Similar to the way video game system and the T-Mobile Sidekick manufactures have done, it would be best to take a cut from the applications that are written for the iPhone. A software development kit of this nature would allow the iPhone to become the ultimate mobile computing solution, ideally aimed at businesses worldwide.
The quicker you can get others to understand your offering's value, the better off you'll be. Furthermore, as the proposed SDK allows developers to write more and more applications for the iPod, these programs will also undoubtedly be attacked using similar competitive campaigns.
So, as Apple is now again a strong organization thanks to the iPod, it is important that it does not fail to heed the lessons learned in its youth. Clearly, not even Apple knew the future.
Furthermore, while relatively unknown, Apple and Microsoft have actually had a longstanding relationship in software development for the Macintosh platform. This means that any browser installed on a Japanese iPhone would have to be able to process both types of code in order to be perceived as useful for the internet.
Because most of the previously mentioned competitors have been in the industry for a longer period of time than Apple, they are largely run on open platforms, often catering to large businesses by allowing them to run their own, internally created programs perfectly tailored to suit the individual needs of each organization.
Furthermore, as Steve Jobs has noted in his keynote address, the iPhone runs on a converted version of the operating system supporting Apple computers, meaning that it has a very solid foundation to create functional applications in a much shorter amount of time than if it were creating a new operating system from scratch.
It explained how the Macintosh would be more affordable than any of its competitors.
That isn't to say everything went exactly according to plan.