The good people over at AppCraver read my blog post about pricing and asked to do a short interview. They asked some great questions that further illuminate the challenges iPhone developers face. If you’d like to take a look you can find the whole article here.
Rate It If You Hate It!
The AppStore “Rate It If You Hate It” system is such a spectacularly bad idea that I really need to talk about it for a second. I certainly appreciate what Apple is trying to do. Like I’ve said time and again – I’m VERY VERY happy with Apple’s clearly demonstrated policy of working to improve things. I’ve seen other companies allow their flawed systems/devices/OS’s to sit around for YEARS with no effort to improve them. So, please don’t take this frustration with one aspect of the system as an overall indictment.
But seriously – a system that specifically encourages people who are removing an application to review it, with no reciprocating system to encourage people who LIKE their applications to review them, is a terrible plan.
Read on after the jump for the whole story… [Read more…] about Rate It If You Hate It!
AppStore Prices – Is Cheaper Really Better?
Over at the Apple iPhone Group at Yahoo, a discussion has cropped up about application prices in the AppStore. We think (and hear) about this a lot, so I want to take a minute to talk about application pricing (on any mobile platform). It is a topic that is important to developers, retailers, and customers alike.
So, if you’re curious to hear a developer perspective on pricing, read on after the jump! [Read more…] about AppStore Prices – Is Cheaper Really Better?
Fun with Passwords
Can you guess the 20 most common passwords?
I only got 5, but looking at the answers, I maybe could have come up with at least 2 of the others, if I hadn’t given up so fast. On the other hand, I’m not convinced their answers are all that accurate. They’re very male, if nothing else.
But, if you use any of these as your passwords – don’t. Pick something a lot more secure. Your passwords aren’t protecting just your email and facebook pages. They’re protecting your money. Probably all of it except what’s in your pocket right now.
Don’t use weak passwords and don’t use the same ones everywhere. Do change them frequently and store them safely.
We Changed Apple! New AppStore Rating System
OK, I’m just guessing but it is pretty cool that on the heels of our survey Apple has implemented a change in the AppStore rating system. I don’t honestly believe they did it just for us, but it is nice to know that Apple is trying. Unfortunately, it doesn’t solve all the problems of the AppStore rating system but it’s a start.
If you’d like to learn more about this change, read on after the jump!
[Read more…] about We Changed Apple! New AppStore Rating System
iPills is Out and Free!
I wanted to let everyone know that our latest iPhone offering, iPills, is now available in the AppStore. The best is that it is FREE!
So what is iPills anyhow? I’ll describe it by explaining WHY we made it. In this day and age it seems like everyone is taking something. From allergy and cholesterol meds to fistfulls of asprin and “little blue pills”, we’ve all got something we’re on. At the same time, we’re all busier than ever and when someone says “Did you take your pill?” it’s easy to go “Um, well, maybe?”
Enter iPills! With iPills you can easily keep track of what you’re taking and when you take it (or miss it!). You can even email a history to yourself or a caregiver showing exactly what you took and when you took it.
Now to answer the inevitable “Free? Seriously, dude. What are you thinking?” question. I’m going to be honest – WE like this idea but we don’t know if YOU will like it. By making it free, we can find out if this really is something people need. If it is, start sending your requests! If the app is popular enough, we’ll take those ideas, expand the app and create a Pro version (available at a reasonable price of course!)
So go ahead and check out the web page ,or just grab a copy today! It’s FREE so you’ve got nothing to lose – and who knows – it just might make your life a little bit easier!
PS:And no, developing this had no impact on eWallet or ListPro. Both of those products are handled by different teams – and to give you an update, we’re all using ListPro on our iPhones here and it rocks. I can’t WAIT until it’s finished and we can fire it off! I’ll definitely keep you updated!