There are many legitimate reasons to downgrade iPhones. As a user, perhaps you just don’t like the new OS.

As a developer, I have a need to test my App on all OS versions my users may reasonably use. I even have a spare iPhone I use just for testing. Alas, Apple only allow the very latest OS to be installed, even if you are a developer.

Apple also don’t ship old OS versions on the iPhone Simulator anymore, so that can’t be used to verify that you’re not calling any new methods either.

For a recent release, this meant I actually could not test it properly. I did the best I could by using the iPad 3.2 * simulator* (a very poor man’s substitute), crossed my fingers, and released. It was a nail-biting day…

Not all users upgrade immediately. Upgrading requires iTunes, yet normal day to day usage of an iPhone does not (you can do everything, buy/upgrade apps, buy music, etc). Actually I believe this is a pretty common use-case, especially for a key audience of mine: travellers. In fact, with my App, at least 10% of my active users (ones using the export server) are not yet on iOS4! That also means 10% of my potential customers. No way am I going to ignore them.

A bug has been reported to Apple on this issue.

To summarise, there are many legitimate reasons why people are on old OS’s, and why (especially developers) have a need to downgrade to old OS’s.

Fortunately there is a solution. And it doesn’t require doing anything illicit to your iPhone either.

Download The Firmware Umbrella. Plug in your iPhone to USB, and press a button.

What the Firmware Umbrella does is cache the iTunes server OK response to your firmware installation request, allowing you to fake this response in the future (to allow the downgrade). Only catch: you can only cache responses for the latest firmware, so do it today!

Important TIP: tick “Advanced Options” and change the “Request From” option to “Apple” (Cydia is for jailbreaking). Optionally, you can do both.

Caching the response is easy. Using it a bit harder – but do yourself a favour, cache the response now, and if you need it in the future, you’ll thank yourself.

When you port your App to the iPad, one of the first choices you get is whether to create a separate product, or a fat (i.e. “universal”) binary.

It seems that many folks on the App store, including several apps in the GPS/travel space have gone done the separate-product route.

Perhaps I understand why they did this. After all, it is not trivial to port an App to the iPad (basically your UI needs a complete re-think). For some apps, they have gone so far as to offer a totally new UI, using real life metaphors like “pages” and “books”.

I still think it’s a bad idea. Why? For two main reasons:
1) customers don’t like paying for the same product twice
2) how many people will actually buy both versions anyway?

Yes the iPad version costs you money to make. BUT, it will hopefully get you more customers. New customers who buy it for their iPad.

Historically I know of several products that used to ship with multiple targets. Warcraft 3 is one, and Adobe’s suite is another, both supported both Mac and Windows. Many steam games now support Mac as well (and don’t require re-purchasing).

So my theory is most users won’t buy the App twice. Some will buy it for the iPhone, some will buy it for the iPad. If you have the one binary to support both, a few will run it on both, and find that useful. If you sell it separately, I doubt most people would buy the counterpart, simply because they would use one device more than the other. Furthermore, users that have already bought the iPhone version get that installed to their iPad anyway, which may be enough.

So rather than trying to milk your existing customers to pay for the port, think of it this way: You get new customers (those who have never used your app, and want to use your App on the iPad), you add value to your product (by allowing use of both devices) which may give you an edge. And you’re doing the right thing (ask yourself, do you like paying for the same thing twice?).

I think so few customers will buy the app TWICE, that you actually de-value your product. I suspect that the number of additional people who buy your App because it supports both, will outweigh the number of people who would have bought a second copy, and that both categories of users represent only a small percentage anyway.

And please, don’t try to claim “but the iPad version is different”. I don’t care if it has a fancy book UI, a re-arranged layout, or up-res’d textures. If it performs the same function, it’s the same App.

GPS Log for iPad. Coming soon. Free for existing users.

Will

Gigamom is clueless on the actual problem, confusing cellular and WiFi. The issue isn’t Jobs asking people to turn off their abusive MiFis,or AT&T’s problematic network. It’s that devices like the MiFi are an incredibly stupid replacement for a one-foot USB cable, which is all these audience members were using it for. 802.11 does not support AP densities of more than three per 100′ radius under the best conditions. The WWDC had more like 50 per 100′.

If the clueless MiFiers (and other cellular personal hotspot users) simply USB-tethered their hotspots the problem would have never occurred. It’s scary that so-called “developers” couldn’t predict this problem and sensibly head it off.

“MiFi Jamming” is a usability killer in many Starbucks now, where a dozen or more thoughtless users smear the room with unnecessary interfering 802.11 radiation, jamming access for everyone trying to use Starbucks’ wireless. All for want of a one-foot cable that ships with the cellular modem! Idiots all.

The thing is, the 802.11 standards committee predicted this problem FIVE YEARS ago. MiFi is just the first wave a self-defeating wireless decablers, wielded by clueless users that ignore spectrum realities, potentially destroying WiFi as a useful technology.

Packetguy on http://gigaom.com/2010/06/07/steve-jobs-survives-gizmodo-but-not-mifi/

Using Wifi to network a single device does seem like overkill.

So I have an iPhone.  It’s always in my pocket.  It has a 3G connection.

I can share the 3G Connection to a laptop.

So why the hell can’t I share this connection to an iPad? Even a Jobs-derided “Net Book” can use the iPhone’s 3G connection.

What’s worse is that this is not only technically feasible, but it’s been done!  What a slap in the face.

So now we have to buy another data plan? Even if you’re willing to pay it’s not (currently) easy to find Micro-SIM 3G plans in all countries.

Thanks Apple, thanks AT&T :-/

$1 apps are one thing. Now people are releasing 15 games in 1, for $1. Wow…

Seems like Apple needs to add some new pricing categories, especially for games. I suggest:

$0.19
$0.09
and, my personal preference:
$0.01

Just think about it – at 0.01, your audience could be HUGE!!!!!!!!%!!!!! Enjoy your instant noodle dinners!

I’ve got no issue with people modding/hacking their iphones (even as a developer myself), or any hardware they own for that matter.

But please. Don’t blame Apple for viruses/malware that f*ck you up when you do. This “worm”, and the subsequent more malicious versions only run on hacked iPhones. You run unauthorised software on the iPhone – you’re on your own…

The BBC (and the rest) really should make it clear that “anyone running Apple authorised software are completely unaffected”. And put that in the first paragraph.

Rather than screaming “Worm attack bites at Apple iPhone” what about “Worm attack bites at Hacked iPhones”. At least they didn’t spell bites, “bytes” :-S

Don’t fret… you can reset the count once every 12 months.

I thought this was pretty funny – iPhone form China preloaded with images

Just try to buy any free app! This allows you to sign up with a “None” payment option.

How to get a free US Itunes account

This is a terrible game. In fact, calling it a ‘game’ gives it too much credit. The menu states “This game is for entertainment purposes only and does not replicate actual driving experiences” – that’s about the only thing they got right.