Apple released a previews for its iPhone OS 3.0

Apple has released a preview of its new iPhone 3.0 operating system which gives the device new capabilities such as copy and paste and MMS support.
 
The iPhone OS 3.0 beta release includes an updated software development kit (SDK) with more than 1,000 new application programming interfaces.

Apple has also announced more than 100 new features that will be available to iPhone and iPod touch users this summer including cut, copy and paste; MMS; landscape view for Mail, Text and Notes; stereo Bluetooth; synching Notes to Mac and PC; shake to shuffle; parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the Apple App Store; and automatic login at Wi-Fi hot spots.

The iPhone OS 3.0 beta release will also include a new voice memo application and expanded search capability for all key iPhone applications. It also includes a ‘push notification’ service which can alert users with sounds, text or a badge. An updated Stock application will display recent company news and current trading information.

Apple senior vice president of worldwide product marketing Philip Schiller said: “The new iPhone OS 3.0 is a major software release packed with incredible new features and innovations for iPhone customers and developers alike. It will keep us years ahead of the competition.”

The iPhone OS 3.0 beta software and SDK will be available for registered developers to download from today at developer.apple.com.

iPhone users will be able to download the new iPhone OS 3.0 software free this summer. iPod touch users will be able to purchase a software update for $9.95 (£7.11).

Ovum analyst Tim Renowden said Apple’s iPhone software update provided some insight into what the next iPhone device release would be like. “The incremental nature of the software upgrade indicates that the next planned version of the iPhone will also be an incremental upgrade to the current model, with no radical changes to the device’s capabilities,” he said.

He added that iPhone OS 3.0 would be judged on whether it let developers build better applications for it than competing mobile platforms. “iPhone OS 3.0 provides improvements to the developer experience, which demonstrates the extent to which Apple's strategy for the iPhone is now driven by its success in the mobile application market,” he said. “Apple has a big head start in mindshare around mobile applications - among consumers and developers - and the new SDK and developer tools are aimed squarely at attracting as many developers as possible, preferably away from other platforms