Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced during his keynote address at Apple's developers conference in San Francisco on Monday that third-party application developers will be able to create Web applications for the iPhone, according to a story today by CNet.

One of the harshest criticisms of the iPhone was that it was considered a closed platform -- developers would not be able to build applications for it. Other phone systems, including Windows Mobile and Symbian, are open.

CNet reported that the developers will have to use Safari, Apple's Web browser, and that they will be able to create iPhone applications using common Web development standards such as Ajax ahead of the iPhone's June 29 launch.

As a bonus, CNet said those applications will also work on Windows because Safari can now run on Microsoft's operating system.

Still, the announcement falls short of what developers wanted to hear. Apple will not set up a development kit or support a community for iPhone applications at this time.

By limiting third-party applications, the iPhone is supposed to be more reliable and secure.