Another year, another WWDC Keynote. As with the last three keynotes, we have seen Apple announce a plethora of new features for us to salivate over as we wait (a good bit longer, this year) for the latest release to hit. As with any iOS update, this one includes several enhancements that encroach on, or […]
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How Will iOS 5 Affect Developers?

Jun 6th 2011 by

Another year, another WWDC Keynote. As with the last three keynotes, we have seen Apple announce a plethora of new features for us to salivate over as we wait (a good bit longer, this year) for the latest release to hit. As with any iOS update, this one includes several enhancements that encroach on, or even downright copy features available in existing apps in the App Store. I have always found this to be an interesting cat and mouse game. iOS became the success that it is largely because of the rich app ecosystem that has grown up in the App Store. But Apple then, in turn, takes a lot of cues from some of then App Store’s most popular apps to improve iOS. Some developers profit for Apple’s new additions, while others watch their apps wither away, suddenly left without much purpose or audience. It isn’t necessarily good or bad. It is what it is, and it happens during the course of growth for any OS, I guess. Let’s take a look at a some of Apple’s new features, and who may be effected by them, good or bad.

1. Notifications

This is obviously a big one, as improved notification handling has become a hallmark of the jailbreak world over the last two years. Of course, Apple has always borrowed heavily from its unofficial beta testing service, including multitasking, MMS, Video, and even the concept of native Apps themselves. Of course, Apple also has a habit of buying up apps and developers, companies, or apps that they like, as well, and this certainly seems to be the case at this point. It recently became well known around the tech community that Peter Hajas was taking some kind of role or job at Apple, but many wondered just how much of an impact he might have on the new OS in such a short span of time. It looks like he’s been working for or with Apple for a while now, as the new Notification Center they showed off today looks to borrow heavily from his MobileNotifier jailbreak app.

While it seems that Mr Hajas will be getting something out of this new feature, the developers of other jailbreak notification apps, such as LockInfo, IconNotifier, Notified Pro, and Notifier Plus seem to be out of luck. A polished as Apple’s new native offering looks, it will be hard to sell paid jailbreak apps unless they really add some additional value to the equation. Jailbreak may have lost one of its main reasons for existence, on a list that seems to grow shorter every year.

2.  Reader and Reading List

As with Notifications, developers already had a pretty good idea this was coming based on beta features in Lion. Today, those features were shown off in the form of the Reader mode and the synchronized Reading List. These new features duplicate a majority of what you get with popular iOS apps Instapaper and Read It Later. Marco Arment, the developer of Instapaper and a noted blogger, has already given his thoughts on this development and even updated them after today’s announcement. He has a positive spin on this situation, basically taking the stance that Apple making a service like his more mainstream will encourage some to look for more powerful solutions. Those users will find his app, and Read It Later, and if they differentiate their apps with features that set them apart from Apple’s implementation, then they will not only continue to be viable, but actually grow.

I would agree with Mr Arment’s assessment. Power users will always look for more features beyond the stock experience. Also, as a Windows user who doesn’t gravitate toward Safari, I will probably continue to use Instapaper for my Internet article clipping and reading needs. Also, I don’t remember hearing anything specifically mentioned regarding offline reading of articles, so if Apple doesn’t add that to the final releases of Lion and iOS 5, then Instapaper and Read It Later will still have a big selling point all to themselves.

3. Photo Sync and Transfer Tools

There are many different photo sync apps in the App Store, both free and paid. Some upload photos and/or videos to Dropbox, some to Flickr, some to Picasa, and some to various combinations of the three.  Some apps, such as the noted Photo Transfer App, specialize in moving photos and videos to and from computers and other iOS devices. Some of these apps will continue to have usefulness for those who prefer to use 3rd party photo services or Dropbox, but for those just looking to cut the sync cable or backup their photos to the cloud, these apps just lost a lot of their appeal.

While many of these apps may not be viable after the release of iOS 5, there are possibly still some gaps in Apple’s offering to be filled. We’ve seen the Photo Stream, which looks really cool. However, it does have its limits. It only stores 1000 photos for up to 30 days, at which point I’m assuming you would have to manually transfer your older photos from a computer to get it back on your device. For those who want to archive photos for a longer period, while still being able to view them, alternate options such as Dropbox, Picasa, or Flickr will still be a necessary option.

4. Offline Document Storage

While I’m sure Evernote, Dropbox, and Box.net aren’t necessarily quaking in their boots today, they are probably resigned to losing their status, along with Google Docs, as the preferred document storage solutions for iOS apps. Apple’s iDisk has been around for a while now, but with a $99 price tag for MobileMe, it is easy to see how it lagged behind the aforementioned offerings. Now, with their new announced free iCloud service and its Document Storage APIs and 5 GB of free storage, Apple has instantly become the default document option for its mobile devices. Sounds like a smart move to me.

While iCloud will dominate this space going forward, Evernote offers some features that distinguish it from Apple’s new service. Google Docs also offers document editing from other devices via the cloud, which it doesn’t look like iCloud include at this point. Also, we haven’t heard anything about being able to purchase additional iCloud storage beyond the free 5 GB, if desired. If Apple doesn’t offer additional storage space, then Dropbox and Box.net will still maintain a lively presence in the iOS ecosystem.

5. Task Lists

Apple didn’t go too far with this new feature, and there are still questions to be answered about APIs and whether it syncs its information anywhere, but Reminders is certainly enough to give some developers heartburn tonight. Task and grocery list apps are some of the most popular non-gaming apps in the App Store, but Apple’s new native task interface will wipe out a lot of the cheap and free, ad-supported apps upon release. However, with its limited feature set, the Apple Reminders app won’t be putting more robust apps like OmniFocus, Remember the Milk, or Toodledo out of business.

6. Music Upload Services

Apple’s new iTunes Match is certainly a very compelling service, with a great price to match. However, the lack of a locker option to upload music to leaves a gap for the competition to operate in. For those who have a lot of bootleg, import, or indie label music, or recordings of live shows, iTunes Match isn’t going to be a big help. So, until Apple decides to offer a locker option in addition to what they announced today, services like Google Music (if the eventual price is right), or mSpot, with its 5 GB of cloud storage available to one iOS device for free, will still have a place at the table.

6. Twitter

While Twitter may be putting the squeeze on various 3rd party Twitter clients, Apple certainly isn’t. By adding OS-level support for the extremely popular social networking service, Apple has potentially given developers a big shot in the arm. While they added plenty of integration for contacts and for sending Tweets from various places throughout the OS, Apple didn’t add a client for reading Tweets from those you follow. So, in essence, Apple has made Twitter the default Social Networking app for all iOS devices, and left a big void for Twitter apps to operate in. If anyone is losing out here, it’s Facebook.

7. Photo Editing

Here is another case of Apple doing some developers a favor. Well, at least the ones who aren’t peddling crapware. The new photo editing features included in iOS 5 are more basic than what you would  see in a lot of free apps. However, new and novice users are going to start with the stuff that’s built-in, and move outward as they get more comfortable. That leaves plenty of room for the many capable editing, filter, and photo effects apps already available to sell to those looking to branch out from the basic.

So, as with the releases of iOS 2-4, with iOS 5, Apple will end up stepping on some developers while becoming a boon to others.  This is the sort of dance that happens in any healthy tech ecosystem, I guess. If you build an indispensable tool that fills a hole left in iOS, you run the risk of Apple, in turn, plugging that hole and leaving you in the cold. However, those developers who take the time to build great apps that continue to add value beyond what the OS includes will continue to have success. Or, as Emerson put it, “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.”

 

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