There is so much speculation about what to expect with FW 2.0 in June with the launch of the app store. I often have questions like “won’t jailbreaking be obsolete?” and “won’t everyone’s apps just move into the app store?” Therefore, I decided to write a little article on what to expect and what not to expect with FW 2.0 and the SDK’s official release.
First, it is important to understand that none of the todays’ apps will run on 2.0. The frameworks have changed so you cannot run current apps. They all need to be recompiled. To make matters worse, they cannot just be recompiled. The developers will need to reinstall a new toolchain (a huge task) and then change their code around because many functions have changed. It will not be a fast task. Remember that many developers still haven’t even updated their apps to correctly support 1.1.3/4 so you can expect some apps will never be updated.
So let’s try some questions and answers to common questions I’ve had on this subject:
Q: I have 2.0 beta. Should I install this?
A: No. If you do, you will lose all your 3rd party apps. Installer cannot work as it has not been ported to 2.0 yet. Cydia has been ported and Cydia’s BSD commands but almost no app developers have ported apps.
Q: Will I still need to jailbreak on 2.0?
A: Probably yes. Most apps that are cool today will not run on the SDK. This is because Apple has very stringent rules as to what an app is allowed to do and not do. Apps cannot operate on system files, cannot work outside of their own apps directory or outside of the users directory. This is great for things like games. But summerboard, customize, categories, bossprefs, all these sorts of apps are impossible. Also, apps cannot stay running when you press home with the SDK. That means apps like colloQ, Mobile Chat must disconnect when you press home. Think of how annoying that is! You think emulators will be cool? Well there will be no way to get the ROMs onto the device. In short, jailbreaking will be very much alive because the SDK is just not enough.
Q: Will I be able to unlock 2.0? I have TMobile.
A: No one knows. Probably in time. The current beta’s can be unlocked but it is expected for this to be patched.
Q: Will the new 3G iPhone have v2.0?
A: Short answer, probably. Real answer, there is no confirmed 3G phone. It’s all speculation. It could be anything anytime. Who really knows.
Q: Will all your apps be in app store? Will they be free?
A: It’s not clear. So far all my apps break the “SDK” rules and are not able to be in appstore. If I do have apps that conform (maybe docs and speed dial type apps), I will probably charge $1-$2 in appstore while having the same thing for free on installer. It’s a motivator for those that jailbreak.
Q: Won’t appstore be real time while installer is just small time?
A: The installer community is probably near 800,000 based on the number of XML refreshes I see per day. The current community is really huge. It is not small time.
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1. plokiju May 19th, 2008, 1:58 pm
My one question is if someone made an app that works on 2.0 but they know won’t be allowed on the app store, couldn’t they just make their source code public and free so everyone could recompile the app by themselves and load it onto their devices?
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2. BigBoss May 19th, 2008, 6:29 pm
plokiju: sure if they want to. Or they can release the app as they do today on Installer 2.0 for jailbreakers. This si what I see as more likely.
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3. thejollyroger9 May 19th, 2008, 8:01 pm
so will there eventually be a t-zones hack also because i love my 5.99$ internet.
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4. CorigamiC May 21st, 2008, 9:59 pm
Hi Bigboss,
Thanks for the info! I just have 1 question. Will people be able to install and use apps downloaded and paid for from the app store on a jailbroken iPhone while still being able to use the apps that are (or will) be available from installer for free?
Oh! I lied about having only one question afterall ;) Do you know if there will be any hacks or work-arounds to make apps available on the app store available for free for people who have jailbroken iPhones? Forgive me if this is unethical, I just wasn’t sure if this is okay to ask in this forum since we are all breaking “the rules” here and hacking apples fimware (and therefore breaking their terms of agreement).
Thanks ahead of time!
-Corey
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5. Sisi Ma September 30th, 2008, 4:44 pm
Hi, I am an amature and really need help.
About three weeks ago, my “ziphone-unlocked” 1.1.3 iphone’s Edge network stopped working on my T-mobile plan. Being clueless as I was, I tried to upgrade my firmware to 2.0 directly via iTunes, without first consulting Bigboss’ blog.
As you can tell, it was a big mistake. Instead of fixing Edge, I bricked my phone and consequently spent 20 hours to get it to receive call again, but Edge is still down. I then found this site and saw the recommendation by Bigboss. I really don’t want to go through that hassle again, but I really, really want to get my $5.99 tzone plan working again. Can someone please help? Thanks a million!
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