I would like to release my app for as many devices as possible. I currently have an iPad1 and an iPhone 4 but would like to target iPhone 3GS and iTouch for release in app store.
Two questions:
Q1. I understand that one of the iTouch devices has the same spec as the iPhone 3GS (in terms of graphics, cpu, memory). Which iTouch is this?
Q2. If I purchase the older iTouch for the purposes of testing, will I be permitted to release the app for iPhone 3GS seeing as it has the same spec?
Q1) iPod Touch 3rd Gen, 32GB and 64GB only. (iPod Touch - Wikipedia)
Q2) One way to ‘mask’ your iOS apps against use by older devices is by stating the minimum version of iOS, rather than the actual device. The highest supported iOS for the original iPhone is 3.1.3, for iPhone 3G & iPod Touches up to and including 3rd-gen @ 8GB, it’s 4.2.1. If you have an app that won’t work on slower devices, you can make it iOS 4.0 (to block the original iPhone) or 4.3 (to block the iPhone 3G,3GS, old Touches) or later. Of course there are hazards to this practice: sometimes people with newer devices don’t upgrade the OS. But to answer your question directly, if you submit to the App Store and claim that it works for iOS 3.0 or later, and Apple confirms this during the review process, then the app will run on any iPod Touch or iPhone. Performance is another story.