By DPA
San Francisco : Bending to the will of its legendary enthusiasts, Apple has announced that it will allow outside programmers to write applications for the company’s iPhone.
Apple chief executive Steve Jobs Wednesday said in a posting on the company’s website that a kit for developers will not be available until February, as the company works out how to open up the phone without exposing it to malicious programmes.
“We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users,” Jobs wrote.
Jobs said that because of its cult status iPhone would be a prime target for malicious hackers.
“There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network,” Jobs wrote. “As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programmes will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.”
The move marks a radical about-face by the iconic consumer electronics company, which faced a storm of criticism after it banned third party applications and a recent software update disabled all iPhones with unauthorised programmes.
Some of these unauthorised programmes opened up the iPhone for use internationally or on other networks besides that of Apple’s US partner AT&T.