developers from major companies to work with the SDK for two weeks and see what they could come up with. These teams had never used this software before, but all said it was very easy to use. These teams came up with some very impressive looking Games, Bisiness Software, and Personal Applications. Click on the links to view more information on the applications that were showcased. Practical Applications include AOL Instant Messenger for the iPhone. This allows users to chat on AIM directly from their phone. Another team created a medical drug reference database allowing doctors to search any drug and view its image and information from anywhere.  

This new software offers great potential as a portable gaming platform as well. Pictured here is the Touch Fighter game developed by Apple. It uses the built in Accelerometer to allow players to tilt the phone from side to side to move the ship, and touch the screen to fire. The sound follows the motion of the phone so you feel as if you're really moving.

EA Games showed off their game, Spore. This game allows users to evolve a creature from a free swimming plankton into a full bodied mammal by simple upgrades in adaptations. SEGA developers showed us Super Monkeyball, which allows users to tilt the phone from side to side as they roll a marble-like ball along a course riddled with obstacles.

Not only did Apple make it easy for developers to create games, but they made it easy for them to sell their work. Apple announced a massive online store that will allow users to search for any application created by any user and buy it. Developers can charge whatever price they want to for their software, and keep 70% of their profits. Apple handles all the distribution, advertising, and billing, so anyone can become an entrepreneur. They also announced the iFund of one hundred million dollars to help get this system running.

Apple also announced some updates to the Operating System of the iPhone. The new iPhone OS will put a miniaturized version of the Mac OS X directly onto the iPhone. They have revised the user input controls to work with the touch screen, but kept the operating system very similar. Other new features were the ability to push your email, calendar, and contact lists directly to your phone. This will enable an iPhone user to remain connected at all times and in any location. They also announced the ability to remotely wipe and protect your data if your phone is ever lost or stolen.

The advent of the Apple iPhone 2.0 software will usher in a new era in software development. It puts tools into the hands of programmers everywhere, and gives them the incentive to create new applications for the rest of the world to enjoy. It could revolutionize software development as a whole and open up a whole new microeconomy. Either way, it is sure to bring us thousands of useful tools to upgrade our phones and increase their versatility.