I'm using iTunes to backup my devices, and restoring to my device usually takes less than two hours. iCloud backup is great, however, downloading every app from App Store would take days. Also, I sometimes update apps on my grandma's iPad via iTunes syncing where no Internet connection is available.
Since thinned app contains no universal binary and resources, I assume that it would be unable to sync to iTunes. Will I be able to download download a complete version instead on iTunes?
I have the same question. I still have the mentality of my computer as a "digital hub", and also I like to keep backups of all of my apps for whichever devices they ultimately are destined for.
In the WWDC talk there was a mention of Xcode Server being able to keep a complete copy of the app and doing the thinning locally. Perhaps the same functionality could be built into a future version of iTunes? I would think that iTunes would *have* to get a complete copy of each app, otherwise how would the store know which versions it will need to send? If I connect a new device to my Mac, I really would hate to have to fetch new copies of all of my apps...
Of course the App Store would still have to do the compiling of all versions to send to iTunes, since the new upload format is some kind of bytecode (as I understand it). And I doubt *that* functionality would be added to iTunes.
Same here.
I already asked in the WWDC Lab, what happens with on-demand ressources, when a new version is submitted, only on demand ressources have been changed? Will I see an update, that does not download or install anything except the info.plist?
But xloser to your topic:
My Mac s my digital hub and I never download App Updates via WiFi, only if I do not have any other option and the update is important enough (like during the WWDC). I have 3 devices linked there, my iPhone, my newer iPad (V3) and an old original one (ignoring for now).
When I download the thinned updates in iTunes, what will happen?
Do I get 2 different build downloaded, one for iPhone one for iPad?
Do I get a app download, that is thinned to only the 2 devices - in that case not that much at all?
What happens, when I download a thinned App on my iPhone, sync it via iTunes and want to install it on my iPad? The thinned iPhone version won't work on the iPad. Do I need a download - will it be another file?
Last not least, imagine I get a third device, like a new iPad and I want to sync all Apps from the current iPad to the new one. I may have to download all the apps thinned for the new device, as the current ones won't perform that well on the new device?
App Thinning is a nice idea and a smart way to reduce storage consumption on the device, but it comes with complications and tons on unneccessary downloads ;-)
I also have thought about this kind of problem. I guess it will work best with iCloud backups.
When you backup your device with iCloud it is easy to restore all your apps on a new device you may buy at a later point in time. iCloud backup does not store the actual IPAs in your iCloud account but just references to the store IDs. The main problem here is an iTunes backup.
I am not quite sure but I guess you will either not be able to sync your iPads IPAs to iTunes from your device or you can't restore the thinned versions to another device family and will get the usual error while syncing messages.
Maybe iTunes is smart enough to update your thinned IPA with another one if you are connected to the Internet. But what happens when you download an app from the AppStore through iTunes using your PC or Mac? I guess you will get the old not thinned IPA and iTunes will deliver the universal app completely to your device. This means: if you use iTunes in order to sync apps you will not get all the benefits as you would get when doing this with Apples servers.
I guess: New error messages and unthinned Apps will be the result when using iTunes.