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Apple reveals iPhone 3.0: lots for game developers to cheer

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March 17, 2009 |

At a packed press conference today, Apple revealed its new OS, due out in the summer. Alongside some basic additions (cut and paste, search), there are a bunch of key features likely to be of substantial interest to game developers:

  • Microtransactions, allowing downloadable content within an App (I argued how necessary this was on PocketGamer.biz earlier in the month)
  • Auto-discovery, allowing multiplayer games on nearby iPhones via Bluetooth
  • Voice chat in games

There were some useful statistics too:

  • Over 800 million downloads
  • Over 25,000 apps
  • 98% of apps are approved within 7 days
  • 96% of apps were approved in February

And EA was there, announcing that the Sims 3 is coming to iPhone and iPod Touch, with in-app microtransactions offering additional content for $0.99. (Thanks to AppGamer for the lead).

Thanks to the FT’s Chris Nuttall and others for their contributions to the Twitterstream.

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  • Barnaby

    Perhaps good for developers, but whether IPhone 3.0 will be something for users to cheer remains to be seen; see this post from Gizmodo that argues microtransactions could be the death of the app store as lower end apps end up becoming ‘crippled trialware’ with extra payment needed to unlock basic features, levels etc – death by a thousand micro-transactions…

    http://i.gizmodo.com/5172350/why-iphone-in+app-transactions-could-be-a-disaster

    [Reply]

  • jacymose

    Unfortunately for my editors did not buy in the electronic versions of textbooks, but even compressed + One Note is a great tool when I used it. If Apple made a tablet with something similar to a note, I’d probably buy that if I finish school.

    electronics wholesale

    [Reply]

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