What happened?
In spite of plenty of advance warning from Twitter, we got caught by the Twitpocalypse bug.
For the 2.0.1 release, we had tested our software extensively. I actually wrote an emulation layer on top of the code that reads data from Twitter that added a large number to every ID read from Twitter. This testing [...]
Everyone and his brother has a prediction about Apple and the mythical “netbook.” This is mine.
Before I get into the actual prediction, let me say that I’ve come to this conclusion by looking at Apple as a business, not as a supplier of shiny gadgets for our technolust. As much as we love the things [...]
A lot of people stumble upon this website because they’re looking for information about developing applications for the iPhone. If this is your first time here, welcome!
I have been developing applications for the iPhone since it was released (using both the Jailbreak and official SDK.) My company is currently selling several applications in iTunes. I [...]
Many of you are starting to realize that a ringtone price point does not sustain a business. I’m with you.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about ways to make higher prices more palatable to customers. Several discussions at Macworld kicked off these thoughts, and a recent tweet by Justin Williams made me realize that a lot of you [...]
Dear Steve,
As an iPhone developer who’s been in the App Store since its launch, I’m starting to see a trend that concerns me: developers are lowering prices to the lowest possible level in order to get favorable placement in iTunes. This proliferation of 99¢ “ringtone apps” is affecting our product development.
Unlike a lot of other [...]
A friend of mine recently commented that native Twitter applications are the new flashlights. It’s true, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise: consider the number of web apps that proliferated before the advent of the native SDK.
Personally, I welcome this competition. Seeing the work of other developers whose work I respect and admire acts [...]
One of the great things about the NDA being lifted is that a lot of great books about iPhone development are finally being published. It’s about time: for many months the top search hit on this site has been iphone app development. A lot of new developers need guidance.
Last week, Addison-Wesley contacted me saying that [...]
Having just presented a talk at C4[2] about the human factors involved in developing touch-based applications, I find it rather ironic to see the Nike + iPod integration move into the latest iPod touch.
Why? Because I see some serious problems with how our bodies will interact with this device and its software.
Note: These are first [...]
A major feature of the App Store are the user reviews about the software being offered. There’s just one problem: software is not music. I’ve never had an MP3 crash or lack features. Applications also evolve and improve; I’m pretty sure the Jimi Hendrix track I’m listening to right now is the same one he [...]
Unless you’ve been stranded on a remote Pacific isle, you’re no doubt aware of the current furor over third party iPhone applications not being able to run in the background. To be blunt, I’ve never seen so many experts without a fricken’ clue. If you haven’t written code using the jailbreak tool chain, your opinions [...]