May 8, 2009, 4:57 pm
Hints That iPhone OS 3.0 is Near
By Roy Furchgott

On Thursday, Apple told developers that it would only accept mobile apps that work with its new operating system, 3.0, which hints that the release is getting near. Apple never gave a date for the release, promising only it would be in the summer.

The new OS for the iPhone and iPod Touch will add functions that people have long clamored for, like the ability to cut-and-paste text and a landscape keyboard.

But it has already added 1,000 new APIs; the term stands for Application Programming Interface. Developers use those APIs to make their software work with the phone. Those 1,000 APIs mean that apps will do much more than they could before.

As has been reported, some of those new functions will let developers charge subscriptions for their apps and to charge for virtual items — like new sneakers for your Sims avatar — from within the game.

But iPhones will also be able to exchange information with other iPhones and will connect to a variety of accessories — like a glucose meter — taking the phone to a whole new level of utility.

Although the APIs are in the developers hands, the public won’t see the results until Apple releases 3.0.

Apple’s notice to developers went out on the very day that Google announced an upgrade to its phone operating system, Android. Coincidence, or is Apple trying to keep us tantalized and steal a little of Android’s thunder?