Apple’s App Store has seen an unprecedented amount of success and exposure since its launch, with millions of total downloads and 909 applications already available. Unfortunately, Apple has been unable to keep up with the influx of submissions from developers (each app must be approved before it appears on the store), leaving many companies frustrated and confused as their apps sit in limbo.
Adding to the frustration has been the difficulty associated with testing an application. As Craig Hockenberry, one of the people behind the popular app Twitterific explains:
The big problem here is that the only way to install software on an iPhone or iPod touch is with the App Store. There are also no provisions for beta testing… The only way to “test” a fix is to release the changes to tens of thousands of users. It’s the developer equivalent of playing Russian roulette.”
Now we’re hearing from an app developer that Apple is finally going to start rolling out a new beta program in the next few days has released an Ad-Hoc program. Details are slim, but it seems like Apple is capping the total number of beta participants at 100 per app. In order to download a beta app, users will need to submit their iPhone’s UDIDs number to the developer, who will then need to flag its eligibility in the store itself. All betas will still be distributed through the App Store - you won’t be able to download one on an external site. The apps will be directly distributed by the developer.
It sounds like developers that haven’t had their apps approved yet will still be able to participate in the beta program. This should alleviate some of the developers’ anxiety (at least they’ll know their app will work once it goes live), but it still doesn’t address the the delays and lack of communication that many developers are complaining about.
Update: Our source was misinformed. This program, as a number of commentors have said, is Apple’s Ad-Hoc program that is already operational. Erica Sadun of TUAW writes:
Developers and users need not use the App Store for testing. Ad Hoc distribution goes directly between the developer and the user. The user needs to supply their iPhone’s unique device identifier. The developer then sends a specially compiled version of their app along with a mobile provisioning file. Users drop these into iTunes and they’re good to sync.
Great! I know of one twitter app that still has version 1.0 in the store while v1.1 and v1.2 are finished and still waiting to be “approved” by Apple.
100 users per app seems insufficient for most beta testing, but I guess everyone has the same software/hardware so it might work ok. I could also see it basically only being a few people constantly refreshing to get access to the beta software.
I’m still waiting for the (still vapourware) Qik for the iPhone.
Its good they are putting in some beta provision however, as I’ve found several of the Apps (even Super Monkey Ball) to have crashes/bugs.
Excellent…the App Store itself needs a Beta label
“The big problem here is that the only way to install software on an iPhone or iPod touch is with the App Store.”
I don’t understand. I’m part of the dev program and all I have to do to install my software on the iPhone is click “Compile and Go” in X-Code. What are they talking about?
I think he was referring to the fact that you can’t let people who aren’t in the dev program use an app that is in development.
Exactl, you’re part of the developer’s program, regular people don’t have X-Code, or even a mac.
Precisely. It doesn’t install it on your iPhone, it opens a sandbox for testing with.
Are you sure this isn’t just AdHoc distribution?
that’s what it sounds like to me…
Yep, it is exactly that. It can best be used for beta testing and completely useless if you want to sell your app to large number of people.
Looks great, I don’t know how Apple approves the apps, manually I think O__O.
unprecedented? 909 applications?
there are more than 18,000 publicly-available applications for Windows Mobile
After a week?
The iPhone store has been public for just over a week. How long have Windows Mobile developers been about to sell software?
Dumbass.
well - who says that the app store is going to continue to grow?
900 apps in a week isn’t that impressive. facebook got a crap load of apps right away, as did win mobile. try to put some of this hype into perspective.
…dumbass.
Not to mention that 99% of them are pure shit, assuming you can even find them “somewhere online”.
This would jive with a recent change to the Enterprise Developers program that indicates you must have 500 employees in your company to be allowed in the enterprise dev program. And one of the primary benefits of that program is the ability to install your apps on in-house iPhones.
So it sounds like they are going to provide a way for regular developers to do the same thing as enterprise developers have been able to do.
This week, Apple also changed the Enterprise app dev policy. Now their policy requires a company to have a minimum of 500 employees, to be qualified as an enterprise app development company. I think this is quite ridiculous.
I am wondering
1) if they plan to icrease the fee from $399 to some thousands and
2) if they are planning to create a separate area to separate the Enterprise apps from the others.
i m looking for freinds froom libya
In my view this whole being tied to some app store is worse than what Microsoft ever did to consumers. Sorry, just my 5 cent.
any word on what the people at iCall are doing? Any plans for an iCall iPhone beta?
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