Compared to Android app developers, iOS developers have always had it easy since they could always count on Apple (AAPL) using a 3.5-inch screen and a 3:2 aspect ratio for its smartphones. But Apple threw developers a change-up this week with the iPhone 5, which will be the first iPhone to feature a 4-inch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio. And according to a report from TheNextWeb, many app developers say they’ll have difficulty optimizing their apps for the iPhone 5 by the time it officially launches next week.
Although the developers generally said that the transition from the 3.5-inch screen to the 4-inch screen won’t be too challenging from a technical perspective, they haven’t been able to run any tests on their apps since Apple didn’t send them any dummy testing devices.
“They gave us basically two weeks to port, test, and submit,” app developer Marco Tabini of the PHP Architect Guide told TheNextWeb. “Some of us have dozens of apps from dozens of different clients. Prioritizing them without upsetting everybody is going to be a big challenge.”
App developer David Barnard of App Cubby expressed a similar sentiment.
“It really is a bit frustrating as a developer to feel pressured to submit updates to support something I have yet to experience first hand,” he said. “I’ll be updating all my apps over the next few weeks, but will just do what’s obvious until I get to spend some time with an iPhone 5.”
At the end of the day, though, the report says that many of the app developers will roll up their sleeves and work to get their apps upgraded to the new screen as quickly as they can, like Barnard. After all, there’s simply too much money to be made to sit around and pout.