Today June 17, is the day that iPhone OS 3.0 is available to the masses for download and I'm predicting upgrade fever will be the phrase for today and the next few weeks.

History...
On May 6th 2009, after a few rapid cycles, iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 5 was released for general consumption, still within the iPhone Developer Program and under NDA. Though the big news that accompanied it, was that Apple would no longer be accepting any iPhone or iPod touch applications that were not compatible with iPhone OS 3.0.To quote Apple's email... "Beginning today, all submissions to the App Store will be reviewed on the latest beta of iPhone OS 3.0. If your app submission is not compatible with iPhone OS 3.0, it will not be approved."

This started developers and companies alike to certify their applications for 3.0. Sybase was one such company that successfully re-certified their iAnywhere Mobile Office application. Then on the first day of WWDC09 the announcement was made of the release date.

As a recap...3.0 is a major update for iPhone & iPod Touch for Developers...

• 1000 new API's
• App Store, new model of selling  added, called In-App Purchase (sell the app, then sell new content within the app as it comes... same as iTunes username/password and API's)
• Peer-to-Peer Connectivity - New API's to discover & connect to other iPhones over Bluetooth
• API's for accessory developers able to build custom apps to talk to their new hardware via the dock-connector or bluetooth using standard protocols & custom protocols
• Google Maps API for embedding Maps into your own applications and developers can use core location to make turn by turn directions in their applications.
• Push Notification is now good to go! (Battery Life on 23% drop) - Apple Push Notification Service.. rather than background services Push Notification Service.
• API for in-game voice
• API's now open for UIAlertView, streaming audio & video, data detectors, text selection, playing music in your application and battery API's etc

Users, along with developers, will be looking forward to some of the new features, with great satisfaction that they have finally arrived

• CUT, COPY & PASTE...cool interface... undo using SHAKE!
• MMS
  

OS 3.0 also introduces Landscape mode to email, calendar etc as well as some search facilities and a brand new home screen.

They say in IT that  'a week is a long time' and since the announcement at WWDC09, it probably has seemed a lifetime for those iPhone and iPod Touch users that are eager to get the new features on their devices. iPhone OS 3.0 is available free for iPhone customers, but $9.95 for iPod Touch owners.

I believe that this introduction will be the first hurdle cleared for the final phase of adoption into Enterprise businesses. The second hurdle will be Friday when the iPhone 3G S becomes readily available