Some days ago i had a very interesting meeting with the people from iPhoneClub.nl. We were mainly speculating what the iPhone is going to bring us in the near future, especially with firmware 2.0 and the appstore coming up. After talking for about an hour we decided it might be nice if we asked the developers their point of view regarding the upcoming appstore and the future of jailbreaking. After some quick decisions regarding the questions, I briefly wrote a e-mail addressed to several developers.

I’ll just post the developers in random order, i have no preference for either one of them as they all do a great job making our iPhones function better.

Gil (online marketing coordinator of Fring)

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1) Are you planning to make the switch to the Appstore with your current applications?

We will work with any platform, partner of solution that will allow us to serve our users, as you know our current application is featured on the “installer” , and we will be more than happy to offer fring also via Apple store once it becomes publically available with the release of the SDK firmware.

2) Are you currently developing any new applications for the appstore ?

We are curretly working to develop the fring for iPhone according to the already published SDK guidelines, with the release of the firmware for the developed SDK apps we will also work to join the Appstore.

3) Wil you keep developing for installer/cydia once the appstore is live ?

Being an internet player and with freedom of choice in mind, we strive to enable users with access to get fring via any relevant medium. And therefore, we perceive the installer as one more distribution path. Yet, considering our users best interest, we will probably analyze the alternatives and then decide where to allocate our resources in order to provide the best value and ease of access for our users.

4) will you think the installer/Cydia will still have a future after the appstore?

This really depends on the nature of each individual application; some of the applications currently featured on the ‘installer’ will probably start being developed for the Appstore, some will remain on it.

5) If you port your current applications that are now free, will you ask a premium fee for the ones you port to the appstore ?

No, fring is a free application – it’s core functionality of voice, IM and file transfer will remain free as will additional applications developed in future.

6) Any extra remarks ?

We believe that whatever the distribution platform is, users are the ones who will decide what prevail and what fails. If we will be smart to listen to our users and serve their needs, than we will be successful whether it is via the Installer, Appsstore or other future platforms.

HC (author of Moleskine, Wildeyes, TimeCapsule, Transit and MRTSchedule)

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1) Are you planning to make the switch to the Appstore with your current applications?

Most of my current applications such as TimeCapsule and WildEyes! will definitely not be accepted because they require jailbreak. Maybe a different variation of moleskine, a different design, slightly different functions and different name. But I will still continue to make the current version of moleskine available on Installer/Cydia, although that might decrease the chance of it Apple approving it for Appstore. Anything I have released on Installer/Cydia will not be discontinued for Installer/Cydia.

2) Are you currently developing any new applications for the appstore ?

Right now, I have many ideas for Appstore, but I have not started on it yet. That’s because I wish to concentrate on migrating my current applications to 2.0

3) Wil you keep developing for installer/cydia once the appstore is live ?

Yes I will. Applications for Installer, using the open toolchain will have more flexibility. AppStore will have more audience. So I will develop different applications for both Appstore and Installer

4) will you think the installer/Cydia will still have a future after the appstore?

Of course. The best programs are developed with the open toolchain, available in Installer/Cydia

5) If you port your current applications that are now free, will you ask a premium fee for the ones you port to the appstore ?

Most of my applications right now are distributed distributed freely. Some are fully functional without payment. Some has certain features limited to paid users. But majority of functions are free. If Apple accepts some of these programs (probably I will need to vary them quite a lot), I will charge for a fee in Appstore, while the free version continues in Installer. I think most developer will do that as well to encourage jailbreaking.

6) Any extra remarks ?

Thanks for the interview. Developing for iPhone is really fun. I will continue to develop more applications for iPhone. I do have very limited knowledge on programming compared to most developers, so I hope my ideas can be translated into applications, and not limited by my technical knowledge. I think a have quite a few fun ideas for applications.

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Skrew (author of vWallpaper, iToday and Ringtones)

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1) Are you planning to make the switch to the Appstore with your current applications?

No. As i know, there are many limitations and (most) all my current applications don’t respect one or other point. (hook, daemon..) And for ringtones, as Apple sell ringtones via itunes, its a waste of time to submit it :)

2) Are you currently developing any new applications for the appstore ?

No

3) Wil you keep developing for installer/cydia once the appstore is live ?

Yes, i just wait to see whats happen with the iPhone 2, and i hope i can develop on it (i don’t have a mac, i use SDK on linux)

4) will you think the installer/Cydia will still have a future after the appstore?

Yes, its a great space of liberty for developers. We can find on installer many applications we can’t see on appstore.

5) If you port your current applications that are now free, will you ask a premium fee for the ones you port to the appstore ?

If Apple permit us to develop some low level applications for appstore, i will continue to make it free. Its a funny work for me, and i want to let user to decide if he want/can to give via donation or not.

Eric (author of iSlsk)

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1) Are you planning to make the switch to the Appstore with your current applications?

I don’t think iSlsk (a P2P client, wohoo!) will ever see the light on AppStore for obvious reasons.

2) Are you currently developing any new applications for the appstore ?

Well, SDK restrictions doesn’t allow third parties to access iTunes or the internal music library. That applies to iSlsk, but I’m also in the process of making another app that will let people manage their music (adding, editing, deleting and reordering tracks) right from the ipod/iphone itself… aiming to be an iTunes replacement so… I guess that doesn’t fit into AppStore too.

3) Wil you keep developing for installer/cydia once the appstore is live ?

If jailbreak will still exist after AppStore.. why bother on moving there? I’d like to see how successful it will be, then I might be able to make a decision.

4) will you think the installer/Cydia will still have a future after the appstore?

Like I said, there will be a lot of apps that won’t fit on AppStore due to SDK restrictions. So I seriously doubt jailbreak community or Installer will die.

5) If you port your current applications that are now free, will you ask a premium fee for the ones you port to the appstore ?

Donations will be fine. I don’t plan charging for my apps, maybe I will enable extra features for those who really care to support and donate, but key features on my apps will keep being free.

Max (author of mxtube)

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1) Are you planning to make the switch to the Appstore with your current applications?

Most of my applications will likely not be approved by apple for the app store, but that doesn’t mean people won’t be able to use them on 2.0. The dev team (iphone-dev.org) has already jailbroken a few 2.0 betas which will allow us to add our own applications just like on 1.x.x.

2) Are you currently developing any new applications for the appstore ?

I am currently building my new applications (and new versions) in the SDK (appstore) and toolchain (1.1.4 and below w/ Installer) side by side.

3) Wil you keep developing for installer/cydia once the appstore is live ?

Yes, see previous answer.

4) will you think the installer/Cydia will still have a future after the appstore?

I do believe Installer will have a future on iPhone, the app store will only allow applications apple approves and those applications are forced to run in a sandbox, where as installer will allow almost every type of application to be listed.

5) If you port your current applications that are now free, will you ask a premium fee for the ones you port to the appstore ?

I code for iPhone mainly because it is fun. I don’t charge for my current applications, and I don’t plan to, even on 2.0.

I still have some developers who have not yet answered my questions, but i will add them later on.
One thing does become clear after reading all the reply’s, once Apple will release it’s appstore and firmware version 2.0, the jailbreak community will live on….

Grtz,

Multinova

ps: I’d like to thank all of the above developers for their quick reply and off course their tremendous contribution to the iPhone community !

\\ tags: appstore, Cydia / Jailbreak, databinge, developers, ericck, firmware 2.0, HC, installer, iPhone, islsk, itoday, jailbreak, max, moleskine, mrtschedule, mxtube, mxweas, ringtones, skrew, timecapsule, transit, vwallpaper, wildeyes