14 DAY TRIAL // Going by an email sent out to registered Apple developers this week, Cupertino wants all titles in the App Store to feature high-resolution Retina display graphics.
The email mentions that developers must upload new screenshots in the RGB field with at least 72 dpi (dots per inch) and a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels, or somewhere along those lines.
The original message sent out to developers this week can be found below:
Required iPhone & iPod touch Screenshot Upgrade for Retina Display
When you create or update your apps in iTunes Connect, you must upload screenshots that are high-resolution. We require your screenshots as high-resolution images so that your app is optimized for the Retina display.
The requirements for high-resolution images are 960 x 640, 960 x 600, 640 x 960, or 640 x 920 pixels. Images must be at least 72 dpi, in the RGB color space, and the file must be .jpeg, .jpg, .tif, .tiff, or .png. You can update your screenshot files at any time in iTunes Connect.
This doesn’t mean your favorite apps will no longer work on your iPhone 3GS, or an old iPod touch. Apple is simply demanding better quality from developers as it prepares to unveil its third Retina display phone this year.
If history is any indication, the Cupertino giant will discontinue the iPhone 3GS this year, leaving the iPhone 4 priced at $0 with a two-year contract, the 4S at $99, and the new iPhone 5 at $199 in its base configuration.
However, as the times move on, the apps found in the iTunes App Store will have to be on par with the capabilities of Apple’s newest iOS. So, the iPhone 3GS is short-lived no matter how you look at it.