A native Gmail app on iOS had been anxiously awaited for years but when Gmail for iOS launched back in November 2011, it do so to much berating. The main complaint against the app is that it is basically an iOS wrapper around the standard mobile web app. Personally, I found the criticisms overall harsh [...]
New iOS Design Pattern: Slide-out Navigation
Back when Facebook first hit the iPhone in August 2007, it introduced the “dashboard” layout pattern to iOS. Many applauded the dashboard as a fresh take against the standard tab bar and a number of apps began following this pattern. Over time though, it proved to be a frustrating way of navigating because it requires [...]
Twittelator Neue – Innovative iPhone Design
Just when you think a Twitter interface cannot be reinvented, Twittelator Neue comes along. The first interesting choice was the alternate way to change views. Like our app Agenda, they’re using paging to more quickly change views. It’s also possible to save specific views and switch them from the main timeline. Notice the page indicator [...]
IconSettings – Easily Access iOS Setting Options
Here’s a nice non-jailbreak solution for getting quick access to common iOS settings options such as Wi-Fi, Airplane Mode, Notifications, and Brightness. Note that it’s not extremely elegant, as it will require Mobile Safari to open momentarily but it’s better than nothing if you’re not a jailbreaker. I’m trying it out in an Android-like setup, [...]
Let’s Talk iPhone – By the Numbers
Here are the key numbers from yesterday’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” event. Mac Users: 58M iOS Devices: 250m iPhones: Half on the market are iPhone 4′s App Store: >500k apps; 140k iPad apps Accounts/Downloads App Store: 18b; $3b paid to developers If you compare these numbers to the WWDC keynote just four months ago (or so), [...]
How to Make a Better iOS Beta Program – Use a Sign-up Form
Beta testing isn’t specific to iOS development. In fact, it was very much popularized with web apps. It has similar benefits such as building early interest, collecting feedback, and generally making the app much more stable before launch. Running a beta program for iOS apps also has distinct challenges. In the past, I’ve covered smarter [...]
Custom Tab Bars in iPhone Apps
There’s been a new trend with iPhone apps to use more sophisticated custom tab bars. In case you don’t know what a “tab bar” is, it’s historically been the black bar at the bottom of the screen, which provides the main navigation for the iPhone app. Apple is fairly specific about the functionality of a [...]
Announcing Rise Alarm – It’s Time to Wake up in Style
In-between the launch of App Savvy, talks, interviews, and some very exciting client work, I’ve been tinkering in the workshop. I’m going to write much more about the making and motivation of my latest app—Rise Alarm—but for now, go check it out. It has a very unique experience, with the interface being driven by swipes. [...]
iOS 4 Market Share – Developers Have the Answers
One of the big questions iOS developers continue to ask is when they can safely stop supporting older iOS versions. Currently, that question is focused on supporting iOS 3.x. I’ve seen stats for iOS 4 market share vary from over 90% of devices still running iOS 3.x to over 90% running iOS 4.x. The problem [...]
9 Myths About Building iPad/iPhone Apps
Over time, I’ve seen and heard dozens and dozens of inaccurate beliefs about what’s involved in building iPad and iPhone apps. I decided that I wanted to start debunking some of those myths and thus created the talk called, “9 Myths About Building iPad/iPhone Apps” to complement my book. I was fortunate enough to present [...]
App Savvy – My Step-by-Step O’Reilly Book for Creating iPhone / iPad Apps
I haven’t written about it much here but if you follow me on Twitter, you know that I’ve been working on my first book, an iPhone and iPad strategy and marketing book called App Savvy (O’Reilly). Well, today is launch day and since it’s no longer just a pipe dream, I’m happy to share more [...]
Three Ways to Do Over the Air (Wireless Ad Hoc) iOS Beta Programs
One of the most tedious—and depressing—chapters in my book App Savvy relates to the beta testing process for iPhone and iPad apps. As I indicate there, it’s a necessary evil because launching a new app or a new feature into the App Store without testing it is simply asking for trouble (more on that in [...]
Mobile a Moving Target in 2010
As a speaker for Digital East, I was interviewed by Tech Journal South about mobile and native mobile apps specifically.: “They’re looking at this year and asking how will it lead me into next year,” he says. Some firms are willing to throw some money at mobile this year, but don’t really expect much to [...]
Terminology for iPhone
In my opinion, there’s no longer a missing dictionary app for the iPhone. Agile Tortoise’s Terminology—first launched on the iPad—is now available for the iPhone at an extremely affordable launch price of $0.99. It’s homescreen worthy.
Over the Air Updates for iOS Beta Apps
Andreas Linde (@therealkerni) demos an open source framework he’s working on that will allow new versions of beta iOS apps to be updated when they are opened. Looks great.
Think First, Code Later
I’ve submitted a magical and revolutionary panel to SXSW ’11 in the Interactive track and need your vote. The focus will be on the strategy aspects of iOS application development. Here’s the description: Before a single pixel is created, a line of code is written, or a marketing plan is conceived, a prospective app should [...]
Five Ways to Build Interest for Your App Through Sneak Peeks
One of the best ways to generate interest for an app before it’s launched is to release sneak peeks of what’s in progress. A sneak peek can include any aspect of the application. For example, it might be a a landing page that communicates the branding of the app, a crop or full screen of [...]
The Magic Lottery (for Apps)
Here’s another way to think about it: delight the audience you already have, amaze the customers you can already reach, dazzle the small investors who already trust you enough to listen to you. Take the permission you have and work your way up. Leaps look good in the movies, but in fact, success is mostly [...]
Words Apple Won’t Hear (Right Now) – Code For Android First
Anyone who suggests that the “iPhone 4 is nice” but that developers should code for Android first is truly out of touch with the realities of developing for these platforms. Now, let me be clear, I’m rooting for Android because competition is what spurs innovation by giving consumers choice and keeping platform providers honest. I [...]
This Week in Apps (3/21/10) – MacJournal, Grades, Osfoora, Street Fighter IV, Vlingo, and Proactive Sleep
Playing with apps on my ever-changing iPhone (and soon iPad) Springboard… MacJournal for iPhone (Mariner MacJournal) Yes, there’s Evernote, Simplenote, and any other number of notes apps but to me, MacJournal is unique. I’ve been using the Mac app as a “learning journal” for the last year. I have a tendency to do a crazy [...]
AppsFire’s Beyond the App Store
A visual take on how users discover apps. Ties in with my recommendations for how Apple can improve the App Store this year.
How Apple Can Improve the App Store (and iPhone) in 2010
No, this is not going to be another one of those posts. And yes, it’s a couple of weeks into 2010 yet this is a 2010 post. On the first point, I’m not even going to touch Apple’s App Store policies or the approval process, which by the way, are already showing signs of vast [...]
Pastebot + Pastebot Sync = iPhone Dev Friend
Anyone doing iPhone development knows it can be a pain to get screenshots from an iPhone to a computer. There are several alternatives to choose from, including leveraging Organizer from the iPhone SDK, a couple of different iPhone apps, or just screenshots + e-mail from the iPhone itself. But Tapbots’ new Pastebot app plus the [...]
Killing the iPod Touch
iPod Touch is Apple’s unstoppable secret weapon. It’s iSmartbomb, flying under the radar. iPod Touch is THE new handheld game device. Don’t want to deal with AT&T but want all the fun of the app store? Don’t want to give up your Blackberry’s keyboard? Are you one of the last remaining 13 year olds whose [...]
Smartphone or App War?
The large number of applications does at first glance seem like a pretty good reason to claim iPhone’s eventual domination of what arguably is the next, major computing platform. However, the number of applications is no surefire measure of iPhone’s or any other platform’s success. Applications are but one — and not the most important [...]
Tweetie 2 – A Case Study in Making iPhone Apps Leaner
It’s really hard to make iPhone apps lean. With Apple’s walled garden (i.e., the App Store), it’s tough to both test applications and control the time between iterations. In the first case, there’s a way to do that – ad hoc distributions – but as any iPhone developer knows, it’s not very fun. In the [...]
The Five-Minute Guide to iPhone App Market Sizing, Pricing Experiments, and User Trends
In both developing my own iPhone apps and in discussing with clients or prospective clients, understanding data and trends behind the App Store and apps is critical. Jonathan Wegener provided a nice framework for market sizing. There’s also those in the community that have been kind enough to either due some homework or even share [...]
Ramp Champ – Combining iPhone Play with In App Purchases and Virtual Goods
While it’s been stated that the iPhone and iPod Touch are actually not easy to use (or perhaps more apt, not easy to design for), clearly they offer a paradigm that’s resonated with 60M+ consumers worldwide. There’s no shortage of apps on the App Store, with last official numbers reporting around 50,000 of them. Apple’s [...]
AppCritics – An iPhone App to Review and Translate App Reviews from iTunes Stores Around the World
iPhone app developers are often faced with a problem — how to quickly access and read reviews from iTunes stores in other markets. Not only is it annoying to have to get into other stores, it’s also often pointless because reviews are in other languages. AppCritics is a new iPhone app that solves these problems. [...]
How to Build a non-$0.99 iPhone App
iPhone app developers are stuck on a number — $0.99. Do they like this number? No. They hate it. But they believe that it leads to the lands of the Top 100 and the promise of riches and glory. With around 200 – 400 new apps going into the App Store per day, betting on [...]
Apple’s iPhone – Modern Day Indentured Servitude
Apple is in a unique position. It controls the OS of the most popular phone ever and is also the creator of the device (hardware). More importantly, Apple plays the gatekeeper of the content that is allowed onto it through the management of the App Store. The only thing Apple does not control are the [...]
Would Apple and AT&T Cripple a Google Voice iPhone App?
Google Voice, the innovative invite-only telephone communication control service, is readying a iPhone version of its mobile phone app, which just became available on Tuesday for Android OS-based phones and Blackberries. For instance, Google Voice offers free SMS services that appear to come from one’s Google number rather than one’s mobile phone number. That means [...]
Google Voice on iPhone – GV Mobile and VoiceCentral
There’s no need to be frustrated by the news that Google Voice is hitting Android and Blackberry devices but not the iPhone (yet). Well, maybe there’s reason for a little angst. The good news is that there are some nice alternatives. GV MobileGV Mobile by Sean Kovacs comes in two flavors – GV Mobile ($2.99) [...]
