The iPhone is the most popular phone in the world right now. It has sold more units than any single smartphone in history. It's sold so well because - among other things - it made using a smartphone easy for everyone. But in in Apple's goal to make the iPhone simple, it also made the phone less open. It's file system is hidden from the user, it doesn't support system tweaks of any kind, and more advanced applications (or anything Apple doesn't like) is barred from use on the iPhone. This is called by some a 'walled garden'.
Minecraft Pocket Edition players on iOS (the operating system that the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch use for those unaware) for the most part enjoy the same game that Android users have. But why did Android users get betas of MCPE 0.9.0 before it was released? Does Mojang just hate iPhones? No, no they don't.
One thing I see over and over again, for example when the 0.9.0 Betas were released, is iPhone users crying out to Mojang saying things like "Why do you hate iOS?" and "when ios get beta?" What many people fail to understand when they use Apple products is that Apple often sacrifices open platforms for design and security. Apple products are designed for everyone - whether it be your grandmother or tech geniuses. Whereas on Android you could get malware by installing an infected APK off the internet, iPhone's inability to download apps from outside resources makes that harder. In the end, it becomes a choice - do you want more functionality, or never have to worry about your phone breaking?
Until the iOS 8 Betas, beta-testing of any kind did not exist on iOS. Android, or more specifically the Google Play Store, has had beta functionality available for a while now. Users can click a link provided by an app developer and they are instantly granted access to an application's (or game's) beta program. After Apple bought TestFlight, which we wrote about back in February, it showed up in the iOS 8 Beta. TestFlight allows app developers to make public app betas - similar to Android - but limited testers to 1,000.
Mojang has said they have no intention of using TestFlight, because of that limit. After all, how do you choose between hundreds of thousands of people for who gets beta access? The public beta for 0.9.0 on Android passed 100,000 members before the update was released last month. Apple products have never been geared towards large-scale development - and their neglect to include a beta testing method until very recently shows that.
There are countless other examples of Apple shunning away functionality because it could make their platform less secure - for example emulators have never been allowed on the Apple App Store. The iPhone is less open and offers less functionality, but is simpler and easier to use. Android offers the end user far more functionality, but at the cost of an (arguably) less appealing platform when it comes to the user experience and design. In the end, it comes down to a choice. What's yours?
Minecraft Pocket Edition players on iOS (the operating system that the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch use for those unaware) for the most part enjoy the same game that Android users have. But why did Android users get betas of MCPE 0.9.0 before it was released? Does Mojang just hate iPhones? No, no they don't.
One thing I see over and over again, for example when the 0.9.0 Betas were released, is iPhone users crying out to Mojang saying things like "Why do you hate iOS?" and "when ios get beta?" What many people fail to understand when they use Apple products is that Apple often sacrifices open platforms for design and security. Apple products are designed for everyone - whether it be your grandmother or tech geniuses. Whereas on Android you could get malware by installing an infected APK off the internet, iPhone's inability to download apps from outside resources makes that harder. In the end, it becomes a choice - do you want more functionality, or never have to worry about your phone breaking?
Until the iOS 8 Betas, beta-testing of any kind did not exist on iOS. Android, or more specifically the Google Play Store, has had beta functionality available for a while now. Users can click a link provided by an app developer and they are instantly granted access to an application's (or game's) beta program. After Apple bought TestFlight, which we wrote about back in February, it showed up in the iOS 8 Beta. TestFlight allows app developers to make public app betas - similar to Android - but limited testers to 1,000.
Mojang has said they have no intention of using TestFlight, because of that limit. After all, how do you choose between hundreds of thousands of people for who gets beta access? The public beta for 0.9.0 on Android passed 100,000 members before the update was released last month. Apple products have never been geared towards large-scale development - and their neglect to include a beta testing method until very recently shows that.
There are countless other examples of Apple shunning away functionality because it could make their platform less secure - for example emulators have never been allowed on the Apple App Store. The iPhone is less open and offers less functionality, but is simpler and easier to use. Android offers the end user far more functionality, but at the cost of an (arguably) less appealing platform when it comes to the user experience and design. In the end, it comes down to a choice. What's yours?