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Devs had better get up to speed on iPhone 3.0, says Apple

Apps will fail approval if they don’t work on the new firmware

Devs had better get up to speed on iPhone 3.0, says Apple
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We’re very excited about the 3.0 software update for the iPhone and iPod touch. Not only because of the new features it promises, but also the way it’ll open up the functionality - of applications, of the App Store, and (hopefully) allow for a more mature line of content to become available.

But in its typical holier-than-thou nature, Apple has put a whip across developers' backs and told them to get up to speed on the new SDK. Once it’s launched, any apps that don’t fully comply with 3.0 will be rejected, and any existing ones that exhibit issues may be pulled from the App Store, along with any gold teeth the developer might have.

Here’s what they’ve been told:

“Beginning today, all submissions to the App Store will be reviewed on the latest beta of iPhone OS 3.0. If your app submission is not compatible with iPhone OS 3.0, it will not be approved.

“Existing apps in the App Store should already run on iPhone OS 3.0 without modification, but you should test your existing apps with iPhone OS 3.0 to ensure there are no compatibility issues. After iPhone OS 3.0 becomes available to customers, any app that is incompatible with iPhone OS 3.0 may be removed from the App Store.”

In fact, it makes perfect sense for developers to use 3.0 (it’s better for them, and better for the end user), but a month’s notice isn’t much, especially considering a flag has been raised that highlights a compatibility problem for a great many apps.

Apparently, the iPhone’s UIAlertView system has received a major overhaul in 3.0, which will cause problems for any application or game that uses a confirm/deny dialog – and there’s more than a few of those.

Best get ready for a slew of updates, eh?

Spanner Spencer
Spanner Spencer
Yes. Spanner's his real name, and he's already heard that joke you just thought of. Although Spanner's not very good, he's quite fast, and that seems to be enough to keep him in a regular supply of free games and away from the depressing world of real work.