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Apple handheld platform thread: Technically Not about Macs
The Reverend Dr Galactus
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So guys, I want to talk about an important issue with iPhone/Touch development and the future. Preferably without hijacking the main Mac thread. (Since this technically isn't about Macs but about Apple Touch platform devices, and perhaps I can even make myself useful and update this OP with useful iPhone/Touch links sometime.)
The App Store
Actually, this commentary sums it up quite nicely.
Basically, if the Apple Touch platform is to become a serious component of the way some of us live with computers every day, having Apple be the gatekeeper to that is kind of weird. Not that it should be a problem for most things, but the fact that the App Store is the only way you're supposed to get new software and that Apple can conceivably lock any author out of it isn't a good thing.
What that commentary fails to mention, of course, is that the practice of jailbreaking the devices will undoubtedly continue.
But I'm curious what you guys think will happen now with these two ways of utilizing Apple touch devices:
The App Store
Actually, this commentary sums it up quite nicely.
Basically, if the Apple Touch platform is to become a serious component of the way some of us live with computers every day, having Apple be the gatekeeper to that is kind of weird. Not that it should be a problem for most things, but the fact that the App Store is the only way you're supposed to get new software and that Apple can conceivably lock any author out of it isn't a good thing.
What that commentary fails to mention, of course, is that the practice of jailbreaking the devices will undoubtedly continue.
But I'm curious what you guys think will happen now with these two ways of utilizing Apple touch devices:
- Will official, SDK-developed software and unofficial, toolchain-developed software proceed in parallel, coexisting to meet mainstream needs and more interesting uses alike?
- Or will toolchain devs mostly flock to the safe and easy SDK, leaving toolchain development to turn into a ghetto?
- Or will industrious makers find a way to use the SDK to develop software that they can offer for download from their own sites instead of through the App Store, getting the best of both worlds?
- You guys are a smart bunch. Did I miss a major possibility?
The Reverend Dr Galactus on
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For reasons why this is a good idea fo a fledgling format, see also the NES.
For reasons why not "gatekeeping" is a bad idea for mobile devices, see Windows Mobile. Or more accurately, see any of the sites for applications for it.
Ding. The BlackBerry is like this, as well. Mobile platforms notoriously attract every Joe Coder out there because it seems so easy (they also like to charge insane amounts of money for their programs) and hey, it kind of is. This will help filter out some of the noise.
If only Apple had released the iPhone at a decent price-point and with respectable specs...
1. Jailbreak the crap out of it and use it for free software (keeping AppStore, official stuff on the 16GB).
2. Use it solely for Remote Buddy as a wifi based all in one remote for my home media center.
3. Sell it.
Yeah, I'm probably going to sell it. It will pain me, though!
or Brawl. 4854.6102.3895 Name: NU..
See, it is entirely possible that one day, for absolutely no reason whatsoever, Apple/Valve could decide that they no longer like money/your face and shut down their content delivery system for anyone but themselves, dooming you to an endless wasteland of nothing but extremely well designed, but ever-so-slightly-twee/annoyingly-inconclusive apps/games that do everything you want except for one tiny little thing that you wished someone would fix only that would mean speaking out.
And we know what happens to people that speak out, don't we children?
Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
And Steam is great. Fuck-awesome steam.
Oh. I should've qualified that by saying that I have three iPods in use right now. No need for another one.
or Brawl. 4854.6102.3895 Name: NU..
In my guesstimate though, people with iPhones are people who like this sorta shit though. The vast majority of them won't go out of their way to jailbreak anything, and they'll be happy that someone is watching and approving all the software they download. Users who want to do anything and everything would probably rather get an N810 or something.
Why put up with the hassle of Jailbreak?
For example I love the Books application which allows me to take documents and novels with without lugging around a fucking library - Most likely this app won't be "official" because you need to save "external files" on your device (without documents to read it wouldn't make much sense).
As far as I know you have to pay in order to get access to the SDK - I don't think that developers will pay for the SDK in order to release stuff for free. So I think jail braking will be present in the future.
Secondly this could mean that "big budget and commercial releases" will be available faster because Apple wants to earn $$ too (and they do the whole validating thing as gatekeeper), while the release of free apps will/could see a delay.
Speaking of jail braking. It might be that this will allow pirating of legitimate software
edit: Ah yeah, iPod touch users might have to pay for the latest update which introduces the App Store - this will either mean most of them are stuck with an older firmware version. - or this is a move by Apple to put all the "jail-braking one click apps" in the piracy category, because offering a commercially available modified update for free is piracy then.
It might be that I am not up to date, regarding some Apple mobile platform related news. If there is something incorrect, feel free to correct it or mock me about it.
As for actual developer restrictions, none of them are too egregious. Most of them are to keep apps from trouncing all over everyone else's data. I wouldn't want a bug in an app deleting my music or randomly calling people in my address book. I also want apps to go away when I hit the Home button so I can make a phone call. I definitely don't want to worry about background processes or apps staying resident in memory too long. My Pearl would get really sluggish unless I was careful to close every app when I was done using it. It was a complete pain in the ass from a user perspective.
To get a developer key (letting you put apps on the App Store) only costs $99 for normal developers. Even if you're developing free apps this is not a lot of money, especially since hosting and updates and all that are taken care of for you. There's also no extra fees for signing apps for additional access like you find on Symbian, Blackberry, and J2ME systems.
I expect Jailbreaking will still go on after the App Store is up and running. There's some apps I doubt Apple would sign off on like VoIP or Bittorrent clients. Some people will feel their iPhones or iPods are unusable without such things and will keep up the jailbreaking. I suspect however this process will get a lot more difficult as apps will need to be signed in order to run at all. Jailbreakers might be stuck hoarding first gen iPhones and iPods to run 1.x firmware where jailbreaking will continue to work. On the other hand I think a lot of developers currently using the jailbreak toolchain will switch over to the official SDK even if they release their apps for free. They'll not only have official SDK to work with but a bunch of very nice developer tools not available with the hacked toolchain.
ePocrates, a medical reference app, does daily updates which get sync'd to the device... and they will be one of the first apps out of the gate.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Working in a pharmacy, I can not tell you how excited we are to get this program.
Exchange + ePocrates support are the two things that will allow me to switch my physicians over to iPhones this june. It's going to be fantastic.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
I wouldn't want a bug in a desktop app deleting my iTunes library or randomly sending e-mails to people, either. I think this is really just an irrational fear inspired by Jobs' "bring down the west coast network" comment last year.
Most of us have far more valuable things on our computers than on our iPods or phones, and we install new software that hasn't passed Apple's review on those all the time.
I'm in agreement that Jailbreaking will undoubtedly continue as long as there's stuff people want to do that falls outside the App Store's restrictions. Correct me if I'm wrong, though, but don't current iPhones already require that apps be signed, and it's that restriction that's bypassed through jailbreaking?
PSN:RevDrGalactus/NN:RevDrGalactus/Steam