“Jailbreak apps” may live on post-iPhone-SDK

In three days, Apple will reveal its plans for an iPhone software development kit (SDK), which will provide the framework for installation of official third-party applications, during a “road map” event at in Cupertino, California. Speculation regarding exactly how applications will be distributed and whether or not Apple will enforce approval for all officially installed applications runs rampant, but developers involved in the diversified and relatively mature market for unofficial applications (which require host iPhones to be “jailbroken”) have outlined a strong impetus for continuing their work should Apple’s policies prove too restrictive.

Widespread, robust system

Installation of unofficial iPhone applications requires end-users to “jailbreak” (invoke full read/write access to the filesystem) their handsets. This procedure is not sanctioned by Apple, but nonetheless has been performed by swaths of iPhone users. Though exact figures indicating how many users have jailbroken their phones are difficult to peg, more than one million uses of AppSnapp (a Web-based jailbreak method for older iPhone firmware revisions) were recorded in December, 2007. Since then a plethora of jailbreak methods have materialized, keeping pace with Apple’s iPhone software/firmware revisions, which often break the functionality of old jailbreak methods. Software/firmware version 1.1.4, released in late February, was the first iteration that did not break extant jailbreak methods.

The diversity and utility of unofficial iPhone applications have proven noteworthy. Hundreds of applications are currently available through Installer, an iPhone application that catalogs and installs other iPhone applications over-the-air, without any link to iTunes or a full-fledged computer. While a number of these applications hold little value, some handily fulfill ardent requests from users. Usable VNC programs, native instant messaging clients, eBook readers, voice recorders, games, replacement SMS tools and more exist.

Money can’t buy happiness, but neither can poverty

Unofficial applications are accompanied by a large, fervid user base and a robust, easy-to-use application install mechanism, but profitability has proven questionable. Only a few developers of unofficial iPhone applications actually charge for their applications, and those who do are experiencing varied success.

Vincent Verweij is CEO and founder of Makayama Media. His company develops applications for a number of handheld devices, and recently debuted a number of commercial iPhone utilities including “Camera Pro,” a replacement image capture application for the iPhone that includes a timer, digital zoom, color adjustment, and exposure/shutter speed.

Verweij says business so far has “been reasonably good,” and that the number of trial downloads for his firm’s 4 applications in total has exceeded 100,000. He says he’d like to keep sales numbers confidential, but that the results are “encouraging.”

The factors constraining unofficial application profit are manifold: the concern that such applications may be rendered unusable by a future Apple update, reluctance from large developers to experiment with a non-sanctioned installation method and uncertainty about the “jailbreak” installed base.

Transitioning to the SDK

As such, many unofficial application developers are hoping to make the leap to Apple’s official SDK when it ships. They hope Apple’s blessing and possible promotional vehicles spurred by the SDK will allow for firm footing.

“We will definitely port our apps to the SDK when it’s out. We’re eagerly awaiting it. If Apple can do for the mobile software business what they’ve done for digital music, there’s a huge opportunity,” says Verweij.

Some developers are planning to support both software ecosystems, offering a jailbreak-app and an official application post-SDK.

A representative from RiP Dev, creator of the “Caterpillar” iPhone customization application (a commercial program that is sold on a subscription basis), told us: “We’ll make every possible effort to make our software work under future firmware / SDK upgrades, however, of course, we cannot guarantee that at the moment because we don’t know what exactly will happen or change. In general we’re planning to support both versions: SDK and jailbreak.”

Under Apple’s thumb

Apple has made no official indication regarding the openness or general structure of access to the iPhone SDK or application distribution. Should the company choose to exercise strict control over the market, however, developers raise some cogent arguments for maintaining an alternative method.

Nicholas “Drudge” Penree of Conceited Software, a venerated unofficial iPhone developer whose work has resulted in some jailbreak methods, thinks that the enterprise segment will demand means for custom application installation that don’t rely on Apple.

“In my opinion, developers are going to require an alternate distribution method,” said Penree. ”If the Apple wants the iPhone to become a platform used by larger corporations, there needs to be a method for companies to deploy internal applications to their devices in a matter that doesn’t rely on Apple or iTunes.”

Penree also thinks that some developers will scorn any attempt to monopolize distribution.

“(If there exists) only one avenue for distribution, Apple controls all Applications, and they also control pricing. How much do you think Apple is going to take per sale? Companies like eSellerate and PalmGear charge 10%. I don’t know about other developers, but I have the infrastructure and bandwidth to deploy my applications and I don’t want to add the overhead of an ‘iTunes Distribution Fee’ just so the applications appear in iTunes.”

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Apple’s iPhone “software road map” event will take place on March 6th at the company’s headquarters. For a full guide to unofficial applications on the iPhone, see our resource page.

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