Yesterday a seismic event occurred in the world of technology, yet most people didn’t even feel a tremor.  The impact of it though will most likely have a direct effect on your life the same way the PC did back a decade or two ago.  So what the hell is the watershed event I’m talking about?

At a special event yesterday Apple finally took the wraps off of its iPhone SDK (Software Developer Kit).  I can hear you now: BOR-ING!! Yes, for the most part the event was boring.  There was a lot of highly technical talk about programming and whatnot.  Major snooze fest.  But the fallout from it will also probably change your life.

So how will this effect you?  Well up until now the iPhone has been an incredibly cool, multimedia and web-enabled phone.  It has some neat things on it like widgets, maps, and e-mail, and of course it has all the features of an iPod too.  There has also been a lot of website applications designed specifically for the iPhone (I even optimized Scott-O-Rama for the iPhone).  Yes, the iPhone is leaps and bounds above most of its competitors’ offerings (although some are catching up slowly), but at the end of the day, it’s still really just a phone and/or iPod.

Not anymore.

Prior to yesterday only Apple could develop software for the iPhone.  Now that they’ve opened it up to everyone, the iPhone is suddenly going to be transformed into a true mobile computer, not just a phone.  Applications and games you know and love will be developed specifically for the iPhone.  During the presentation, Apple showed several of these that are already in development.

First let’s talk about the games.  I’m not a gamer myself, but the Nintendo Wii has peaked my interest because of its motion-based controls.  One feature often overlooked about the iPhone is that it has a full 3D accelerometer in it similar to the one in the Wii’s controllers.  Apple had two game developers, EA and Sega, demonstrate games that they are developing for the iPhone including Spore and Super Monkey Ball.  Simply by moving the iPhone around, the player is able to control movement in the game.  They can also interact via the touch screen.  The games demo’s aren’t necessarily stripped-down versions.  They had the same full 3D effects and spacial stereo sound you would find in the regular PC or console versions.

Here’s a clip of EA showing off their forthcoming game Spore (created by Will Wright of “The Sims” fame) on the iPhone:

The demo of Super Monkey Ball is here.

Yes, the games were very cool, but in my humble opinion, that wasn’t the most exciting part.  What I was most impressed with was when Apple invited developers from Salesforce.com and Epocrates to demo what they were developing for the iPhone.

Now anyone that has ever used a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) program like ACT or Salesforce.com to manage their sales knows that a laptop is invaluable when meeting with clients.  Who always wants to lug around a laptop though?  The Salesforce.com developer showed off an iPhone version of their product that was every bit as full-featured as the PC version.  In fact, since the iPhone can connect to cell networks or WiFi for data, the iPhone version could be be automatically updated with new information in places where WiFi isn’t available, something most laptops can’t do.  They showed how the office could “push” new information about a client to the sales representative working out in the field so that they could react quickly to a competitor’s offer.  The iPhone could even show the rep his location in relation to where the client was located currently via the Google Maps app on the iPhone.  All this, and it also fits in your pocket.

I liked Epocrates’ demonstration even better.  Their company makes software used by doctors and medical professionals.  In their presentation they showed how a doctor could quickly reference information from the iPhone such as drug interactions, patient information, and more.  They gave an example where a patient might tell a doctor that they are taking a three-sided orange pill, but they forgot the name of the prescription.  The doctor could pull his iPhone out of his pocket and, using their software, quickly look up all prescription drugs that met that criteria.  No need for the doctor to go access a computer or keep the paitent waiting.  All the information he needs is right there at his fingertips.

Here’s Epocrates’ presentation for anyone interested:

So this may all sound handy, but how will that change your life?  Well think about it.  Now instead of merely carrying a phone with you, you’re suddenly carrying a full-fledged computer (the iPhone actually runs on Mac OS X, not some special “mobile” operating system).  Programs on your iPhone might begin to replace or at least work in concert with the ones on your PC.  It could sync data wirelessly without even having to find a WiFi hotspot.  You’ve got instant access to your e-mail, instant messaging (they demo’d AOL Instant Messenger on the iPhone too), the Internet, or whatever you need.  You may ask “don’t Blackberry’s, Windows Mobile, and other phones do that too?” Well, yes and no.  Most applications on so-called smartphones today are highly stripped down versions of the desktop PC software.  They’re functional, but almost barely so.  With the iPhone’s new SDK, developers can now create programs that are as robust as their desktop PC counterparts.

Think about a software program, any one will do, that you use for work or at home.  Could it run on an iPhone?  The answer is most likely yes.  Let’s say you’re with some friends and you take a picture of them.  You can edit, caption, e-mail the photo, and then upload it to a site like Flickr right there.  How does this differ from current camera phones?  You can do advanced editing on the photo right on the iPhone.  No need to go home and download it to your PC first.  Need a new application or program?  You’ll be able to browse, buy, and download the application right on your iPhone.  Again, no need for PC involvement.

On the more geeky side, the iPhone will now fully sync with Exchange servers.  What the heck does that mean?  In most corporate environments today, employees can go to any computer in the business and sign-in to use it.  Their address book, calendar, and e-mail are all available no matter which PC they sign in from.  Now that same thing will be true of your iPhone.  If you schedule a meeting in your calendar on your desktop PC, it automatically shows up in your iPhone calendar.  You can browse your fellow employees’ free/busy times and look someone up in your corporate directory right from the iPhone just as you would your PC.  If you’re worried about security should you lose your iPhone, Apple showed how business can “wipe” a lost phone of all the sensitive data, contacts, etc. instantly and without user intervention.

So am I exaggerating when I talk about how big of impact this is going to have?  I don’t think so. Famous Silicon Valley venture capitalist firm KPCB announced that they are creating a $100,000,000 investment fund for companies developing software for the iPhone.  John Doerr, a partner at KPCB, believes that the iPhone will be “bigger than the personal computer” and that is why they created the fund.  While speaking at the event, Doerr reminded people that EA started with a $2 million investment, Amazon.com with $8 million, and Google with $24 million.  In other words, Doerr and his company see almost unlimited potential for the iPhone.  Since they’re backing it up with $100 milion, you know he’s not just throwing words around.  Even if you’re not a fan of Apple or the iPhone, you have to admit the competitors will be hard pressed to keep up.  I have a strong feeling that within just a few years, not just geeks, but the average person will be carrying around true “mobile computers” like the iPhone or something the competitors manage to develop.  We’ll wonder how we ever lived without them.

So yes, yesterday was a very important day in the future of personal technology, and you probably didn’t even realize it.  Aren’t you glad you have geeks like me around to keep you informed of these things?

A couple of additional notes: In referring to the iPhone, I also mean the iPod Touch except in instances where data transfer via a cellular network is involved.  The iPhone version 2 software will be available in a couple months (June?) and be free to existing iPhone owners and available for a small fee for existing iPod Touch owners.  You can watch Apple’s full presentation here, but it’s pretty geeky in nature.

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