What’s in it?
Nobody knows – Apple didn’t bother with release notes for this 1.75GB monster. Allegedly, there aren’t even release notes inside the download itself.
What apps will it break?
Nobody knows – Apple didn’t allow developers to test it before they put it live.
What does Apple have to say about it?
I don’t know – the official developer site has zero coverage other than the download link itself and a short note to say it is “mandatory” and that it might break your phone if wrongly installed.
More to come once I’ve got it working…
5 replies on “iPhone OS updated; developers let down by Apple (a little)”
Apple has never been known as a good platform company. Go watch Steve Ballmer blowing out his vocal cords yelling “Developers!Developers!Developers!” again and think about what that means about Microsoft. Look at how much attention Microsoft pays to backwards compatibility, API stability across major and minor versions and across patches. Look at Microsoft’s R&D in the Developer Division to see how much effort they put into building platforms that are designed for the profitability of ISV’s. Go search for stories about Sony PS3 developer tools; I’ll never forget the GDC when Sony announced the existence of a compiler for the Cell – those poor PS3 devs had been hand-coding Cell assembly language!
Platforms require understanding that end-users and ISVs are both your customers. You must cater to both populations. End-users want fun, functional, and pretty things. ISV’s want predictability, stability, and profit. If companies like Facebook and Apple want to build platforms, they need to look at successful platforms and failed platforms for lessons.
Ted; To be fair, the tools avaliable for the PS3 now are pretty good. Sony have rectified their mistakes. Apple continue to make them, and their attitude on this is, as far as I’m concerned, the same one they show to their customers.
Adam –
What are your thoughts on the premium store?
Steve
EDIT: Actually, ive got a better idea, ill blog it.
Suffice it to say for now: There are clearly big problems with the itunes app store; the rumoured plan is IMHO a very poor thing to do as it ignores the real issues and creates new ones.
[…] can no longer develop iPhone Apps. I am on my eighth attempt to download the 1.75Gb 2.2.1 SDK – without which, XCode refuses to even talk to my iPhone any more, because I allowed the iPhone to […]