iPhone Special Developer Report

iPhone User Demographics

While it's difficult to quantify exactly who the typical iPhone user is, statistics from Fortune magazine say that 91% of iPhone users would recommend the iPhone to their friends, compared to only 69% of Palm devices. iPhone users are typically early adopters, gadget lovers, have a higher than average income, and are very likely to add additional applications to their iPhone compared to other smartphone users.

The iPhone is typically marketed to those under 30, however many users are considering the iPhone for enterprise applications. Enterprise features of iPhone 4 include third-party multitasking, enhanced security, mobile device management, a unified email inbox and SSL VPN support, making it a viable option for enterprise users.

iPhone Developer Resources

There are plenty of resources available for iPhone developers. From images and icon sets, to documentation and tutorials, to tools and emulators, there is a lot to keep developers interested. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Apple Developer Community
• Apple iPhone Developer Program
• App Store Metrics
• iPhone and iPad Development GUI Kits, Stencils and Icons
• MobiOne iPhone Dev on Windows
• iPhone OS Reference Library
• App Sketchbook
• Briefs
• handleOpenURL
• iPhoneWebDev Google Group
• iPhone Minds

iPhone Development Tutorials

• Using iPhone User Interface Framework (iUI) To Create "Native" Websites for the iPhone
• iPhone Website Development: Meta Tags, Images and More
• iPad and iPhone Development: Using CSS Layouts
• Detect and Set the iPhone & iPad's Viewport Orientation Using JavaScript, CSS and Meta Tags
• Using Safari for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch Website Testing
• How Can I Detect the iPhone & iPad's User Agent?
• Develop iPhone Web applications with Eclipse
• Taking Advantage of Web Kit CSS Styles
• iPad Development Tutorial and Resources Collection

Conclusions

The iPhone's share of the smartphone market is expanding faster than Apple can keep up. In spite of issues such as the recently noted antenna reception problem, the iPhone 4 is likely to be another step in the right direction from Apple, and other smartphone manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the innovations that the iPhone features for both developers and end users. Enterprise use is increasing, and more developers are targeting iPhones each day. The release of Apple's iPad has renewed investment by developers, who can now develop apps for both devices using the same code. The iPhone's future is bright, and with Apple recently celebrating its best quarter thus far, it appears to be looking at an even brighter future.