Veteran Twitter client Twitterrific moves ahead with new version despite Twitter API changes

The folks over at The Iconfactory have posted up a notice today that, even in the face of more restrictive Twitter API rules, the next version of its beloved client Twitterrific will launch as planned.

The v 1.1 rules introduced stricter guidelines for displaying tweets and caps on the maximum amount of users any client can have. The Iconfactory’s Gedeon Maheux says that the next major update of Twitterrific will not be canned, but that it will be tweaked to comply with the new instructions.

For the past several months, we’ve been working on a major update to Twitterrific that we’re very excited about. There were concerns that this new version might end up on the cutting room floor prior to Twitter’s announcement, but after reviewing the new restrictions and speaking with the team at Twitter, we’re pleased to report that our development plans remain unchanged.

Maheux also put to rest any fears that it would cease developing its client in the face of user caps, saying “…we want to assure our loyal users that we’ll be continuing to develop for Twitter for the foreseeable future.”

Iconfactory’s Craig Hockenberry actually mentioned that the app would continue on to Macworld’s Lex Friedman earlier today. But he was also pragmatic about the long-term future.

“We’ve been working on an update for the past six months and are happy that we’re going to be able to ship that work,” Hockenberry said, adding that the company had been concerned that Twitter might have simply shut off API access entirely for third-party developers. But after releasing the already in-progress update, he says, “we’ll have to look at how many new users we get before deciding how much of a future it has.”

These comments follow up similar statements from client developers Tapbots a couple of days ago. The development of Tweetbot will continue as well, but the question for all of these clients is a matter of when, not if, they will have to make hard decisions about the future of their products.

We took a look at Twitter’s strategy yesterday, talking about why it would change the rules for developers and how it will affect them. The long and short of it is that, for now, most developers are willing to work within the new rules. Two years from now? Who knows.

Twitterrific