Piracy 90% on iPhone/iTouch

[codegit]

I a have just read a very disturbing blog on one of the iTouch/iPhone review sites. iTouch games are almost pirated within moments of release (as high as 95% loss to developer). Unless Apple improve the security or allow developers more control, is it still worth developing for the platform? What do you guys think? Also, how does one protect an iTouch app, any ideas(Kitty)??

[Kitty Hello]

use the new SDK, then try:

Code (glbasic) Select Expand



?IFDEF IPHONE
IMPORT int iPhoneIsCracked()
IF iPhoneIsCracked() THEN END
?ENDIF



I have no idea if it acutally works. I do this:

Code (glbasic) Select Expand


int iPhoneIsCracked()
{
NSDictionary *info = [ [NSBundle mainBundle] infoDictionary];
const char* csSigident="SignerIdentity";
if ([info objectForKey: csSigident] != nil)
{
//app is pirated
return 1;
}
return 0;
}


[codegit]

Kitty, my only worry is that it catches legitimate customers and then by word and mouth the app gets a bad reputation. This is also not good. Wow, this is a difficult situation.

[Sokurah]

I think 90% piracy is over the top and nothing but an attention-grabber.

There's two sides to it.

1. Number of games being pirated.
2. How many can and will use pirated games.

And here's what I think.

1).
There's so much shit being released that I find it hard to believe that 90% of all sofrtware is being pirated, although I do believe that most quality software do get pirated...but not 90%

2).
Not everyone has a jailbroken phone, as many people are afraid of doing it, or simply has no interrest in it. I think this is true among "normal" casual gamers.

Hardcore gamers? - that's something else. I do believe they pirate like there was no tomorrow, but they're just a small segment of the combined userbase.

That's what I think anyway.

[Kitty Hello]

@Codegit: only the top 3 lines are of interest for you.
You can do something else instead of the END, like... show a message of a staved child and such...

[Moru]

It's all about from where you pull the statistics. I'm sure 90% of the applications get cracked/downloaded or whatever and then put on some other site. After that, how many actually download and play those games are nowhere near 90% of it all. Someone is just putting up all he can find from the appstore to get adrevenue.

[doimus]

That 95% piracy rate is bullsh*t. It's just matter of statistics.

Let's say you sell 100 copies legally. Then your app gets pirated. Then 200 pirates download your app. Is that really 200% piracy rate? Or just poorly sold app?
Would you really mind piracy rate if you sold few million legal copies?

Pirates download and run anything, including pure crap games. People who pay choose more carefully.
Make an amazing game and it will sell.