Apple Invites ADC Members To iPhone Tech Day Workshop; Steve Jobs Named Top ‘Powergeek’

Apple’s holding an iPhone Tech Day Workshop this Monday (July 23). Only Apple Developer Connection members need apply.

According to the official invitation, the 1-day workshop, to be held somewhere within Infinite Loop in Cupertino, is free; you’ll only need to spend several thousand dollars for one of them golden ADC tickets for a chance at reserving a seat. The company also did developers a wonderful favor by springing the news on the world. Well done, Apple. Well done.

Alright, now that we’ve done our part in reverberating the frustrations felt by many over the suddenness of the announcement and it’s exclusivity, let’s get down to business and tell you what the oh-so-fortunate will be doing in the session(s) come Monday morning.

Safari on iPhone Compatibility

It’s all about Safari on iPhone. As they’ve done from the start, Apple’s software experts are talking Safari on iPhone over and over and over again. Naturally so, as it’s currently the only platform upon which to build apps for the iPhone. Some don’t take too kindly to this restriction, but I for one happen to embrace it. It forces developers to think efficient and see what they can accomplish within the limitations of a well-established program, not merely the limitations of hardware, as is often the case with software development. (Strange that they don’t just say “Safari”. Sure, it’s built somewhat differently on the iPhone than what is available for Mac – and now PC. But the repeat emphasis of “-on iPhone” is bit annoying. But what can you do? Well, I’ll tell you what you can do. Revolt! Revolt!)

There are some things in particular that Apple’s own coders will try to pound into third parties’ psyches, one of which is making their stuff look presentable. We all know how stringent Cupertino’s finest is when it comes to aesthetics, and they certainly won’t let third parties tarnish their image, especially with a product as fresh as the iPhone.

Also, Apple reps will help developers looking to get media from the Web to the device do so with the least trouble. The iPhone’s EDGE data connection isn’t its strongest link, after all, and what better way to take advantage of the most bits possible than optimizing that code?

Web apps are for the most part fairly simple still, so the one-day workshop at Infinite Loop will likely be plenty for those ADC members interested in developing for the iPhone. Building with OS X as a base is no doubt far more complex a task than building Web-based utilities and such to operate within the confines of a high-def mobile phone display.

If you wish to be at the Apple campus for the iPhone Tech Day Workshop, be sure to register ASAP. That is, if you were invited. If not, you need not apply.

————–

In other news, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, was recently named topped Blender Magazine's list of 25 most influential "powergeeks". What a surprise.