iOS iPhone vs iPod touch for development

[nerd]

I'm just getting started with iPhone development and I'm a little nervous about the prospect of using my new iPhone (which is also my main phone) as a test asset. So here are a few questions...

1. Am I being too paranoid? Is it unlikely that my potentially screwed-up homemade programs will brick my iPhone? Share your horror stories.

2. Does using an iPhone for development void the warranty or make it "abnormal" in any weird way? It's not clear to me what will happen if I click ok when Xcode asks if I want to use my phone for development.

3. I was thinking of avoiding these issues by getting an iPod touch to test my software on. I've never used one of those before, but it seems that for applications that don't use the phone/cell network or GPS it would work ok. Am I missing anything?

Thanks

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

No, you should be safe from "bricking". Unless you write malicious code, it shouldn't be a problem. Nor does it void the warranty, Apple will never give you option to do that themselves.

Lastly, you're right. The iPod touch does not have 3G or EDGE, nor does it have a GPS module. Nothing else out there besides that.

 

[Jeremy1026]

1. Am I being too paranoid? Is it unlikely that my potentially screwed-up homemade programs will brick my iPhone? Share your horror stories.

2. Does using an iPhone for development void the warranty or make it "abnormal" in any weird way? It's not clear to me what will happen if I click ok when Xcode asks if I want to use my phone for development.

3. I was thinking of avoiding these issues by getting an iPod touch to test my software on. I've never used one of those before, but it seems that for applications that don't use the phone/cell network or GPS it would work ok. Am I missing anything?

1. Xcode will give build errors and not run the app on your device if there is a problem, so you really have no problem with it causing damage to your phone.

2. No, you are still under warranty and all that jazz.

3. Hardware wise they are alike with the exception of the GPS, Phone, and Bluetooth chips.