User:Avenged Eightfold/Application Draft

An application is the main software feature for the iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod touch in which data is stored and features of the device can be accessed. Some of the applications (such as YouTube, Mail, Safari, and the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store) are available on the device by default when purchased. Other third party applications are available for purchase or free download from Apple's App Store, in which users may either browse and download applications from their personal computer or on their device itself from the App Store application available on the device by default. The iPhone software version 2.0 (which included the App store) was released on July 11, 2008, and applications were able to be transferred onto the newly updated devices. In the current software update, version 2.0, the iPhone home screen contains these default applications: SMS (Text messaging), Calendar, Photos, Camera, YouTube, Stocks, Maps (Google Maps), Weather, Clock, Calculator, Notes, Settings, iTunes (with access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store), App Store and Contacts. Four other applications delineate the iPhone's main purposes: Phone, Mail, Safari, and iPod. The iPod touch contains all of the above excluding SMS text messaging, Phone, and Camera.

Third party applications are developed by registered Apple software developers, who use the iPhone Software Development Kit, or SDK. The Software Development Kit was released by Apple in March of 2008, with the App Store launching later on July 10, 2008. Depending on the type of membership, users paid either $99 or $299 (USD) to become a registered Apple iPhone developer, and then proceeded to download the Software Development Kit. Developers then submitted their third party application to Apple, which was then reviewed and published to the App Store. iPhones and iPod touches cannot be used to run software that isn't from Apple's official App Store, however a "jailbroken" device is capable of running unsigned software. "Jailbroken" iPhones and iPod touches were also able to download third party applications before the release of the official App store, through programs like Installer.app, AppSnap, and Cydia.

Many third-party Safari "web applications" and un-signed native applications are also available. Web applications look and act as regular applications, but are located on websites specially designed for the iPhone and iPod Touch. A directory of these web applications was made available by Apple before the App store release, and still remains there. The ability to install native applications onto the iPhone outside of the App Store will not be supported by Apple. Such native applications could be broken by any software update, but Apple has stated it will not design software updates specifically to break native applications other than applications that perform SIM unlocking.

Default applications
When purchased, the iPhone and iPhone 3G devices contain the default applications of iPod (which contains Music and Videos), SMS, Camera, YouTube, Stocks, Clock, Calculator, Maps (Google Maps), Weather, Notes, Settings, iTunes (with access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store), Calendar, Photos, App Store and Contacts. These applications are the applications that store the data that is contained on the iPhone, and are also contain the main and default features of the iPhone. Currently, users can also take web links and put a link to them on the home screen, which contains the applications. Though this is not considered an application, it still does create an icon on the home screen. This can be used to link to "Web apps", which are explained below.