Requiring apps to be tested in 3.0 requires sacrificing an iPhone/iPod Touch to 'test' status (permanent, according to Apple) and loading the beta firmware on it. The emulator doesn't support all features. It also requires the 3.0 SDK to be installed separately, which by all accounts seems to be best done in an entirely separate OS install.
I understand why Apple are requiring this, but they seem to have put little thought into the practicalities.
Also this has the "bonus" for Apple of forcing iPod Touch owners with 2.0 to pay for the upgrade to 3.0 if they want to update/buy stuff from the iTunes store.
Why is it that Apple will gladly add a compass to their phone whereas the latest sat-navs are still without such a device? Automotive satnavs have had 'pedestrian' modes for years, would it be too much to ask that they included a compass to improve direction accuracy?
I'm looking to buy the iPhone 3G. Will a new iPhone be released to accommodate these new features or should I buy the current hardware and upgrade to OS3?
I have been using Windows Mobile phones for about 3 years now. I have always been jealous of how easy an iPhone is to use etc. but aware of it's many limitations, especially lack of A2DP and turn by turn sat nav. Firmware 3.0 neatly fills all the gaps and I cannot wait till my contract renewal (yes, I'm with O2) in the Summer :)
A magnetic compass would be great for me as we like hill walking and I would be looking for a mapping application for the iphone. That said, anybody who goes walking without a paper map and real compass, and the skill to use them, is plain bonkers!
You must be a casual hill walker because you would need a charge for that, save your money on a good old compass, the Iphone could possibly leave in the middle of nowhere.
Maybe there's some devs on-hand that can clear this one up for me - when you've made an app using the SDK, does testing rely solely on the emulator? or can a developer upload and use it on an iPhone for testing aswell? Or is that not possible until Apple have had their hands on it for review?!
@Gordon - not true or the person i spoke to didnt know what they were doing, called o2 a few months back and they wouldnt let me upgrade to the iphone until my current contract ended, said was a temporary thing. Now i prob wont even get another iPhone, fingers crossed for a good android phone at some point this year.
@hank: We tend to go on quite long walks and I'm sure you are right that an iphone would not 'go the distance' without a charge. I have an old walking GPS that is useful if you make a navigational boo boo and I'd like to think the iPhone would make a useful replacement. Really though, I only need a map and compass ... but I love a gadget ;)
@Gordon: Thanks, didn't know that. Just need to wait till new iPhone announced and give O2 a bell. Cheers!
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@Shaun, the emulator does not have some features, such as accelerometer support, so for full testing, you need to configure a physical touch or iphone as a test platform.
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