Tweetie creator hints at the next, great Twitter client

July 20, 2010 - By Justin E. Gehrke

Though four months is the equivalent of four years in tech circles, you may recall that, in April of this year, Loren Brichter, the man behind Tweetie and Tweetie 2 for iPhone, sold his small, social media pie to become part of the big, social media pie known as Twitter. While opinions were divided on the fairness, morality, etc. of the acquisition, the free Twitter for iPhone client (which was pretty much a rebranded Tweetie 2) which was released nearly a month later, in May of this year, seemed to silence the critics. Why? The previously pay-for-download app ($1.99) dropped down to $0.

Right around the time of the Tweetie 2 acquisition, Twitter also officially released its Twitter for BlackBerry client. Though not quite as functional as its iPhone counterpart, the BlackBerry version has provided a polished Twitter client in a sea of not so great BlackBerry options. So, nearly four months later, is Twitter resting on its laurels and enjoying summer vacation? If comments tweeted by Brichter are any indication, it would appear that something new is forthcoming.

It seems that yesterday, Brichter posted a tweet from his personal Twitter account, to the effect:

“Why yes, it is hard building THE MOST AMAZING CLIENT YOU’VE NEVER SEEN when the API is exploding.”

Of course, no one has ever tweeted anything jokingly, misleadingly, or in pure orneriness. Okay, they really have. For that matter, we have. Now that these facts are out in the open, we can get back to Brichter, Twitter, and the social media universe.

Brichter’s comment may have been simply that…a comment. More than likely, though, there is something new in the works. While there are clients for iPhone, BlackBerry, and Apple Mac, there are some functions missing in each version. There is also the noticeable absence of a Windows version of the official Twitter client.

Since API issues have been an increasingly annoying problem as of late (even for Twitter’s own proprietary clients), reliability is a big issue. To this end, the next, great client could be Twitter for Mac. This actually makes the most sense, since the current client is still branded as Tweetie for Mac. So, condolences go out to the Windows users, since it appears you’ll still have to rely on current (and proven) offerings like Tweetdeck and Seesmic.

Of course, there is also the distinct possibility of Twitter finally releasing the sorely lacking Twitter for iPad app. Since the device’s release in April of this year, many a Twitter addict has complained about the lack of an iPad equivalent. Those who have jailbroken iPads and run a little offering called FullForce (which forces iPhone apps to increase in scale to the full dimensions of the iPad) know that the trick doesn’t work so well with the Twitter for iPhone app. Some options and functionality are lost, altogether. Even those who haven’t voided their warranties by jailbreaking the iPad know that hitting “2x” leads to a pixelated mess that is less than aesthetically pleasing.

The topic actually shows up in Brichter’s Twitter timeline in the form of an @reply to a Twitter user who posed the question: “Will the iPad version be like tweetie for iPhone but bigger? I’m afraid we had the same idea and if you did it first I can’t compete (sic)” In response, Brichter provides the curt answer, “Nope.”

For now, we’re left (as we often are) with more questions than answers. Fortunately none of them are life threatening in this case. While it would be nice to see official clients for Mac and PC, as well as an updated version for BlackBerry devices, that mirror the near-perfect functionality provided by Twitter for iPhone, our money is on Twitter for iPad. After all, a product that sells more than 3 million units in its first 80 days is bound to be the most attractive to a company like Twitter that bases its entire existence on popularity.

Source: Loren Brichter on Twitter (Not much more information, but you might enjoy following him. He does make some pretty interesting comments, in general.)