iOS developers not concerned about Apple making a larger iPhone screen
If the rumors pan out and Apple's next-generation iPhone features a larger 4-inch screen, developers say they don't think the change will be a major problem.
Erica Ogg at GigaOm spoke with a number of developers who said that they trust Apple will not make it more complicated to design applications for a number of different iPhone screen sizes. Lenny Rachitsky, CEO of social discovery app Localmind (iTunes link), said he doesn't think Apple will "pull an Android and fragment the device market unnecessarily."
"If they do, they must have a really good reason to do it, and we're confident they'll provide tools to make it easy to migrate," Rachitsky said. "The last thing they want to do is put more friction in front of developers."
Apple last changed the iPhone screen with the launch of the iPhone 4 in 2010. That model marked the debut of Apple's "Retina display" branding, which packs twice the pixels of the iPhone 3GS screen into the same screen size.
By keeping the screen size and aspect ratio the same, Apple made it easy for developers to upgrade their applications to take advantage of the new Retina display with minimal effort. The strategy also ensured that legacy iOS applications would look acceptable on the new screen.
Last week, a pair of reports claimed that Apple is purchasing 4-inch screens for its next iPhone, which would be a step up from the 3.5-inch displays found on all previous iPhone models. While the screen is rumored to be bigger, it is unknown whether Apple plans to change the resolution or aspect ratio of the display.
If Apple keeps the same aspect ratio and resolution, existing applications would be able to run unchanged, but the pixel density of the Retina display would be diminished. Some have speculated that the new screen could be slightly taller, which would give it both a new aspect ratio and new resolution.
But Ken Soto, CEO of Massive Damage Inc., which makes iOS games like Please Stay Calm (iTunes link), told Ogg he doesn't think Apple would introduce a new aspect ratio, as that would require developers to redesign their application's user interface.
"I have a feeling a bigger iPhone will automatically scale up existing retina resolutions as the screen would likely only get a little bigger," Soto said.
Reports have claimed that the larger 4-inch screens for Apple's next iPhone will be built as soon as June, which would allow production of a sixth-generation iPhone to begin as soon as August. That would put the next iPhone on track for an anticipated fall launch, one year after the debut of the iPhone 4S.
The next iPhone is rumored to have a significantly redesigned exterior that will move away from the look of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S that Apple has utilized since mid-2010. Some reports have suggested the next iPhone will have an aluminum back as part of a "unibody" frame.
Erica Ogg at GigaOm spoke with a number of developers who said that they trust Apple will not make it more complicated to design applications for a number of different iPhone screen sizes. Lenny Rachitsky, CEO of social discovery app Localmind (iTunes link), said he doesn't think Apple will "pull an Android and fragment the device market unnecessarily."
"If they do, they must have a really good reason to do it, and we're confident they'll provide tools to make it easy to migrate," Rachitsky said. "The last thing they want to do is put more friction in front of developers."
Apple last changed the iPhone screen with the launch of the iPhone 4 in 2010. That model marked the debut of Apple's "Retina display" branding, which packs twice the pixels of the iPhone 3GS screen into the same screen size.
By keeping the screen size and aspect ratio the same, Apple made it easy for developers to upgrade their applications to take advantage of the new Retina display with minimal effort. The strategy also ensured that legacy iOS applications would look acceptable on the new screen.
Last week, a pair of reports claimed that Apple is purchasing 4-inch screens for its next iPhone, which would be a step up from the 3.5-inch displays found on all previous iPhone models. While the screen is rumored to be bigger, it is unknown whether Apple plans to change the resolution or aspect ratio of the display.
If Apple keeps the same aspect ratio and resolution, existing applications would be able to run unchanged, but the pixel density of the Retina display would be diminished. Some have speculated that the new screen could be slightly taller, which would give it both a new aspect ratio and new resolution.
But Ken Soto, CEO of Massive Damage Inc., which makes iOS games like Please Stay Calm (iTunes link), told Ogg he doesn't think Apple would introduce a new aspect ratio, as that would require developers to redesign their application's user interface.
"I have a feeling a bigger iPhone will automatically scale up existing retina resolutions as the screen would likely only get a little bigger," Soto said.
Reports have claimed that the larger 4-inch screens for Apple's next iPhone will be built as soon as June, which would allow production of a sixth-generation iPhone to begin as soon as August. That would put the next iPhone on track for an anticipated fall launch, one year after the debut of the iPhone 4S.
The next iPhone is rumored to have a significantly redesigned exterior that will move away from the look of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S that Apple has utilized since mid-2010. Some reports have suggested the next iPhone will have an aluminum back as part of a "unibody" frame.
Comments
Quote:
Erica Ogg at GigaOm spoke with a number of developers
Okay, what's the number?
Beats developing for a platform with fragmentation in the thousands.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleZilla
Beats developing for a platform with fragmentation in the thousands.
Exactly. Android is a nightmare like Symbian used to be.
Think about just how many apps use a top/bottom bar UI (like Navigation and Tab Bar controllers) with a scroll view in the middle. I would be willing to bet that all such applications will scale exactly as one would expect, with showing just a bigger view. Interface Builder already allows for dynamic sizing of such UI styles. Games and videos could also scale with little effort, as I imagine most aren't hardcoded to device size as much as they detect the resolution they have to work with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleZilla
Beats developing for a platform with fragmentation in the thousands.
It isn't that hard to deal with. Certainly no more difficult than the PC used to be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Orlando
It isn't that hard to deal with.
Having to check 200 devices to make sure your application works isn't a thing like Windows development.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aderutter
Exactly. Android is a nightmare like Symbian used to be.
At least you don't have to overhaul the UI every time you need to change the resolution of the device.
True that. However, Android has a desktop emulator to test the different screen sizes making things easier. This is still not as reliable as testing it on the actual hardware, but it will get you to Beta a lot quicker.
Btw, to test on the numerous devices, developers send their code to India and receive screen shots of their software.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bloggerblog
Btw, to test on the numerous devices, developers send their code to India and receive screen shots of their software.
If they're not worth buying from, maybe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Having to check 200 devices to make sure your application works isn't a thing like Windows development.
Do you have any understanding of APIs and software development? Or do you just post trolling comments for laughs? Either way, no developer anywhere checks 200 devices, and nor is there a reason to.
I bet they will only increase the size (1/2 inch is not that much), keep the aspect ration and resolution.
What if the extra space was just enough to always show:
Notification Center, OR
iAds, OR
Time, Date, Signal, Etc, OR
something else so that the apps could have 100% of the space they use now, with the new space being utilized by Apple 99% of the time??
Quote:
Originally Posted by thataveragejoe
Either way, no developer anywhere checks 200 devices, and nor is there a reason to.
Better tell these guys to either stop putting their applications on so many devices or that they're doing it wrong and that users of half these devices don't deserve an application that works, then.
They'd be fine with that, right? It's not like they actually want the money they make.
Quote:
Originally Posted by philtuttle
Notification Center, OR
iAds, OR
Time, Date, Signal, Etc, OR
I don't want to see notifications all the time. NO ONE ON EARTH wants to see ads all the time. We already have the ability to see time, date, and signal.
But I'm curious if you have any ideas about the 'other' category. I'm staunchly opposed to a 'taller' screen, as it's mildly unusable and just looks outright stupid, but if there's a compelling change in the way the UI works, a taller screen might be able to grow on me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Okay, what's the number?
Knowing most of these articles, 3. At most.
That said their comments are still rather valid, if Apple does make a hardware change they aren't likely to do something to crazy that it would destroy the current apps because those apps are just as much a reason for folks buying the phones as the hardware. So either they will keep the same aspect ratio or built in some kind of black bar gig to 'float' apps in the same screen until they can be properly adjusted etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thataveragejoe
Do you have any understanding of APIs and software development? Or do you just post trolling comments for laughs? Either way, no developer anywhere checks 200 devices, and nor is there a reason to.
You are correct that no developer checks 200 (or more) devices, because they can't afford the hardware or the time. But it doesn't equal to not needing to actually check all of those or that their apps will work on all the various arrangements because they checked 3 or 4. And actual Android developers will tell you this. Which is why some of them are very specific that their apps are only for X Y and Z hardware and why others have actually gotten out of Android development and just stick with iOS.
A small group of developers are not concerned about a theoretical change in the screen size, resolution or aspect ratio of a yet unannounced phone? I'm glad they're not concerned but I'm sure there are a ton of developers including myself that really don't want to have to deal with another screen size.
I still don't buy the rumor though. Apple doesn't have to buy into the ever increasing comically large phone screens to be successful. The trend in large screens is akin to tail fins on cars in the 50's. Every manufacturer tried to one up the other and the fins got bigger and bigger until we got the '59 El Dorado and then we realized how absurd the whole thing was to begin with and started to get rid of them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Having to check 200 devices to make sure your application works isn't a thing like Windows development.
You don't need that many devices. You just classify devices into categories and get one of each. About 12 devices will cover pretty much everything (including tablets) and allow you to throughly test apps. For most apps you don't need that many. Just make certain to include a low end phone. Obviously this is more than with iOS but it still isn't that hard to do.
Most of the time you simply anchor elements to the edges of the screen and everything dynamically resizes. It is the same reason as I'm not worried about different resolution or aspect ratios on the new iPhone. The only problem is if someone has hardcoded aspect ratios.
To me the most important problem the app store is facing is not adjusting to apples limited screen size options, but that of the many, many abandonware apps it hosts...
Quote:
Originally Posted by helmsb
A small group of developers are not concerned about a theoretical change in the screen size, resolution or aspect ratio of a yet unannounced phone? I'm glad they're not concerned but I'm sure there are a ton of developers including myself that really don't want to have to deal with another screen size.
I still don't buy the rumor though. Apple doesn't have to buy into the ever increasing comically large phone screens to be successful. The trend in large screens is akin to tail fins on cars in the 50's. Every manufacturer tried to one up the other and the fins got bigger and bigger until we got the '59 El Dorado and then we realized how absurd the whole thing was to begin with and started to get rid of them.
The problem is apple doesn't have anything else, or rather much else, to sell the new iPhone by, no haptic yet, no dual eink (or similar tech) and LCD, etc. so they have to follow the trend. I expect their screen size will be one the smallest large ones though, as it should be IMO on a phone, but larger it will be for sure, 3.5" can be a bit larger and keep the form factor pretty much the same. I also expect the new iPhone to be thinner and with a larger width.