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After discussing APIs last week, it’s time to go over the importance of beta testing. When it comes to the iPhone, this is called Ad Hoc development, and can be great for developers who want to get excitement out about their product or just make sure it works. Beta testing allows applications to be run under a variety of environments that the developer may never have been able to product otherwise.

On the iPhone, developers are able to distribute their app to 100 different devices based on the device’s 40 digit identifier. By simply creating an Entitlements.plist file and attaching the correct provisioning profiles (if you don’t know what those are, check my post about these), developers are on their way to getting great feedback that will help them make their app better and more stable; two of the most important parts when developing.

However, beta testing doesn’t just allow the developer to make a better product, it helps create excitement. If, for instance, a developer does a limited beta, the people who get it will excitedly talk about it (if it is any good, that is).  This can help to create a want by other consumers who haven’t yet had the product.  When the app is finally released, there will most likely be plenty of people who want to try the app out for themselves who hadn’t had a chance to get it earlier.

It’s fairly easy during the application’s development cycle to get excited and just want to release the app, but beta testing is an extremely worthwhile process.  Even if you give it to a couple people to test for a day, you can learn a lot and get a lot of feedback you may not have thought about yourself. What are your thoughts?

See more iPhone Developer Intervention articles.