Cupertino has decided that independently developed iPhone apps will be web-based, meaning they can be created, tested and demonstrated on almost any computer the can run Safari. This now includes XP and Vista machines, immediately and vastly broadening the potential pool of developers. Further, legions of iPhone users surfing the web with Safari will only encourage site designers to optimize their pages for Apple’s browser, which in turn could allow Safari to gain market share among all web users, especially given the availability of Safari for Windows. That greater Safari adaptation makes iPhone web surfing more attractive, spurring sales, and thus the virtuous circle Jobs & Co. surely dream of becomes complete.
