Back in June 2009, Apple ushered in the third iteration of its iPhone OS to great fanfare.

An array of cutting edge features - push notifications, in-app commerce, iPod library access, OpenGL ES 2.0 support for graphics - promised to fling open exciting new doors for portable game design.

The potential for firmware 3.0 still excites developers, of course, but the two months since have taught them some difficult lessons about the need to cater to consumers expectations.

According to Brian Greenstone, president and CEO of Pangea Software, the potential of OS 3.0 remains just that - potential.

"It's got some nice features, but it's nothing we're really exploiting yet," he explains.

First penguin syndrome

Significantly, Pangea is leading the pack of developers to take advantage of in-app commerce, offering downloadable level packs for its lauded physics game Enigmo.

Greenstone admits the experience was enlightening.

"Enigmo used 3.0 for the in-app purchases and we learned the hard way that there are still a lot of iPod touch users with 2.2.1," he says. "That hurt us a bit, so we're sticking with 2.2.1 compatibility for our other apps right now."

Similar pain was felt by Freeverse when it released Grunts. Billed as a 3.0-exclusive, the 99c game launched into the US Top 100 but failed to gain much traction.

Ngmoco's Star Defense, which reviewed very well, didn't fulfil its sales potential as a 3.0 launch title either. Even now, priced at 99c, it's struggling to scrape into the Top 100.

More is more

Greenstone contends most gamers don't understand the OS, let alone seek out titles based on the firmware. "I don't think the average user really cares," he states.

Indeed, the risk in exclusivity comes from consumers who download a game only to discover they can't play it due to outdated software.

To that degree, the issue for Pangea lies in making sure its games run on the widest range of software possible, not developing content exclusively for one version.

"You need to support it insofar as making sure your app doesn't crash on it, but it's not really necessary for an app to have 3.0 features yet," Greenstone says.