How to configure and deploy the iPhone 3G for business, Part 3: In-house apps
For many businesses, the App Store alone isn't enough
Computerworld - Mobile applications for specific business needs can offer a wide range of benefits for users: access to internal databases and server-based applications (anything from sales and product management tools to patient information systems) as well as custom tools such as loan calculators or internal process guides. Providing these types of tools on a mobile device means workers can access resources and perform job functions on the road or while meeting with clients with little more than a carrier's mobile data service.
The promise of custom in-house mobile apps was one of the selling points Apple used to make its case for the iPhone as an enterprise device before the release of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 2.x firmware in July.
Until Apple's recent decision to drop the nondisclosure agreement, which had prevented iPhone developers from discussing the development tools and process, it seemed as if resources for easily and effectively producing in-house applications would be limited. That would have created a headache for many businesses, because iPhone developers on staff would have to start their projects from scratch, without the benefits of guides or the developer community. With the NDA lifted, however, resources are already available, or soon will be.
There are the upcoming books The iPhone Developer's Cookbook: Building Applications with the iPhone SDK by Erica Sadun and iPhone SDK Development from the Pragmatic Programmers, as well as more general articles about the iPhone SDK.
This isn't a detailed guide on how to develop software for the iPhone. Instead, its focus (like Part 1 and Part 2 in this series) is to highlight the challenges and opportunities involved with integrating iPhones into a business environment. When it comes to in-house applications, this means a different set of considerations, depending on whether you're simply adding the iPhone to your hardware arsenal or developing apps for sale in Apple's App Store.
The iPhone developer program and iPhone SDK
The iPhone SDK is available from Apple's developer Web site and freely available for download. The iPhone development environment is based in Apple's Xcode, the same development suite used to write Mac applications. Xcode is a powerful and intuitive environment that provides tools for building an interface, creating and debugging code, and testing software.
The iPhone SDK relies on Cocoa Touch, which is similar to the Cocoa programming environment used to create Mac software. As with Mac software, the underlying code for iPhone applications is written using Objective C, a superset of the commonly used C programming language.



- Excel 2010 Cheat Sheet
- Register for this Computerworld Insider Cheat Sheet and gain access to hundreds of premium content articles, guides, product reviews and more.
- The Laptop Dilemma: How to Maximize Productivity and Lower the Burden on IT
- Download Now
- Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory
- As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
- Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.
- Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
- Top Solutions and Tools to Prevent Devastating Malware
- Custom malware frequently goes undetected. According to Forrester Research, the best way to reduce risk of breach is to deploy file integrity monitoring...
- Streamline Compliance and Increase ROI
- Streamline, simplify, and automate compliance related activities; especially those that impact multiple business units. This white paper from NetIQ, outlines solutions that will... All Hardware White Papers
- Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
- Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
- Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
- Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
- Virtualize Business-Critical Applications with Confidence
- Virtualizing business-critical applications has become a key focus for organizations as they move along their virtualization journey. With the launch of VMware vSphere®... All Hardware Webcasts