The iPhone Gets Exchange Support, SDK
Apple® today previewed its iPhone™ 2.0 software, scheduled for release this June, and announced the immediate availability of a beta release of the software to selected developers and enterprise customers. The iPhone 2.0 beta release includes both the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) as well as new enterprise features such as support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to provide secure, over-the-air push email, contacts and calendars as well as remote wipe, and the addition of Cisco IPsec VPN for encrypted access to private corporate networks.
“We’re excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community with potentially thousands of native applications for iPhone and iPod touch,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPhone’s enterprise features combined with its revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface and advanced software architecture provide the best user experience and the most advanced software platform ever for a mobile device.”
More that that, it was the speed of development with the SDK that impressed the most. Apple invited developers unfamiliar with the SDK to try it out for two weeks, and demo'ed apps at the press conference. We say things such as a Salesforce app, and even Epocrates, a medical app for PDAs. The SDK is going to open up tons of opportunities, as is iFund, the venture capital fund opened for iPhone developers.