Apple is gathering an official listing of web applications for the iPhone, reports claim. An anonymous developer says that Apple representatives are contacting the authors of various apps, and prompting them to supply material such as icons, screenshots, URLs and descriptions. The procedure is said to be close to that for developers submitting to the official Dashboard widget directory, which makes it easier for users to find widgets that are safe to install. Participants in the iPhone program are purportedly being sworn to absolute secrecy, at least for the time being.
If true, the news of a web-app directory would seem to validate an earlier account from an unofficial Apple source, which suggested that the company has no current plans for a native SDK release. This same source has hinted however that developers may eventually be able to take advantage of offline storage through Safari, opening the door to apps that do not require EDGE or Wi-Fi. These programs may even be given their own Home icons, or JavaScript access to certain iPhone functions. The primary limitation would be the need to code through HTML, CSS and AJAX.
