iPhone SDK key leaked?

We're not exactly sure how this all went down, but we trust Erica Sadun over at TUAW when she says that it appears that the iPhone's SDK key -- which will probably be required by all "official" third-party apps -- has been leaked. Two different sites currently have the key posted, but it's all just for show until next month, when the SDK hits for real -- and the code is undoubtedly changed.

[Via TUAW]

[Cris @ Jan 28th 2008 4:46PM]

The gates are open...

[aguiluz @ Jan 28th 2008 4:56PM]

Steve Jobs: The Gates are CLOSED!

*changes SDK key*

[Joseph @ Jan 28th 2008 8:08PM]

wow 2 M$ references in the first 2 posts.

[sk8rpro @ Jan 28th 2008 4:46PM]

That's awesome! Alright developers get on board. :)

[Joseph @ Jan 28th 2008 8:08PM]

developers. developers. developers...wait...wtf?!?

Anyways, good thing you posted it online, otherwise they might not have changed it.

usually companies give out false information to different branches to see where the leak is coming from. possible, this could end someone's job.

[Harkonian @ Jan 29th 2008 11:44AM]

I would love to get on board, but unless the SDK is more developer-friendly than Apple's previous SDKs, it ain't happening. Maybe I'm just spoiled living in the Microsoft world of excellent IDEs (aka Visual Studio), but the thought of trying to develop an app without them is a hard-sell for me. Managed code, WYSIWYG control creation, intellisense, LINQ integration...all these things take the chore away from building apps so you can focus on UI/UX and functionality. Sure, I could do the same thing writing straight C++, but WTF would you want to?

In short, I certainly hope that the SDK will make app development reasonably pain-free, but Apple's track-record doesn't bode all that well for it.

[superfresh @ Jan 28th 2008 4:46PM]

Wow, Erica lookin rough.

[danny @ Jan 28th 2008 5:34PM]

I bet they close with a "BOOM!".

-D

[giuliop @ Jan 28th 2008 7:18PM]

Do you mean Bill's gates?

[David Clark @ Jan 28th 2008 7:32PM]

@giuliop

Last I checked, WinMobile was open to development.

[Luigi193 @ Jan 28th 2008 5:00PM]

Wonder if this will become like that DIGG fiasco a while back?

[Jagged Toaster @ Jan 28th 2008 5:39PM]

09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0

Oh yeah.

[Towncivilian @ Jan 28th 2008 6:26PM]

Oh, shit, you found out my password! Time to change to FCKGW!

[Jonathan Allen @ Jan 28th 2008 5:01PM]

I agree with agulluz. Apple will probably have an update that that breaks this key. SJ said in the keynote a few weeks ago that the software for the iPhone will be from $0 to $5.99. If it can be released for free, why won't developers be compliant? Now that the key is published, malicious code can be written. I would rather go through iTunes so I don't jack up my iPhone.

[dagamer34 @ Jan 28th 2008 5:06PM]

He never said that. That was from a "fake" keynote.

[richard @ Jan 28th 2008 5:04PM]

hetmeel.com lol :D

[xxdesmus @ Jan 28th 2008 5:26PM]

Surely Apple will just change the key now before the official release of the SDK.

[shane @ Jan 28th 2008 5:12PM]

I cant wait for apps for it. Bring em on!!!!

[OneLove @ Jan 28th 2008 5:16PM]

Boom!

[drumr @ Jan 28th 2008 5:43PM]

*prediction*
in the new firmware the key will be...
48 15 16 23 42
:-)

[sk8rpro @ Jan 28th 2008 6:09PM]

Dude, you're a Lost fan!
So am I.

I can hardly wait till Thursday!

[IndiaTech @ Jan 28th 2008 6:25PM]

It would really, really suck if someone was expected to enter the god damn key every two hours...

[w00t @ Jan 28th 2008 7:56PM]

I never understood that part. I mean why the hell didn't they just set a script up on a timer :)

[Joseph @ Jan 28th 2008 8:09PM]

damn it! thats the same combination as my luggage...

[sk8rpro @ Jan 28th 2008 8:15PM]

@w00t,

The reason according to Darlton (Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse for non-Lost addicts) is that the computer was needed to be manned at all times.

Example: Suppose electric shortage occurred, someone needed to make sure someone was there to fix it.

Case in point - if some glitch occurs, someone needs to be there!

[Steve @ Jan 29th 2008 6:45PM]

you know if they were using a mac (on Lost), they could just use automator to put in the numbers every hour, and be done with the situarion. More over, they could also do software updates and actually be able to contact anyone they need to.

[drumr @ Jan 29th 2008 10:42PM]

well... they are on an apple computer...
an apple ][+ to be precise...
(i have one! :-D)

[cap'n @ Jan 28th 2008 5:47PM]

props on the photoshop!

[Joe @ Jan 28th 2008 5:58PM]

That's not a photoshop. That's from a site that autogens the picture form your text.


http://www.hetemeel.com/einsteinform.php

[Gnaget @ Jan 28th 2008 6:03PM]

Seems to me letting the key be known before the SDK is released is bad form. Can't apple just say "fine, no SDK for you"

[Miles @ Jan 29th 2008 2:08AM]

Then everyone would just go back to jailbreak.
Win win situation.

[soma @ Jan 28th 2008 6:24PM]

*prediction*
in the new firmware the key will be...
1...2...3...4...5, sir

That's the same combination as my luggage!

[Ziptrax @ Jan 28th 2008 7:02PM]

Spaceballs anyone?

[Bassir @ Jan 28th 2008 6:24PM]

What kind of a system is this? Wouldn't each application get its own authentic key, like a serial number on a piece of software?

Whatever, I just want that SDK now. I hope this doesn't lengthen the amount of time it takes to release it. I want to get some native applications running on my device soon.

[Eric @ Jan 29th 2008 9:10AM]

I agree with toaster. This has HD-DVD written all over it.

[djphatbeat @ Jan 29th 2008 4:41PM]

This is a message for all develeopers ;) this is cool, I just hope that someone makes a app for djs, the touch has sooo many possibilities!!! take them!!

[jakem @ Jan 28th 2008 7:09PM]

Why is this key necessary? Surely they'll just provide some developer tools, I write and release my app and people download and install it. Why is it necessary to lock this down with a key? I'm not trolling, I'm just interested to know if anyone can help.

[paul34 @ Jan 28th 2008 8:58PM]

Because then how is Apple supposed to have a monopoly on the iPhone app market?

[sam @ Jan 28th 2008 7:48PM]

This is the key:

18 84 58 A6 D1 50 34 DF E3 86 F2 3B 61 D4 37 74

enjoy:)

[Mike @ Jan 29th 2008 9:03AM]

Yes, we know what the key is. We can (looks at photo) read.

[Joey Geraci @ Jan 28th 2008 7:52PM]

It is unbelievably sad that there is even a key. What the fuck is wrong with Steve Jobs. Apple would be on every consumer desktop in the planet and Microsoft would be a forgotten memory there if he would just get out of the way of Apple's success.

[w00t @ Jan 28th 2008 8:01PM]

Yes, your exactly right.
That's how it was before Jobs returned to the company and ruined it all!

[Joey Geraci @ Jan 28th 2008 8:14PM]

I absolutely believe that he brought the company back from the dust, but the last couple of years, every brilliant product that Apple produces is at least somewhat hobbled by Jobs' disastrous mistakes.

[w00t @ Jan 28th 2008 8:34PM]

Actually... I do kind of see where you're coming from there

I have a Mac Pro, it's a wonderful machine but I'm really disappointed with the lack of video cards. A workstation like this shouldn't have to compromise like that, and who thought a 7300GT would be a suitable card for the suggested spec?!

It's the same with other products, there's always a compromise. The iPhone has no 3G, The MacBook Air has ONE USB port, and where's the desktop class upgradeable tower?

That being said, I do think they have some great products and the user experience is often unmatched. I just wish they could iron out these problems, and it wouldn't hurt for them to open things up a little...

[mike @ Jan 28th 2008 8:51PM]

Joey, its all a clever well made plan:

Screw the product up.
Fix the screw up
People love you for what should have been done in the first place
Repeat with Gen 2.

[rener @ Jan 28th 2008 10:24PM]

It's not any more unbelievable than any other closed platform, like Wii, PS3, etc. It was never, to my knowledge, marketed as anything other than that, and anyone buying it expecting it to be Open Moko should betta known betta.

Jobs runs Apple as a business. I don't know about you, but I'm not a communist and I don't work for free either, so I have no entitlement issues or expectations beyond having Apple use iTunes to create a secure, monetized delivery method for their apps.

If the price is too high, or the apps too buggy, I'll vote with my wallet and not buy any. And if I do buy some, because I paid for them, I'll hold them to a certain standard. Good for Apple. Good for the developers who shouldn't have to work for free either, and good for me.

Better, at least, than my (stock and un-3rd partied) Treo freezing and crashing at least once a day when the phone rang.

[Joey Geraci @ Jan 29th 2008 12:55AM]

rener, I am not arguing that Apple doesn't have the right to run their business the way they see fit, I am simply critiquing the decisions they have made. I see this type of argument brought up time and again on numerous issues, and it just doesn't apply.

When I think of the genius designers and engineers at Apple, and the products they could create if they weren't beholden to certain design fetishes of Jobs (his absolute craving of making the absolute thinnest products possible even if they general footprint is sacrificed, and the overall product is sacrificed because of it)...; it makes me insane to think about it!!!

Maybe I am just crazy, but I think they would still sell millions and millions of notebooks if they released OS X for generic PC's. If anything, their sales would increase, because 1. They would be pressured more to compete specifically with featuresets and prices of PC's, and 2. the way the hardware design of their computers and the software design of their operating system are designed to mesh would become all the more glaring, as the generic PC's fitted with OSX wouldn't have things like Magsafe, backlit keyboards, DVI ports across the line, etc. and 3. So many people that love OS X and aren't as impressed with the hardware or aren't in a position to buy a new computer, would get the opportunity to try OS X, and many would later make a Mac their next computer.

One last thing... If only they had released a 12 inch Macbook Pro in the tradition of the 12 inch Powerbook. When you look back at what they were able to fit in that computer back then, and the hardware that is available today, you see they could produce such a kickass product that didn't have the glaring compromises of the MBA.

[ZeroCorpse @ Jan 29th 2008 1:34AM]

Oh, yeah-- Just what I need; For Apple's customer service lines to be bogged down with generic PC owners running OS X and calling in to see how to get their random boxes made from cheap, poorly-tested, probably incompatible parts to work properly.

And let's not forget the number of utterly clueless PC users who would flood the Apple discussion forums with all sorts of "HOW DO I GET TEAM FROTRESS TO WORK ON TEH MAC?!?!" posts.

Due to the cost of aiding so many more customers, Apple would have to do the Microsoft thing and outsource their currently excellent Customer Care to India, where some haughty Hindu calling herself "Heather" would read from a script and ask us to turn the computer off, wait 30 seconds, and then turn it back on, or her male counterpart "Jim" would read a list of simple fixes like "Is the computer plugged in to a power supply?" for all the retards out there.

Macs would be targeted more and more by idiots making junkware. We'd have kernel panics because Creative Labs would produce a sound card that doesn't play nice with Nvidia's newest video card, or some fly-by-night hardware company's mainboard components. The user base would turn from a group of decent folks who all try to help each other with their various Mac questions into a throng of drooling, knuckle-dragging Wal*Mart customers who wouldn't contribute anything, but "wanna know how to get free movies" (or worse!) "on this MAC computer."

No thank you. I quite like Steve Jobs' plans, and I don't really care if it makes me look arrogant to say that I don't WANT the majority of Windows PC loyalists to jump on the OS X wagon. They'd just f*ck it up for the rest of us and make Mac ownership a little less pleasant, in the long run. I'm glad they don't sell "millions and millions" more than they already do.

Besides, the average Mac user has a habit of buying a lot of Apple hardware, and we're doing a pretty good job of keeping Apple in the money.

A few more users and switchers would be nice (just the smart ones, please) but if your idea is that you want all the convenience and benefit of running OS X, but the low, low cost of having a computer made from sh!tty Taiwanese junk parts you found online for the lowest prices possible, then you're probably better off switching to LINUX and leaving the Mac world alone, because no matter how nice OS X is (and it IS nice), it can't make up for the frequently incompatible, cheap parts you find in the average Dell, HP/Compaq, Alienware, or homemade box.

[Joey Geraci @ Jan 29th 2008 2:13AM]

You are so unbelievably ignorant of Windows and its users, there is no point in even commenting on your "argument".

But I'm bored and procrastinating, so I will anyway. I never said that Apple would make OS X compatible with every possible Windows part out there. They would need to make it compatible with a majority of the parts made by the major manufacturers in the last couple years, that's all. There definitely would be a lot of general expenses involved in the transition, but not much more than it cost to take OS X to Intel.

[Chris @ Jan 28th 2008 9:00PM]

Great, we're finally getting what should have been here since day one.