<p>Please note that this question is from 2008 and now is of only historic interest.</p>

<hr>

<p>What's the best way to create an iPhone application that runs in landscape mode from the start, regardless of the position of the device?</p>

<p>Both programmatically and using the Interface Builder.</p>

From the Apple Dev Site:
To start your application in landscape
  mode so that the status bar is in the
  appropriate position immediately, edit
  your Info.plist file to add the
  UIInterfaceOrientation key with the
  appropriate value
  (UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeRight
  or
  UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeLeft),
  as shown in Listing 2.
Listing 2: Starting your application
  in landscape mode
```
```
<key>UIInterfaceOrientation</key>
<string>UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeRight</string>
```
```