With three (soon four) generations of devices plugged in the App Store, compatibility is starting to become an issue.
Unless the (now partly-hidden) description states it explicitly, there is no way of knowing whether an app requires an iPhone 3Gs and its compass to run or if it will satisfy itself with your old iPod touch 1G.
Well, ahead of the iPad launch, Apple is looking into the matter and seems to be prepping some kind of standardized compatibility information panel. In a ticket published yesterday, Apple is asking developers to add their apps’ requirements in the apps description file:
The UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities key in your app’s Info.plist file tells iPhone OS that your app can only be launched on a device with specific features and provides the App Store with a list of device requirements so users don’t download applications that they cannot run.
Have you ever downloaded an app only to discover it doesn’t run on your device?
[via Apple]
I’ve purchased apps several times only to find it doesn’t work on some of my iPhones. You’d think I’d have learned to read the requirements before purchasing…
I’d like to see an option in iTunes that you specify which devices you have. This option would then tell the iTunes Store what apps you can purchase and thus eliminate everything that doesn’t work with your devices. Seems that would eliminate alot of headaches–especially if apps will only work with the new iPad. I foresee alot of upset people purchasing apps for their iPhones and the apps not working.
@Keith: Great idea! Actually, I’m guessing that Apple is working toward something similar to that so that when the iPad is released, apps developed specifically for the iPad that don’t have iPhone/iPod touch versions will not show up in the AppStore app on iPhone/iPod touch devices.
iTunes is a different issue. Since iTunes can host iPhone/iPod touch/iPad devices, it will probably always show everything available. After all, you can “Gift” albums. I suspect that you will be able to “Gift” applications when the iPad is released.
Personally, I would like to see Apple allow us to “filter” out all the crappy soft-porn from showing up. The best way to do that is to put all those useless apps into a specific category like Adult or Soft-Porn. Not going to happen, because that would be admitting that they allow such a thing when they claim adamantly that they don’t.
Ah well, we can hope and dream.