ON KICKING OFF APPLE'S MOBILE PLATFORM

IT BEGINS

Well, we're getting close to the end of February, which means about the time Apple promised to roll out it's SDK (software development kit) for the iPhone.

It's one of the critical elements that should help Apple to merge it's iPod and iPhone franchises into a global mobile computing platform with few equals over the next couple of years.  With a little help from Apple's iTunes store.

As this piece in Wired News reminds us:

"Apple's upcoming iPhone software development kit will do more than enable programmers to create new software for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

It will also turn iTunes into a software store, because Apple will probably use iTunes as the primary distribution vehicle for what's likely to be a massive community of iPhone software developers. In so doing, it could usher in a new way of buying low-cost software that's both easier and faster than downloading shareware or purchasing shrink-wrapped boxes."

And it's a substantial platform already:

"An estimated 35.7 million people use iTunes, according to Nielsen Online. Based on the figures Apple CEO Steve Jobs provided at this year's Macworld Expo, Apple has now sold more than 4 billion songs through its iTunes Store. By some estimates, 20 percent of the U.S. population now purchases its music through iTunes.

Whether the store is ultimately the only venue for distributing iPhone and iPod Touch software or not, using it for app distribution means that many third-party developers will have the chance to get their software noticed by a huge base of users."

It all kicks off at the end of this month.  Ready or not.