Non-Programmers May Soon Be Able To Create Apps Too

Do you have an incredible idea for a new iPhone/iPod touch app? Don’t have the time (or money) to learn iOS programming? In the future, Apple may make it easier for non-programmers to launch their own apps in the App Store, according to AppleInsider. According to a new Apple patent filing entitled, “"Content Configuration for Device Platforms,” the company makes the case that programming is much too difficult for the average person. Therefore, to eliminate this “hindrance to content creation,” Apple proposes a new graphical software creation tool. Catering to both amateur and professional content developers, the new tool would completely eliminate the need to understand or access computer code. To do so, the program would rely on a JavaScript library to implement the required code.

According to the filing:

"The authoring tool also leverages a JavaScript library running in the background to enhance the code elements, by writing additional code that facilitates the smooth functioning of the objects defined by the code elements, even when those objects are implemented on diverse devices.

The JavaScript library instantiates the objects specified by the user using the authoring tool and generates additional code (HTML/CSS/JavaScript) as needed to display the content. This allows the authoring tool to substitute alternate implementations for various situations, such as diverse devices, as needed."

Similar to Apple’s own iAd production tool for Mac, this new program would apply to any type of digital content authoring. In other words, Apple’s program could include templates that would help the masses create apps for iDevices. For example, restaurant owners with absolutely no programming experience could easily create an interactive menu for use on the iPhone. Conversely, an amateur photographer could create his own interactive studio for use on an iPad. Very cool, don't you think? Just imagine, sometime soon even grandma and Uncle Ed could create apps for the iPhone or iPad. First filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in December 2011, this patent is the work of Genevieve Garand, Steve Edward Marmon, Ralph Zazula, and Michael Paul Stern.