New iPad apps to squeeze iPhone users

New iPad apps to squeeze iPhone users

By Bill Oakey

I just checked "App Updates" on my iPhone. There are several today listed as "universal," meaning they are optimized for the iPad. Right away I wondered about the file sizes.

What if these enhanced versions with a higher resolution and more features for the iPad screen will be significantly bigger than the older iPhone only versions? I just ran a comparison and some of the results are quite shocking. Indeed, these new enhanced apps, which will replace the older versions, are bigger in size. Several times bigger in some instances.

This will mean that people could max out the space on their iPhones and iPod touches, with fewer apps being able to fit. In some cases the Apple App Store will have two versions of the same app, with one enhanced for the iPad (with XL or some other designation tacked onto the title). And some will be iPad only, with no counterpart for the iPhone.

But the "universal" category completely replaces the older version. And some users will be squeezed out of space on their iPhones and iPod touches. They may not be happy campers.

The good news is that each device you connect to the computer has its own tab to let you manage which apps you want on that device. But you'll still be stuck with some universal apps on iPhones and Touches that take up more space than the older versions.

Developers will not want to maintain more than one version of each app in all situations. This could get interesting. Here are the results:

These results only show the comparison of the computer disk file sizes. I obtained them from the Apps window in iTunes. Then I clicked "Get Info." I noted the app version numbers and file sizes before I synced my iPhone, which had the brand new "universal" versions. Then I synced the iPhone and noted the new file sizes, again using the App Window from iTunes.

I then discovered that the file sizes on the iPhone itself are even bigger. You can check those by clicking your iPhone in the iTunes pane and then clicking the Apps tab. Do this while your iPhone is still connected to the computer. The apps stored on your computer disk must be slightly
compressed.

So, for an "Apples to Apples" comparison (pun fully intended), I will list only the before and after results using computer disk file sizes, since I don't have a record of the iPhone file sizes for the older versions.

Older iPhone Only Version New iPad/iPhone Universal Version

1. Wordpress - 1.1 MB 3.3 MB

2. Solitaire City Lite - 4.9 MB 15 MB (Yes, you read that right!)

3. Dragon Dictation - 1.2 MB 5 MB

4. IMDB - 1.7 MB 3.1 MB

5. 300 Bowl - 4.1 MB 5 MB

This is a very tiny sample, but you can see that the sizes roughly double on many of them. No telling why Solitaire City Light is so much bigger.

Bill Oakey is a freelance writer. You can check out his blog at http://www.billoakey.wordpress.com .

 
AAPL
$282.52
Apple Inc.
-1.23
MSFT
$24.38
Microsoft Corpora
-0.11
GOOG
$525.62
Google Inc.
-0.17
MacTech Search:
Community Search:
See All

Introducing the App Hall of Fame!
App discoverability continues to be a real issue. With the fast churn of apps in the App Store, an app has only a few weeks of promotional life in it before it‚Äôs largely forgotten. There are a few things developers can do to fix that, but those... | Read more »
Gobliiins Are Coming
In the midst of the huge Q4 launch schedule, the cult classic, Gobliiins, as well as the rest of the trilogy, are being ported to the iPhone in all of their original glory. The Goblins trilogy was a quirky Atari/Amiga game series from the early 90‚Äôs... | Read more »
myPhoneDesktop – Chrome to iPhone Extens...
Anyone who has used myPhoneDesktop knows that it is a fantastic tool for streamlining your onscreen workflow. Instead of having to type line after line into your phone directly, you can use myPhoneDesktop to type from your computer directly into... | Read more »
Classes Review
Developer: Dustlab Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 2.4.7 iPhone Integration Rating: 3 out of 5 stars User Interface Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 3.33 out of 5 stars | Read more »
AutoVerbal Talking Soundboard Pro helps...
Being able to speak and communicate with others is something that many of us take for granted. It‚Äôs not so easy for many folks though, in particular for individuals with autism spectrum disorders, as well as those who have suffered various brain... | Read more »
Pocketbooth Review
Developer: Project Box Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.0 iPhone Integration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars User Interface Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Overall Rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars | Read more »
Get Your Roast Right With ‘Time To Roast...
Roasting meat, in the cooking world, is about as simple as it gets. The greatest roast recipe I‚Äôve ever found is from Michael Ruhlman‚Äôs website, with the recipe titled, ‚ÄúThe World‚Äôs Most Difficult Roasted Chicken Recipe.‚Äù | Read more »
See All

  • Generate a short URL for this page:



All contents are Copyright 1984-2010 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.
Greetings, and welcome to the new MacTech web site! Our home page is designed to be your Industry Dashboard -- so you can have a snapshot of all that's relevant in the industry in one easy location. Many readers tell us that because the information is updated so frequently, they are now checking the site multiple times a day. Here's a quick run down of the features on the new web site, which can be subtle. We truly hope you register so that we can keep you up to date about new features as they are implemented. And, please use the BETA button in the top right to provide us any feedback, suggestions or bugs. We love to hear from you.