Another bit of news has come out on the subject of developers creating applications for the iPhone. BusinessWeek is reporting that “sources familiar with the company’s plans” say that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is planning to release a developers’ software kit by early 2008. This would mean that developers could create games, business applications and other on-phone services. Currently, Apple has not made iPhone source code available, and installing software means potentially undoing the software lock on the phone, and “bricking” it as a consequence. BW says that the release of the kit is being delayed to announce it at the annual Macworld Expo event in San Francisco in January; and also because of the delay in the release of the Mac Leopard operating system. The news comes in the same week that Nokia (NYSE: NOK) announced it was launching a platform for developers to create more widgets for their S60 platform.

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Meanwhile, another BW story takes a look at the impact that the iPhone has had on other mobile companies in the area of user interface. Among the news items cited are Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) upgrading its mobile search and Motorola (NYSE: MOT) buying a stake in UIQ, as well as operator moves like AT&T (NYSE: T) allowing users to customize mobile web preferences via their PC. The conclusion is that the iPhone has forced the hand of many of these other players into modifying their strategies to tackle the issue of poor usability. Arguably this may be true for some developments, but to these other players’ credit (for once), it didn’t take the iPhone launch in July for them to realize that better interfaces were integral to driving more mobile data usage.