iPod touch SDK same sort of thing as Jailbreak?

[boganrulz]

Am i right in thinking that the SDK will create apps that ppl have already made for jail breaking. Cant they just transfer the code to the SDK thing?

So we ppl who haven't jail broken will have some of the cool apps that the jail broken ipods and iphones have? Without jail breaking

Am i right or is it different?

 

[mavis]

Well, one key difference is cost. Jailbreaking is 100% free, installing new apps is 100% free, and most of the apps themselves are free too.

With the SDK developers now have the tools needed to make even better applications, but Apple is going to charge users for the privilege of being able to install them. They're also charging developers a minimum of $99 per year for the privilege of being able to distribute their apps via iTunes, as there will be no other way to install them. This is a huge step backwards from jailbreaking, where installing new apps is done via installer (free) or by direct file transfer (also free) ...

 

[Leemo]

Well, one key difference is cost. Jailbreaking is 100% free, installing new apps is 100% free, and most of the apps themselves are free too.

With the SDK developers now have the tools needed to make even better applications, but Apple is going to charge users for the privilege of being able to install them. They're also charging developers a minimum of $99 per year for the privilege of being able to distribute their apps via iTunes, as there will be no other way to install them. This is a huge step backwards from jailbreaking, where installing new apps is done via installer (free) or by direct file transfer (also free) ...

How is this a huge step backwards? For the end user - if free applications are released by developers then there is absolutely no charge to download it.

And get real, $99 to get an app in front of the millions of people with iPhones? That's a far larger audience than any app would ever get being distributed through installer.app

 

[mavis]

How is this a huge step backwards? For the end user - if free applications are released by developers then there is absolutely no charge to download it.

Umm, I guess you missed the part where Apple is going to charge Touch owners for the new firmware, which we will need to have if we want to download any new apps?

So, yeah - Apple is absolutely going to charge us for the privilege of being able to install new apps, whereas if you simply jailbreak you don't have to bend over and grab your ankles. Big step backwards, IMHO.

 

[goosnarrggh]

Umm, I guess you missed the part where Apple is going to charge Touch owners for the new firmware, which we will need to have if we want to download any new apps?

So, yeah - Apple is absolutely going to charge us for the privilege of being able to install new apps, whereas if you simply jailbreak you don't have to bend over and grab your ankles. Big step backwards, IMHO.

I'm willing to prophesy that anybody who buys an iPod Touch after June will have all the necessary firmware updates preinstalled out-of-the-box, and that for those people, such a line of reasoning will be totally meaningless. (Until the next new feature rolls along )

 

[jbarr]

Unless I missed something, when I purchased my iPod Touch, I was never told or guaranteed that there would ever be ANY third-party applications available for it. When I purchased my IPT, I was very satisfied with what I got. Now, everything that has come out since (January Update, Jailbreak apps, SDK) has been a huge and unexpected bonus. The fact that Apple is providing a development path for developer and the opportunity for users to add applications is a HUGE. I posted it elsewhere, but the iPhone/iPod Touch has the opportunity to re-define what a PDA is, and could very well replace Palm as the PDA of choice. What started out as an advanced media player, is turning out to be an amazingly powerful and versatile device.

Apple's implementation of the SDK really seems to balance things well for users, developers, and Apple.

 

[AlphaBob]

I've never considered jailbreaking because it has never seemed worth the hassle of having things break (just listen to the bitching each time one of the the free bug fixes smacks down the jailbreak and ask yourself is it worth it). In theory those applications were available to me in jailbroken form (not legally, of course) for "free" (dollar wise, but not time wise). But I didn't think it was worth the time/effort to do it.

Apple hasn't stated what they will charge for 2.0, only that they will charge something. Would I think it was worth $20 to upgrade my iPt to be able to spend $5 to $25 buying great applications -- heck yes. But who knows maybe Apple will charge $1.95. We shall see.

I've had my iPt for 9 months now. If it were crushed under the tire of my truck I would have no problem shelling out another $400 to buy a new one -- it has already provided plenty of value to me over that time period. So no way am I going to get bent over paying $20 to make it even more valuable when 2.0 comes out in June.

Apple didn't promise one thing and deliver another. I bought exactly what they advertised at the time and was willing to pay the price for it then (no maps, mail, notes, etc.). Having a software update that makes it more useful to me doesn't make me feel stupid for buying it then -- in fact it makes my original decision to purchase seem even more well-founded.

 

[maclovin']

I agree with the two posts above mine. I paid for an iPod and now Apple is giving me the option of turning it into a PDA legally. $20 isn't that much.

 

[boganrulz]

But cant the apps on JB systems be put on the non JB ones now?

The ppl who made the apps for the JB can make them again on the SDK

 

[davidy]

paying for apps

When you buy a computer, you get what comes bundled with it at no real extra cost. True, it may not do everything you want but at least it's functional. If you want more function, then you buy additionall software.

This is the same situation with the touch. When you bought it, it was functional and delivered what was advertized. Now that additional finctions are, and will be, available, you can either pay for tham or do without.

Is there a general computor forum somewhere where the posters all grumble about the manufacturer not giving them free stuff? Or moan when a newer model comes out with better usability?

The touch the same as a computer. It is usable for the function it was designed for (a music iPod). When and if additional functions become available, you can either pay for them, find some freeware somewhere or do without, and just continue listening to your music and watching your videos and movies.

 

[mavis]

I'm willing to prophesy that anybody who buys an iPod Touch after June will have all the necessary firmware updates preinstalled out-of-the-box, and that for those people, such a line of reasoning will be totally meaningless. (Until the next new feature rolls along )

Right. It's the early adopters Apple seems intent on screwing.

 

[goosnarrggh]

The touch the same as a computer. It is usable for the function it was designed for (a music iPod). When and if additional functions become available, you can either pay for them, find some freeware somewhere or do without, and just continue listening to your music and watching your videos and movies.

Well, in this specific case, your second option (freeware alternative) does not legally exist, because until you've purchased this particular "feature", there is no sanctioned method to install anything else, including whatever freeware you may be interested in.

Of course, as soon as this particular update has been purchased, it is conceivable that most other new features that you may want to add (provided it is technically feasible to implement without violating the SDK's EULA*) might be hypothetically available, and there may even be multiple implementations of a given feature from different developers, sometimes even offering the consumer a choice of either for-pay or freeware alternatives.
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*For example, I cannot envision Quake, or a functional spreadsheet app, ported to the iPhone unless the individual developer negotiates a special side-deal with Apple that bypasses the "no interpreted code" regulation.