In an article dated Dec. 21, iLounge reports that 45% of iPod Touch users are still using OS 2.x; they have not upgraded to OS 3.x. And it doesn't have to do with the five bucks! Thought developers might be interested in this statistic, since I am seeing more and more apps that require 3.1.2. Might want to take into consideration that if your new app requires 3.0 you are excluding a huge number of potential buyers. Obviously Gameloft knows this little secret--virtually all of their games are compatible with 2.2.1...even NOVA... http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/ipod-touch-users-lag-on-iphone-os-3.0-adoption/
There's one problem... one day Firmware 2.x WILL die... you as dev can either support this process or help the remaining 2.x users...
I absolutely agree with the OP, and have posted statements like that in other developer forums many times before... Personally, Rogue Touch still supports OS 2.0! But for 99% coverage of iPhone and iPod Touch users 2.2.1 should be fine. My next game will likely try to cover 2.2.1 unless I need a 3.0 specific feature (I do have one or two in mind that might be worth it, but it's a tough choice)
Obviously, it doesn't have to be one or the other. A developer like Gameloft doesn't seem to have any problem making their games available to the widest possible audience. They want to make as much money as possible, and they have been more successful than just about anyone else! Of course, developers are certainly well within their rights to elect to limit their potential customer base...and then gripe about the lack of sales. I am merely pointing out information gleaned from a recent article because it is pertinent to game development, and I thought some developers might be interested in the most recent info. I agree that "one day FIrmware 2.x WILL die," but apparently not anytime soon. Gameloft--and other major developers-- are apparently smart enough to recognize that.
This wasn't meant to eb against firmware 2.2.1... Of course, I would choose to make my Apps work on 2.2.1, too, because I know many people still use it (my brother uses it, because so many apps do still work with 2.x)... There's just one interesting thing... The more devs who make their game "3.x only", the more reasons a user would have to switch to 3.x ... The more users switching to 3.x, the less profit can be made by making an app work with 2.2.1. For example, my brother (he is only playing games on his iPod, no utility apps etc) won't buy 3.x in the near future. The only app he wants but can't use is Canabalt... and he won't pay more than double the price of the game just to be able to play it. But the day will come when there will be more apps he can't play, which will then make him buy 3.x... Btw, how many newcoming devs think about making their apps 2.2.1 compatible? At the moment I guess there are still lots of newcomers who think of this "problem", but what will happen in the future?
What keeps me from updating is the not so rare horror stories I read on the Apple support forums about the 3.0 upgrade pretty much ruining (not completely, mind you, but being a HUGE annoyance) their Touches. As for developing, and this is my opinion on quite a few things actually, if you HAVE to use the 3.0 features or if they'll really add something to your app, then don't let the people who haven't upgraded slow you down. But it annoys me when some people just add some 3.0 features "just because" when they really don't need them at all. I also fail to see how more users going 3.x means less profit for a 2.2.1 app (aside from any DLC that may be included). It's not like 2.2.1 doesn't work on a higher firmware. And honestly, I see myself buying a new iPod before I upgrade. That should say that it has a lot more to do than the $5 price tag.
I think what's worse is when a developer releases a game at 2.2.1 then switches to 3.0 at an arbitrary update. Happened to me recently with Minigore; there was a serious flipscreen bug. I missed the update to fix that,, but went to upgrade to the next update but couldn't install to my 2.2.1 ipod touch as it required 3.0. So I can't use that game anymore. No bigger kick in the balls than paying for a game and no longer being able to play it a few months later.
our games still support 2.0 there is no reason to simply force users to upgrade to 3.x.x - especially if our games are not going to use the features of 3.x.x. unless there are some massive improvements in the newer operating systems - there is no reason for some ipod touch users to actually do the update. some of the 3.x.x versions are actually slower than 2.x.x versions - from some posts i've seen around the web - which is another reason not to upgrade. we'll continue to support 2.0 - even if no-one uses it.
It really doesn't matter how many iPod Touches are out there, nor how many are sticking with 2.x or whatever. What matters is how many of those owners actually BUY games. Not many. Not compared to iPhone. Making your game playable on 2.x is advised unless you really need a feature that only works in 3.x. But don't expect it to drive your sales worldwide.
That statistic sounds very true. Many people I know (especially girls) who have the iPod Touch have no idea what 3.0 even is or means. I explained it to one of my friends and afterwards, she still didn't seem to really care. I went on about how the upgrade was only $5 now and how she can't get great games like Tap Tap Revenge 3 (which she wanted to buy) without the 3.0 upgrade, but she kinda just shrugged it off saying "Oh well" and carried on... :/
My biggest problem is that I don't have access to a 2.2.1 device. I managed to release Ground Effect for 2.2.1 without any access to a device that actually runs it but i'm slightly paranoid about adding, for example, Openfeint support since I saw the problems Jet Car Stunts had which forced them to move to 3.0. I can't move to 3.0 (or higher) in a rev without alienating some of my existing customers, I almost wish i'd released the game for 3.0 and above in the first place. On the subject of 2.2.1, is there any way to downgrade an iPod Touch 2g from 3.x to 2.2.1? I have one with a cracked screen that would be ideal for this purpose if the downgrade is possible. Otherwise, where can I find a 2.2.1 device to test on in the future?
It used to annoy me when people leave 1 star reviews because they didn't upgrade their OS (when the game cost the same or more than the upgrade price) but now I feel that people shouldn't have to pay to upgrade their touch OS (piracy doesn't count). I guess it can also be a pain for some people to keep their iphones/touches hooked up to a computer too, especially if they don't own one themselves and are a bit younger than most iphone/touch users. With that being said. I do think the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes with the itouch user experience though
It's possible if you still have iTunes 8.x. If you have iTunes 9, I don't believe it is possible. If you search the apple support forums, they have info on how to do it--many people have downgraded back to 2.2.1 due to the numerous problems with 3.1.2. http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=221
Apple obviously wants people to move to 3.0... I got really mad when Apple dropped 2.2.1 testing with XCode 3.2.x under snow leopard. I always and will still be supporting 2.2.1 devices but now I can't test anymore using the emulator as it is no longer possible besides hacking XCode. - Thanks Apple for screwing this up "a la" Microsoft... I unfortunately upgraded my device because let's face it, most people are running 3.0 and it was time to do it - I used to do the opposite and test my apps in the simulator running 3.0. Now I can't test 2.2.1 in XCode because of Apple's smart move or blunder, however you want to call it and they should have done better rather than just alienating 2.2.1 testing when you install the latest XCode (which they want you to do and have no choice) on snow leopard... So like others, I'm looking for beta users (2.2.1) or I just won't be able to test on an actual 2.2.1 device and that sucks and like GlennX, I don't like the idea of releasing some software that have not been tested / verified on particular OS versions it is supposed to support (e.g. 2.2.1-->3.x+). Oh well. thanks Apple. At least, Facebook "warned" devs ahead of time when they decided to drop Feed templates and have them no longer work after Dec 20th.
My views on are if iPod users have upgraded to 3.0 they will certainly be on 3.1 or above. If you are a dev and pushing the hardware to the limit then this will become important because Apple upgraded the GL drivers in 3.1, which means the game will run quicker. So if you are an iPod user with 1st gen hardware and complain that games do not run well anymore then upgrade to 3.0/3.1 and you will notice that games will run faster. The more devs that support 3.0 the better because as soon as 2.0 dies the better it will be for games. 2.0 firmware is holding things back!
The biggest reason for going to 3.0 for us is in-app purchase. I know I can technically develop a version of the game that runs on 2.2 and only shows in-app purchase options for people with 3.0+, but I don't know if I'm allowed to do that as a matter of policy. There used to be a section in the documentation that said doing it wasn't allowed, but now I can't find that reference anywhere so I'm not sure if I'm just missing it, or if the rules have changed.
I've definitely heard people say that if you submit a game for 2.2.1 but with in-app purchase, Apple won't approve it OR reject it, they'll just let it sit in limbo till you reject the binary.
