iPhone or iPod Touch for application development?

[spotcatbug]

This weekend I'm going to buy either an iPhone or an iPod Touch to begin my iPhone/iPod Touch application development. I've been trying to decide which device to buy (iPhone or iPod Touch).

Here's what I'm choosing between...

16GB iPhone 3G from Apple or AT&T store: $299 (plus tax) plus $69/month (plus taxes) for two years.
16GB iPod Touch from Amazon.com: $389 (no tax)
32GB iPod Touch from Amazon.com: $474.95 (no tax)

I'm leaning towards 16GB iPhone right now.

The only reason I would go for the iPhone over the Touch is to make certain I'm getting the "full experience" while developing. An iPod Touch definitely only has a subset of the features of an iPhone.

I'm interested in other people's thoughts on this. I can't think of anything the iPhone can do that the Touch can't that I will require for my application, but... well, you never know, right?

I don't need this device for anything other than application development. Of course, if I had an iPhone, I would use it as my cell phone so that I wouldn't have to have another separate cell phone, but I'm not thinking, "Hey, I need a cell phone anyway - might as well get the iPhone instead of the Touch."

[Gargoyle]

Why can't you just use the emulator?

[spotcatbug]

Why can't you just use the emulator?

Right, I forgot that one. Shoot, I should have put that in the poll.

If I decide I need the iPhone (for the "full experience"), obviously the emulator will be right out, since that's basically emulating a subset of the Touch.

I want to have the actual physical device with accelerometers and touch screen for testing.

[Gargoyle]

I want to have the actual physical device with accelerometers and touch screen for testing.


Good point. I am surprised that those crasy Apple developers didn't simulate that so when you drag the emulator round the desktop it activates the "virtual" accelerometers.

[Wyatt]

This is all well and good, but unless you've already been accepted into the paid developer program and ponied up the $99, you can't test your SDK apps on the device anyway. Why not just use the simulator until you get accepted?

After that, I'd probably buy an iPod touch. Refurbs are pretty cheap ($199 for 8 GB), and you won't have to deal with service fees.

[spotcatbug]

This is all well and good, but unless you've already been accepted into the paid developer program and ponied up the $99, you can't test your SDK apps on the device anyway. Why not just use the simulator until you get accepted?

I am accepted into the program. Finally.

[chucker]

Good point. I am surprised that those crasy Apple developers didn't simulate that so when you drag the emulator round the desktop it activates the "virtual" accelerometers.

That's hardly a realistic imitation, and would be only two-dimensional, unlike the accelerometer.

Now, making it work with the sudden motion sensor, on the other hand…

[spotcatbug]

I forgot that the iPhone has a camera while the Touch does not (doh!). That could be a deal-breaker for the Touch for me. When I remembered the iPhone's camera, I thought of a possible idea for another app that would really need the camera.

Thinking about this made me think more about another feature that the Touch is missing: location services. I can't think how I would use that right now, but that's definitely a very powerful feature. I wouldn't be surprised if I would need it for some feature of some app later.

I guess if I take this to it's logical conclusion, I might require the cell phone features of the iPhone as well at some point.

I knew there was a reason for my gut feeling that I should get an iPhone.

Of course, now I have to think, should I get a Touch now, and then, if needed, an iPhone later? Maybe that's the way to go.

[Wyatt]

That's a good question. The touch represents the smallest risk. I say buy a touch for now to use during development and use it until your early apps make enough money to justify (or pay for) the iPhone and its monthly fees.

[torifile]

What about getting a original iPhone without contract? It would cost you more upfront that either of your 2 options, but would give you the benefit of having an iPhone without needing to sign your life away for 2 years.

[Yonzie]

I'd say it depends on the size of your current cell phone bill.

[Dave]

I'd say it depends on the size of your current cell phone bill.

Yeah. Mine would probably actually go down because of the cheaper data service.

[spotcatbug]

What about getting a original iPhone without contract? It would cost you more upfront that either of your 2 options, but would give you the benefit of having an iPhone without needing to sign your life away for 2 years.

Hmm... maybe.

I'd have to get a used one, obviously. eBay? I kinda want newness and warranty, etc. I don't know. They're expensive for used, older technology (not that old, I know :D). Plus, the whole deal is kinda necessarily shady with them being unlocked or whatever you call it.

Right now I'm leaning towards a Touch with the idea that I can get an iPhone later, if needed. $69/month for two years is $1656 without taxes and whatever other fees AT&T might add on. :eek:

[spotcatbug]

I'd say it depends on the size of your current cell phone bill.

My current cell phone bill is $3/month (yes, three dollars) plus $0.10/minute. It adds up to maybe $4/month. So, I guess, I should be looking at the iPhone plan as only costing an additional $65/month. :lol:

That's why I tried to make it clear that I don't need an iPhone for anything other than the app development. I'm not in the market for a new cell phone and/or plan, I mean.

[Kraetos]

The only place using the touch in lieu of the iPhone would be a problem is speed testing. Since the iPod touch only works over WiFi, there's no way to test your applications performance over EDGE.

I suppose this is only a problem if you're writing a web app or an app that uses the network connection a lot. But it's still something to consider.

[spotcatbug]

The only place using the touch in lieu of the iPhone would be a problem is speed testing. Since the iPod touch only works over WiFi, there's no way to test your applications performance over EDGE.

I suppose this is only a problem if you're writing a web app or an app that uses the network connection a lot. But it's still something to consider.

I'll definitely be utilizing an Internet connection, but only in a limited fashion. I suppose it is a concern for testing.

Maybe I could find a way to throttle my WiFi network or the Touch's connection. If I still had my old AirPort Base Station I could throttle it's connection by having it connect to the Internet through its built-in modem. That'd throttle the connection down to 56Kbps. But that's moot since my old ABS is gone. My old PowerBook has a built-in modem, though. I could share its Internet connection over WiFi to the Touch. I guess that would work.

I'm not gonna worry about this issue too much. I'm sure I'll be able to simulate slow Internet, if needed.

[spotcatbug]

Thanks everybody for the input, it really helped me.

I went with the iPod Touch. I had to agree with fcgriz's assessment: buy Touch now, get iPhone later, if needed.

iPhones are really cool and I have to admit getting one to replace my cell phone would have been pretty neat, but the Touch just made more sense for me.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Have you installed whatever you need to in order to make your Touch a dev device? I've read in some of Apple's public documentation about your dev cert. turning your iPhone/iTouch into a dev device, but it doesn't say how (if in any way) that changes how the device operates compared to a regular iPhone/iTouch.

I'd like to pony up the $99, even if I only ever put stuff on my personal iPhone, but I don't want to turn my one and only iPhone into some kind of dev device that won't do everything my iPhone currently does.

[spotcatbug]

Have you installed whatever you need to in order to make your Touch a dev device? I've read in some of Apple's public documentation about your dev cert. turning your iPhone/iTouch into a dev device, but it doesn't say how (if in any way) that changes how the device operates compared to a regular iPhone/iTouch.

I'd like to pony up the $99, even if I only ever put stuff on my personal iPhone, but I don't want to turn my one and only iPhone into some kind of dev device that won't do everything my iPhone currently does.

I wrote something in here. Then I erased and rewrote and edited.

Well, shit. I don't know what I can or can't type in here. Stupid NDA. :mad:

By having any NDA at all, Apple has essentially made everybody wonder about saying anything, covered or not. I'm not going to try to figure out what's OK to say and what's not OK to say (maybe they don't want people to know what happens or doesn't happen to the device), so the only answer is nothing's OK, I guess. :grumble:

Like, am I allowed to say that the device does not explode when you make it a dev device? Somehow I think I am allowed to say that. I just did, so I hope so. But where is the line?

My saying that isn't supposed to be some sort of hint about what actually does or does not happen. Holy cripes.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

I was thinking about the NDA after I wrote my post, but I thought it would be OK since it was mentioned in Apple docs on developer.apple.com. Still, I don't want anyone to get in trouble for answering my question publicly.

[Wyatt]

I was thinking about the NDA after I wrote my post, but I thought it would be OK since it was mentioned in Apple docs on developer.apple.com. Still, I don't want anyone to get in trouble for answering my question publicly.
I'm pretty sure everything on that site is under NDA, actually. However, I don't think the answer to this is any big secret.

That said, I'm not sure what the answer is. Spotcat probably can answer that better than me, since he's in the dev program and I'm not. (I've not even applied yet, and I won't until I finish an app or two.)

I'll look into this when I get home and I'm on my personal Mac and not my work Mac.

[spotcatbug]

I was thinking about the NDA after I wrote my post, but I thought it would be OK since it was mentioned in Apple docs on developer.apple.com.

Yeah, as you can tell from my previous post, it didn't occur to me either, until I had written some (actually most) of the post.

I had tried to tread carefully, but I realized I couldn't do that without a complete, unerring understanding of what was covered by the NDA.

Still, I don't want anyone to get in trouble for answering my question publicly.

I really think it would be OK to answer your question (certainly no foul for asking!), but that's just it, I only think it would be OK. I don't know, and that makes me scared to answer where that answer will be etched in bits for eternity.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

There was an article in today's LA Times about developers and book writers that don't know what they can and can't talk about publicly. The article mentioned 2 or 3 books by name that won't go to press until Apple lifts their NDA. :\

[edit]
Here's a link to the article (http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-apple25-2008aug25,0,2200545.story?page=1).