Apple to open iPhone for developers
SAN JOSE, Calif. - In an apparent about-face （反转方向）, Apple Inc. will allow third-party applications to work directly on the iPhone, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in a posting on the company's Web site Wednesday.
苹果公司180度大转弯，星期三在公司网站上宣布将允许第三方应用软件在iPhone上直接运行。
Apple infuriated developers and some iPhone users when it issued a software update Sept. 27 that disabled unofficial programs installed on the handsets.
苹果公司在9月28日发布的软件更新使得所有非官方程序全部报废，这一举动激怒了开发人员和一些iPhone用户。
Until Wednesday, Apple had tried to control which applications consumers had on their iPhones.
Now, Jobs said the company intends to release a software development kit in February that will let coders create applications to work directly on the iPhone and the iPod Touch. The Touch is the new iPod portable player that resembles the iPhone but lacks the function of a cell phone.
现在Jobs表示公司将于2月份发布iPhone开发工具，使得程序员可以对iPhone和iPod Touch进行编程。iPod Touch是一款与iPhone相似的新的iPod，但没有手机功能。
"We are excited about creating a vibrant third-party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users," Jobs said in the posting.
It is easy to find many unofficial programs for the iPhone on the Internet; users just had to take the risk of installing them, knowing that any damage to the iPhone stemming from unofficial programs was not covered by Apple's warranty.
很容易在网上找到iPhone的非正式程序。安装这些软件的用户必须承担风险，由于非正式程序导致的损坏不在保修范围之内。
"I'm thrilled," said Erica Sadun, a Denver computer programmer. "I hope it is exactly as they say, full third-party development."
来自Denver的计算机程序员Erica Sadun说：我希望事实上和他们所说的那样，完全第三方开发。
A Mac enthusiast and blogger — and a critic of Apple's decision to restrict the iPhone to carrier AT&T Inc. in the United States — Sadun predicted Apple's change of heart will ultimately help the company sell more iPods and iPhones.
Sadun预测：苹果公司的决定将会帮助他们卖出等多的iPhone和iPod。
An unknown number of users have "unlocked" their handsets to work on other carrier networks. The Sept. 27 software update reportedly disabled those phones.
It was not clear from Jobs' statement whether the move was a response to the growing discontent around Apple's iron grip over its portable gadgets.
Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined to say why Apple made the change, noting instead that Jobs said the process of opening the iPhone to third-party programs will take time.
Apple's change does not affect the Cupertino-based company's position on keeping the iPhone compatible only with AT&T's network in the United States, Kerris said.
Two lawsuits were filed against Apple on Oct. 5, accusing the company of engaging in monopolistic behavior and unlawfully restricting consumer choice by preventing users from "unlocking" their iPhones.
The iPhone, which combines a cell phone with a multimedia and wireless Internet device, was released in late June amid a flurry of anticipation. More than 1 million iPhones have been sold.
iPhonw集手机，多媒体和无线互联网设备于一身。自从今年六月底上市以来，已经售出100万部。
Apple had allowed developers to build applications that run on the iPhone's Safari Web browser but didn't let programs work directly on the iPhone software platform, which could make them easier to create and make them work more smoothly.
Palm Inc. has always welcomed third-party developers to create applications for its handheld computers, or personal digital assistants. They have created hundreds of programs ranging from medical dictionaries to astrology predictions.
Even without Apple's blessing, developers created workarounds to install applications onto the iPhone this summer. Some did it for sport, others in order to add capabilities to the device, such as to-do-lists or games.
Jobs said it will take until February to release the software kit because the company wants to give developers an open platform and also protect iPhone users from viruses, malware and privacy attacks.
Jobs说：需要等到明年2月才能发布软件开发工具箱，因为苹果公司希望给予开发人员一个开放的平台，同时保护iPhone不受病毒，恶意软件和用户隐私方面的攻击。
"There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network," he wrote.
Jobs noted that rival Nokia Corp. also does not allow third-party applications to be loaded onto some of its new phones unless the applications have a digital signature that can be traced to a known developer.
"While this makes such a phone less than 'totally open,' we believe it is a step in the right direction," Jobs wrote of Nokia's stance.
Apple shares have more than doubled since January. It reached a new high Wednesday to close at $172.75, up $3.17, or nearly 2 percent.
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