Under the Radar

00:00:00 ◼   ► welcome to under the radar a show about

00:00:02 ◼   ► independent iOS app development I'm

00:00:04 ◼   ► Marco Arment and I'm David Smith under

00:00:06 ◼   ► the radar is never longer than 30

00:00:08 ◼   ► minutes so let's get started

00:00:10 ◼   ► so as we are recording this we are about

00:00:13 ◼   ► a week away from the see you on the

00:00:15 ◼   ► seventh event which is expected to be

00:00:18 ◼   ► sort of like the big fall Apple event

00:00:21 ◼   ► they used to be pretty typical that

00:00:24 ◼   ► Apple would do a couple of events in the

00:00:25 ◼   ► fall they seem to be moving to just one

00:00:27 ◼   ► so like next week the seventh is gonna

00:00:30 ◼   ► be kind of the kind of it probably this

00:00:32 ◼   ► year and so well the actual like

00:00:36 ◼   ► speculations about what's gonna be

00:00:37 ◼   ► announced and those types of things are

00:00:38 ◼   ► mostly Hardware related so we're not

00:00:40 ◼   ► going to probably talk too much about

00:00:41 ◼   ► that but it seems like a good time to

00:00:43 ◼   ► talk through sort of the concepts of

00:00:45 ◼   ► what to expect what to prepare for and

00:00:48 ◼   ► what to think about going into next week

00:00:51 ◼   ► because it'll probably happen at least

00:00:53 ◼   ► this is just based on the a past history

00:00:56 ◼   ► hopefully predicting a few future

00:00:58 ◼   ► results is the well Davi you know the

00:01:02 ◼   ► actual announcement I think it's at

00:01:03 ◼   ► 10:00 a.m. Pacific next Wednesday and

00:01:06 ◼   ► they'll announce all the things and that

00:01:09 ◼   ► sometime a few hours after that they

00:01:11 ◼   ► will release all the the GM's of

00:01:13 ◼   ► everything so it'll be the you know the

00:01:15 ◼   ► GM of iOS watch Oh a Ciara TV OS those

00:01:19 ◼   ► will all go out so we can you know

00:01:21 ◼   ► download them and do all of our final

00:01:23 ◼   ► tests and checks and all those kinds of

00:01:25 ◼   ► things for hopefully all the app updates

00:01:27 ◼   ► that we've been working on and we'll

00:01:30 ◼   ► guess we'll have the opportunity to work

00:01:31 ◼   ► on that and then sometime probably that

00:01:34 ◼   ► night it always drives me a little bit

00:01:36 ◼   ► crazy because I live on the East Coast

00:01:39 ◼   ► and so all of these things are happening

00:01:40 ◼   ► west coast times and so the opening of

00:01:43 ◼   ► iTunes Connect to submit new binaries

00:01:45 ◼   ► built with the new stuff will sort of

00:01:47 ◼   ► open you know sometime late that night

00:01:50 ◼   ► usually I'm trying to think last year it

00:01:53 ◼   ► may have been something like 10 p.m. my

00:01:54 ◼   ► time something like that it opened up

00:01:58 ◼   ► and so that point you know you can build

00:02:00 ◼   ► your new app and you can submit it to

00:02:01 ◼   ► the App Store because usually the new OS

00:02:05 ◼   ► updates will be will be released to the

00:02:06 ◼   ► public about a week later so in this

00:02:09 ◼   ► case that'll be around the 14th

00:02:11 ◼   ► and in anticipation of the iPhones and

00:02:15 ◼   ► any new hardware that's coming out

00:02:18 ◼   ► launching probably the following Friday

00:02:20 ◼   ► so they usually typically in the last

00:02:22 ◼   ► few years they've staged it so that iOS

00:02:24 ◼   ► really updates comment first those wat

00:02:27 ◼   ► over-the-air to all the existing iPhones

00:02:29 ◼   ► in the world and then the iPhones will

00:02:31 ◼   ► launch a few days later and ideally your

00:02:33 ◼   ► app will be ready to go on day one on

00:02:36 ◼   ► the plus side that's probably easier

00:02:38 ◼   ► this year than it's ever been because

00:02:39 ◼   ► app reviews so fast now that before when

00:02:43 ◼   ► app review length was about a week if

00:02:45 ◼   ► you didn't submit in that first wave of

00:02:49 ◼   ► people you know so when they open up

00:02:50 ◼   ► they open up the floodgates at say you

00:02:52 ◼   ► know 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday if you

00:02:55 ◼   ► weren't in that first wave you may

00:02:56 ◼   ► actually not be ready to go usually they

00:02:58 ◼   ► do a great job they would try as hard as

00:03:00 ◼   ► they could you kind of got the

00:03:00 ◼   ► impression that during that week app

00:03:03 ◼   ► review is like all hands on deck but

00:03:04 ◼   ► still it was always important to try and

00:03:06 ◼   ► be in there really soon so that you were

00:03:09 ◼   ► ready on day one whereas this year it's

00:03:10 ◼   ► if you have reviews are gonna take a day

00:03:12 ◼   ► or two you may even be able to get a

00:03:13 ◼   ► couple of rejection approval cycles

00:03:16 ◼   ► through in that time but that's sort of

00:03:19 ◼   ► when I'm expecting for next week does

00:03:20 ◼   ► that make sense to you based on past

00:03:22 ◼   ► experience yeah I mean that's that's the

00:03:24 ◼   ► most likely to happen for sure I mean

00:03:25 ◼   ► one thing that that is worth observing

00:03:28 ◼   ► this time is this is going to be the

00:03:30 ◼   ► first big rush of submissions since the

00:03:33 ◼   ► app review delay dropped suspiciously

00:03:36 ◼   ► from one week to less than one day so

00:03:38 ◼   ► it'll be interesting to see like if you

00:03:41 ◼   ► know basically how much the influx of

00:03:43 ◼   ► submissions affect that time whether it

00:03:45 ◼   ► really makes it spike back up to maybe a

00:03:47 ◼   ► week or maybe it you know it doesn't

00:03:48 ◼   ► keep itself nice and nice and fast the

00:03:50 ◼   ► way it has been for these last few

00:03:51 ◼   ► months also I think it'll be interesting

00:03:54 ◼   ► to see what the rejection controversy of

00:03:58 ◼   ► the year will be you know like every

00:04:00 ◼   ► every year like you know every time

00:04:02 ◼   ► there's a new version of iOS that adds

00:04:04 ◼   ► new capabilities the whole bunch people

00:04:06 ◼   ► try to take advantage of those and some

00:04:09 ◼   ► of some of the things people try to do

00:04:10 ◼   ► Apple decides that's not within what we

00:04:14 ◼   ► what we had in mind or that's not the

00:04:15 ◼   ► kind of thing we want to allow and so

00:04:18 ◼   ► even if there wasn't necessarily a rule

00:04:20 ◼   ► that explicitly prohibited it during

00:04:22 ◼   ► development before oftentimes new rules

00:04:25 ◼   ► be created and established during this

00:04:27 ◼   ► initial fall rush because you know it

00:04:31 ◼   ► usually you know it's not like it's not

00:04:32 ◼   ► usually like evil or anything it's

00:04:34 ◼   ► usually just like Apple didn't realize

00:04:35 ◼   ► that oh you know what we didn't think

00:04:36 ◼   ► about that thing that you just did with

00:04:39 ◼   ► this new ability we had and we don't

00:04:41 ◼   ► want you to do that but inevitably this

00:04:43 ◼   ► always causes lots of grief for all the

00:04:46 ◼   ► people involved at the developer Apple

00:04:47 ◼   ► and all of us who read about it and

00:04:50 ◼   ► complain about it because ultimately

00:04:51 ◼   ► that these are all really messy policies

00:04:55 ◼   ► and messy problems that are that are

00:04:56 ◼   ► hard to get right on all sides and so I

00:05:00 ◼   ► think it'll be to see what that will be

00:05:01 ◼   ► there's a lot of new stuff available

00:05:03 ◼   ► that you can play with now a lot of new

00:05:05 ◼   ► apps and app capabilities you can do all

00:05:07 ◼   ► the entire messages app store to me it's

00:05:09 ◼   ► fascinating

00:05:10 ◼   ► I am really curious to what happens

00:05:12 ◼   ► there I'm also really curious to see

00:05:16 ◼   ► whether there will be a big rush of iOS

00:05:20 ◼   ► 10 apps on day one or for day one

00:05:23 ◼   ► because it seems to me and this this

00:05:26 ◼   ► could just be like anecdotal or the

00:05:28 ◼   ► people I hang around with or whatever

00:05:29 ◼   ► else you know they this is based on

00:05:31 ◼   ► nothing except my own intuition and

00:05:33 ◼   ► anecdotes but it does seem to me that

00:05:36 ◼   ► there is less of a push to get your

00:05:41 ◼   ► stuff out there on day one recently as

00:05:43 ◼   ► the App Store economy become as we

00:05:45 ◼   ► discussed last episode as the economy

00:05:47 ◼   ► becomes a lot more challenging and a lot

00:05:49 ◼   ► of Indies just have bowed out or have

00:05:52 ◼   ► had to take consulting work to pay a lot

00:05:54 ◼   ► of the bills and a lot of you know

00:05:58 ◼   ► there's they're basically like there's

00:05:59 ◼   ► less I think there's less upside now to

00:06:03 ◼   ► rushing your stuff out and being there

00:06:04 ◼   ► on day one for new platforms new

00:06:06 ◼   ► capabilities new iOS versions things

00:06:09 ◼   ► like that because the app market has

00:06:11 ◼   ► cooled down so much for people like us

00:06:14 ◼   ► but I don't I mean you know better than

00:06:16 ◼   ► I because you you you are almost always

00:06:18 ◼   ► out there on day one with with new stuff

00:06:21 ◼   ► have you do you think it's still worth

00:06:23 ◼   ► getting out there on day one and do you

00:06:25 ◼   ► do you expect a lot of people will or is

00:06:27 ◼   ► it is it either not worth it or can

00:06:29 ◼   ► people not really afford to spend that

00:06:31 ◼   ► much time on it I think so it is always

00:06:34 ◼   ► yeah I've done a lot of getting ready

00:06:38 ◼   ► for day one and this

00:06:39 ◼   ► my plan is I originally had been hoping

00:06:41 ◼   ► to have my next new app ready for day

00:06:44 ◼   ► one it doesn't look like that's gonna

00:06:45 ◼   ► happen but instead I'm just gonna have

00:06:47 ◼   ► updates for iOS 10 watch OS 3 for my

00:06:51 ◼   ► main apps will be ready on day one you

00:06:54 ◼   ► know they're essentially ready now I'm

00:06:55 ◼   ► in the final stages of testing and I've

00:06:58 ◼   ► been focused on that and I think though

00:07:00 ◼   ► that makes a lot of sense that if you

00:07:01 ◼   ► have an existing product that has a new

00:07:03 ◼   ► capability that it can take advantage of

00:07:05 ◼   ► to be ready on day one that's like it's

00:07:08 ◼   ► a surgery or you're in a doubly good

00:07:10 ◼   ► situation there on the one side like in

00:07:13 ◼   ► this case for a lot of my apps watch OS

00:07:15 ◼   ► 3 is the big new thing and it's so great

00:07:18 ◼   ► for me because my apps

00:07:20 ◼   ► Akin's really take advantage of that and

00:07:23 ◼   ► B's a lot better so this you know a lot

00:07:25 ◼   ► of my apps are going to be switching to

00:07:27 ◼   ► they're gonna require still require iOS

00:07:29 ◼   ► 9 but they're going to require iOS or

00:07:31 ◼   ► watch OS 3 because what reversed 3 is

00:07:34 ◼   ► just so much better and so I'm looking

00:07:36 ◼   ► forward to just dropping support for

00:07:38 ◼   ► watch OS 2 and plowing ahead there and

00:07:40 ◼   ► they'll be better for developers and

00:07:42 ◼   ► then I think also it's it's it's also

00:07:44 ◼   ► beneficial to you because if you have an

00:07:46 ◼   ► existing app especially one with a

00:07:48 ◼   ► reason you know any kind of existing

00:07:50 ◼   ► audience following whatever and you do

00:07:55 ◼   ► an update that takes advantage of the

00:07:56 ◼   ► new stuff I think it's easier to get on

00:07:58 ◼   ► Apple's radar for being featured or

00:08:01 ◼   ► being in that group of you know things

00:08:03 ◼   ► like or even not from Apple and just

00:08:06 ◼   ► from the press like it's easier to kind

00:08:08 ◼   ► of get it get that little boost of

00:08:10 ◼   ► attention but other than that like it is

00:08:12 ◼   ► a I think there was a time when trying

00:08:16 ◼   ► to fight for that do that day one like

00:08:19 ◼   ► being the first to do something maybe

00:08:21 ◼   ► booth mattered more but I will certainly

00:08:23 ◼   ► say I don't think it matters nearly as

00:08:24 ◼   ► much as it used to to be in that first

00:08:26 ◼   ► wave of things because in general it's

00:08:29 ◼   ► so difficult and the volume of apps

00:08:32 ◼   ► coming out in the App Store is so high

00:08:34 ◼   ► that in some ways it's worse to be in

00:08:38 ◼   ► that first real wave like this is always

00:08:40 ◼   ► the tension that I've always felt when I

00:08:41 ◼   ► come and I come towards the end of the

00:08:43 ◼   ► summer is on there's the upside of being

00:08:46 ◼   ► in that first wave is like there's that

00:08:48 ◼   ► there's a built-in audience looking for

00:08:50 ◼   ► new stuff both on Apple and their

00:08:52 ◼   ► editorial

00:08:52 ◼   ► team as well as in the press as well as

00:08:54 ◼   ► customers like penis a I got a brand new

00:08:56 ◼   ► phone I wonder what I can do it can do

00:08:58 ◼   ► this cool new thing great I want to take

00:09:00 ◼   ► advantage of that but I'm the downside

00:09:03 ◼   ► you're competing against all the people

00:09:06 ◼   ► trying to take advantage of that

00:09:07 ◼   ► built-in audience at the same time and

00:09:09 ◼   ► so you're like via the focus that you

00:09:12 ◼   ► could get on yourself is so much more

00:09:14 ◼   ► diluted that even if you are ready and

00:09:16 ◼   ► you are in that first wave and you do

00:09:18 ◼   ► get some attention from some other

00:09:19 ◼   ► things you're going to be sharing that

00:09:21 ◼   ► with you know tens or 20 of the other

00:09:23 ◼   ► apps like you're gonna be one of the you

00:09:26 ◼   ► know here's the ten new apps for iOS 10

00:09:28 ◼   ► you need to be aware of like the you're

00:09:30 ◼   ► in a slideshow you're being you know

00:09:31 ◼   ► you're in that slideshow on the verge or

00:09:33 ◼   ► something you're not whereas if you wait

00:09:36 ◼   ► a couple months and you release your new

00:09:37 ◼   ► app in November say you may actually

00:09:41 ◼   ► just get attention on your own in a way

00:09:44 ◼   ► that is probably a bit more constructive

00:09:46 ◼   ► especially when you know as like this is

00:09:49 ◼   ► a really busy time for that for the

00:09:51 ◼   ► press in general and so they're not

00:09:53 ◼   ► quite as much looking for articles to

00:09:55 ◼   ► write like if you do it later when new

00:09:57 ◼   ► things are a bit slower in the news

00:09:58 ◼   ► cycle and you're just you know it's it's

00:10:00 ◼   ► nice for them to have something

00:10:02 ◼   ► interesting to write about like that has

00:10:03 ◼   ► a great benefit too and there's always

00:10:05 ◼   ► been a tension there's always been that

00:10:06 ◼   ► the tension between if you're in that

00:10:09 ◼   ► like that new group it's like you're

00:10:11 ◼   ► your potential is bigger perhaps but

00:10:14 ◼   ► you're the risk of getting lost in the

00:10:16 ◼   ► noise I think is also higher and I think

00:10:19 ◼   ► so in general like the fact that I'm

00:10:21 ◼   ► know I'm gonna miss day one with my next

00:10:23 ◼   ► app like I there's a time when I'd

00:10:25 ◼   ► probably be worried about that at this

00:10:27 ◼   ► point I'm not really worried I'm like

00:10:28 ◼   ► that's fine it'll just I'll release it

00:10:30 ◼   ► sometime this fall when it's ready and

00:10:32 ◼   ► go from there and I'm not too worried

00:10:35 ◼   ► about being ready on day one except for

00:10:37 ◼   ► you know from the for the iOS updates

00:10:39 ◼   ► that I have now and obviously if you

00:10:41 ◼   ► have an app update that is necessary you

00:10:45 ◼   ► know so if your app doesn't work

00:10:46 ◼   ► correctly on the new platform or a

00:10:49 ◼   ► situation like that you obviously want

00:10:50 ◼   ► to be ready on day one so that you don't

00:10:52 ◼   ► have the situation where everyone

00:10:54 ◼   ► installs iOS 10 and your app stops

00:10:56 ◼   ► working like it starts crashing on

00:10:57 ◼   ► launch or something like you want to be

00:10:59 ◼   ► ready on day one if that were the case

00:11:01 ◼   ► but in general you can just kind of take

00:11:04 ◼   ► it easy at this point I'd say and the

00:11:05 ◼   ► good thing about that ladder

00:11:06 ◼   ► to about like if your app actually

00:11:08 ◼   ► doesn't work on ten you probably know

00:11:10 ◼   ► that already because that probably

00:11:11 ◼   ► happened during the beta period and so

00:11:13 ◼   ► many people are in the betas these days

00:11:15 ◼   ► that you can generally be sure that if

00:11:17 ◼   ► your app if the if the previous version

00:11:20 ◼   ► build of your app like if the you know

00:11:21 ◼   ► building with the Iowa's nine SDK but

00:11:23 ◼   ► happened but running it on iOS 10 if

00:11:25 ◼   ► that has worked during the betas it'll

00:11:28 ◼   ► probably work during the GM so you can

00:11:30 ◼   ► be reasonably assured of that you know

00:11:31 ◼   ► most of the time but you know I too have

00:11:34 ◼   ► have faced a similar dilemma of like do

00:11:37 ◼   ► you want to join the rush do you want to

00:11:39 ◼   ► compete in the rush and you know try to

00:11:41 ◼   ► catch that big wave early on and

00:11:43 ◼   ► ultimately I I don't know how big the

00:11:47 ◼   ► wave is like the the idea here is that

00:11:51 ◼   ► you are competing with all these other

00:11:53 ◼   ► you know attention-grabbing

00:11:54 ◼   ► sources here and all these other apps

00:11:56 ◼   ► that are vying for features and press

00:11:59 ◼   ► reviews and everything else the whole

00:12:01 ◼   ► idea here is you're competing for that

00:12:03 ◼   ► in order to get that that massive wave

00:12:06 ◼   ► of people and that the wave is the

00:12:07 ◼   ► assumption is that the wave is big

00:12:08 ◼   ► enough that it's worth it but I'm not

00:12:11 ◼   ► sure the wave is big enough these like

00:12:13 ◼   ► what I what I've seen over the last you

00:12:15 ◼   ► know well heck over the entire App Store

00:12:17 ◼   ► basically is you know they're they're

00:12:19 ◼   ► obviously years where iPhone and iPad

00:12:21 ◼   ► growth is better than others and also

00:12:23 ◼   ► the market has had fewer and fewer new

00:12:27 ◼   ► customers I think over time or at least

00:12:29 ◼   ► recently that you know it's seen that

00:12:32 ◼   ► there's a lot of the a lot of the iPhone

00:12:33 ◼   ► and iPad sales are selling to people who

00:12:35 ◼   ► already had them who were just upgrading

00:12:36 ◼   ► basically people who already had Apple

00:12:38 ◼   ► IDs who might have probably already

00:12:40 ◼   ► heard of and bought or not bought your

00:12:42 ◼   ► apps and so what I've seen over time is

00:12:45 ◼   ► you know it major holidays like

00:12:48 ◼   ► Christmas and major new iPhone and iPad

00:12:50 ◼   ► releases used to cause big spikes in my

00:12:53 ◼   ► sales or and or downloads and over time

00:12:56 ◼   ► the size of those spikes has actually

00:12:58 ◼   ► decreased that in recent years those

00:13:01 ◼   ► spikes aren't actually that substantial

00:13:03 ◼   ► and so maybe the right calculus here is

00:13:07 ◼   ► to not compete for this big wave with

00:13:10 ◼   ► all with everybody else because the wave

00:13:12 ◼   ► isn't that big anymore or at least it's

00:13:14 ◼   ► not big enough to make it worth all the

00:13:17 ◼   ► competition and fighting for all the

00:13:19 ◼   ► attention

00:13:20 ◼   ► and so free personally I mean this could

00:13:22 ◼   ► all just be wishful thinking because I'm

00:13:24 ◼   ► not gonna be ready on day one either

00:13:25 ◼   ► not even close I have done I've done

00:13:28 ◼   ► only a very small part of the work on

00:13:29 ◼   ► overcast 3.0 so far and it's most likely

00:13:32 ◼   ► going to be a spring release not a fall

00:13:33 ◼   ► release if I had to take a guess now but

00:13:36 ◼   ► I you know I I think that's ultimately

00:13:39 ◼   ► not that bad of a thing because as you

00:13:41 ◼   ► said like there's so many people vying

00:13:43 ◼   ► for the tension on day zero of the new

00:13:46 ◼   ► release and the new phones being

00:13:47 ◼   ► released that like I as a user as a

00:13:51 ◼   ► person who loves apps and reads blogs

00:13:53 ◼   ► about apps and stuff I get overwhelmed

00:13:55 ◼   ► with all the announcements that are made

00:13:57 ◼   ► and I usually end up forgetting more

00:13:58 ◼   ► than half of them and I have to imagine

00:14:00 ◼   ► that happens a lot a lot of other people

00:14:02 ◼   ► too because there's just so much that

00:14:04 ◼   ► happens during this time so much is

00:14:07 ◼   ► released that you know you could score

00:14:10 ◼   ► big and get a lot of attention from it

00:14:12 ◼   ► but I think it's much more based on luck

00:14:15 ◼   ► at that point than the rest of the year

00:14:18 ◼   ► when there's less competition per day

00:14:20 ◼   ► for attention and you have generally a

00:14:23 ◼   ► better chance of being noticed and I

00:14:25 ◼   ► think there's something to be said to

00:14:26 ◼   ► for its the looking at what you're

00:14:29 ◼   ► trying to build an understanding if the

00:14:31 ◼   ► if it is truly a new I guess so I'm

00:14:38 ◼   ► thinking about a little bit of the

00:14:39 ◼   ► history with one of my half speedometer

00:14:41 ◼   ► plus plus which is a step counter and I

00:14:43 ◼   ► remember quite specifically how that app

00:14:46 ◼   ► came to be because it was one of those

00:14:48 ◼   ► cases where being there on day one

00:14:50 ◼   ► turned out to be perhaps not essential

00:14:53 ◼   ► but very important for the way that it

00:14:55 ◼   ► gained traction and so several years ago

00:14:58 ◼   ► when the Apple first added a motion

00:15:02 ◼   ► coprocessor to the iPhone that we'd gone

00:15:04 ◼   ► through all the way through the summer

00:15:05 ◼   ► like in WDC and there are no sign in any

00:15:09 ◼   ► of the SDKs or in the GM or and the

00:15:11 ◼   ► betas or anything about to this new

00:15:13 ◼   ► capability there's going to come out at

00:15:14 ◼   ► the new phone and at the event

00:15:17 ◼   ► Phyllis Trillo gets on the stage and

00:15:18 ◼   ► says hey it has this motion processor

00:15:19 ◼   ► that can count steps and that evening or

00:15:22 ◼   ► I guess a few hours after the event your

00:15:24 ◼   ► Apple updates the new GM's and I go into

00:15:26 ◼   ► the beta diffs and there's this new

00:15:28 ◼   ► class cm pedometer and it was a way of

00:15:30 ◼   ► measuring and tracking steps and at this

00:15:32 ◼   ► point there's no hardware that

00:15:34 ◼   ► cysts that can do that the simulator

00:15:36 ◼   ► doesn't do it and I was like you know

00:15:38 ◼   ► but I think this is kind of cool I'd

00:15:40 ◼   ► like to make a pedometer using this API

00:15:41 ◼   ► and so I spent the next week without a

00:15:44 ◼   ► heart without any hardware working on a

00:15:46 ◼   ► version of this aware version of the app

00:15:49 ◼   ► that ultimately would become phenomenal

00:15:50 ◼   ► plus plus and you know I remember I that

00:15:53 ◼   ► you know that iPhone launch I stayed up

00:15:56 ◼   ► at in you know told like oh it's not

00:15:59 ◼   ► quite over night I got up maybe at like

00:16:01 ◼   ► 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning I went to

00:16:02 ◼   ► line up at my local Apple store I went I

00:16:04 ◼   ► got an iPhone I ran back to my office I

00:16:06 ◼   ► plugged you know plugged it in checked

00:16:09 ◼   ► this app that I've been working entirely

00:16:11 ◼   ► theoretically the past week on made sure

00:16:14 ◼   ► that it worked as soon as it showed any

00:16:16 ◼   ► kind of step counting I just submitted

00:16:18 ◼   ► to the App Store and hope for the best

00:16:19 ◼   ► and it turned out that was a big big

00:16:23 ◼   ► boon for that particular app because

00:16:25 ◼   ► there were no apps at all that could

00:16:28 ◼   ► today were taking advantage of the m7

00:16:30 ◼   ► chip at that time and so when people in

00:16:33 ◼   ► the press when people who had just

00:16:35 ◼   ► bought these new phones we're looking to

00:16:37 ◼   ► see if it what like what is this new

00:16:39 ◼   ► thing and how does it work I was able to

00:16:42 ◼   ► be an app that you know people could go

00:16:43 ◼   ► and try and so it was important to be in

00:16:45 ◼   ► that first wave because there was this

00:16:48 ◼   ► pent-up to sort of demand for that that

00:16:50 ◼   ► being in not if I had released the same

00:16:53 ◼   ► app a few months later there wouldn't

00:16:55 ◼   ► have been nearly that same sort of

00:16:57 ◼   ► initial interest and so that was a new

00:16:59 ◼   ► Scituate like something completely new

00:17:00 ◼   ► and something that being there on being

00:17:03 ◼   ► the first sort of mattered whereas a lot

00:17:06 ◼   ► of updates are a lot of apps that if

00:17:08 ◼   ► you're doing something that wasn't

00:17:10 ◼   ► completely impossible before you know if

00:17:12 ◼   ► you're doing if you were doing it's just

00:17:14 ◼   ► an update to an existing app or it's an

00:17:16 ◼   ► app in an existing category that takes

00:17:18 ◼   ► advantage perhaps of the new stuff but

00:17:20 ◼   ► isn't completely new and revolutionary

00:17:23 ◼   ► then you know waiting probably doesn't

00:17:26 ◼   ► matter as much but I'm definitely you

00:17:28 ◼   ► know every year I will go to the event

00:17:29 ◼   ► or go to the event I'll watch the event

00:17:31 ◼   ► next week and one of the things I will

00:17:33 ◼   ► turn always be paying attention to it's

00:17:34 ◼   ► like is there something new that they're

00:17:36 ◼   ► announcing here that hasn't been in the

00:17:38 ◼   ► betas that is going to magically appear

00:17:40 ◼   ► next Wednesday and is there an

00:17:42 ◼   ► opportunity there and if there is like

00:17:44 ◼   ► maybe I'll chase after it but if it's

00:17:46 ◼   ► not in that category

00:17:47 ◼   ► where you have something very specific

00:17:49 ◼   ► that is it wasn't possible before it's

00:17:53 ◼   ► probably fine to just let it go

00:17:54 ◼   ► yeah I'm curious to think like what you

00:17:57 ◼   ► know for for what we have heard in the

00:17:59 ◼   ► rumor mill about these new iPhones and

00:18:01 ◼   ► possibly new watches I wonder like what

00:18:04 ◼   ► what kinds of things might that be that

00:18:07 ◼   ► that become available next week that we

00:18:08 ◼   ► don't know about yet and you know

00:18:10 ◼   ► according to the rumor mill like I think

00:18:11 ◼   ► the the rumored dual camera or dual lens

00:18:14 ◼   ► camera on the on the big phone the the

00:18:17 ◼   ► plus size phone that might be something

00:18:19 ◼   ► interesting you know lots of people use

00:18:20 ◼   ► their phones as a camera that's a really

00:18:22 ◼   ► big business dealing with camera apps

00:18:24 ◼   ► and photo processing and everything else

00:18:26 ◼   ► so anything that is enabled by a a

00:18:29 ◼   ► substantially better camera might be a

00:18:31 ◼   ► really new category to go into later but

00:18:33 ◼   ► of course there's gonna be lots of

00:18:34 ◼   ► competition in the head but and even

00:18:36 ◼   ► there like the tricky thing is whatever

00:18:37 ◼   ► that new capability that camera has the

00:18:40 ◼   ► built-in Apple camera will probably be

00:18:43 ◼   ► able to do it exactly yes I think that's

00:18:46 ◼   ► the thing where it gets really

00:18:46 ◼   ► interesting is finding an opportunity

00:18:48 ◼   ► where there's a new capability that

00:18:50 ◼   ► Apple isn't themselves addressing at all

00:18:52 ◼   ► like that like that intersection is

00:18:55 ◼   ► where really interesting app

00:18:56 ◼   ► opportunities exist and and of course

00:18:58 ◼   ► and and the watch also like you know if

00:19:00 ◼   ► if the watch hardware comes out as

00:19:03 ◼   ► rumored sometime soon who knows and if

00:19:06 ◼   ► the rumors are true that it has Hardware

00:19:08 ◼   ► GPS and maybe some other upgrades like

00:19:09 ◼   ► would that also enabled new stuff looks

00:19:12 ◼   ► like maybe it's it's tricky because like

00:19:15 ◼   ► so many of these things I think about

00:19:18 ◼   ► you know with the watch and GPS and

00:19:20 ◼   ► maybe I'm just not creative enough but

00:19:21 ◼   ► it's a tricky thing to imagine a totally

00:19:25 ◼   ► new thing that you could do with that

00:19:26 ◼   ► like it's useful for the watch to have

00:19:27 ◼   ► GPS but because it requires your iPhone

00:19:32 ◼   ► to be near to it to do anything with the

00:19:36 ◼   ► data unless you're doing a sort of

00:19:38 ◼   ► retrospectively it you your iPhones had

00:19:41 ◼   ► a GPS in it since the 3G I think or

00:19:45 ◼   ► something like that doesn't so it's not

00:19:47 ◼   ► a brand new totally you know new

00:19:49 ◼   ► capability and so it's tricky to imagine

00:19:54 ◼   ► what that would be it's it's like it

00:19:55 ◼   ► will probably make existing apps better

00:19:57 ◼   ► and those kinds of changes are ones that

00:20:00 ◼   ► are think are less

00:20:01 ◼   ► exciting from a like new category

00:20:04 ◼   ► perspective you know even like you're

00:20:05 ◼   ► saying with the camera like there's lots

00:20:07 ◼   ► of camera existing camera apps and so

00:20:09 ◼   ► even if you took advantage of the new

00:20:11 ◼   ► dual camera system in some amazing and

00:20:14 ◼   ► awesome and cool way you're right you're

00:20:16 ◼   ► going into a set ready saturated market

00:20:19 ◼   ► it's not a new market that didn't exist

00:20:22 ◼   ► before where suddenly rather than

00:20:23 ◼   ► competing against thousands of apps

00:20:25 ◼   ► you're competing against ten apps you

00:20:28 ◼   ► know that would be exciting that would

00:20:29 ◼   ► be interesting but if you're if it's

00:20:31 ◼   ► just something that has been done before

00:20:32 ◼   ► but it's just now better that's a that's

00:20:35 ◼   ► a harder sell I think that's a fair

00:20:37 ◼   ► point well speaking of things that have

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00:22:25 ◼   ► supporting this show okay so I guess one

00:22:30 ◼   ► of the thing that it seems like it made

00:22:31 ◼   ► sense for us to dive into is if you have

00:22:34 ◼   ► decided to you know join the rush and be

00:22:39 ◼   ► in there in the in the sort of the wild

00:22:41 ◼   ► craze to being on day one there's an

00:22:45 ◼   ► interesting aspect to that that I don't

00:22:47 ◼   ► think is very well documented just sort

00:22:50 ◼   ► of generally and so it seemed worth

00:22:51 ◼   ► talking about and that's the process

00:22:52 ◼   ► that goes into being featured by Apple

00:22:56 ◼   ► so this is you know I guess in many ways

00:22:59 ◼   ► the goal or at least it's a nice

00:23:01 ◼   ► confirmation that the work you've been

00:23:03 ◼   ► doing is you know is is good is

00:23:05 ◼   ► worthwhile is perhaps gonna have some

00:23:07 ◼   ► success is you know when you submit your

00:23:09 ◼   ► application to the App Store and you

00:23:12 ◼   ► then get an email back from Apple saying

00:23:14 ◼   ► your app is being considered for

00:23:16 ◼   ► promotion which I remember you know I

00:23:19 ◼   ► the first time I got one of those I mean

00:23:21 ◼   ► it's like dancing around my office like

00:23:23 ◼   ► that is so cool too because up until

00:23:25 ◼   ► that point so much for your development

00:23:26 ◼   ► process has been in fairly isolated or

00:23:29 ◼   ► lonely like you've got or like you've

00:23:31 ◼   ► shown it to your friends but obviously

00:23:32 ◼   ► they're gonna be nice to you because

00:23:34 ◼   ► they're your friends but Apple has no

00:23:37 ◼   ► interest in being nice to you in that

00:23:38 ◼   ► regard like if your app isn't good

00:23:39 ◼   ► they're not gonna feature it and so it's

00:23:43 ◼   ► really cool to get that external

00:23:45 ◼   ► validation when you get an email and the

00:23:47 ◼   ► way that process typically works is

00:23:48 ◼   ► you'll get an email back and it'll say

00:23:50 ◼   ► you know hey your app is being you know

00:23:53 ◼   ► considered for promotion and within the

00:23:55 ◼   ► App Store and they need some things from

00:23:57 ◼   ► you and it's important to probably

00:23:59 ◼   ► emphasize that they say considered for

00:24:00 ◼   ► promotion it's anything anything that

00:24:03 ◼   ► any interactions you have it you have

00:24:05 ◼   ► with Apple in this sort of process are

00:24:07 ◼   ► entirely there's no guarantees that they

00:24:10 ◼   ► may or may not end up actually featuring

00:24:13 ◼   ► you it's just going to depend on what

00:24:14 ◼   ► makes sense what you give back to them

00:24:16 ◼   ► you know like a lot of times I get the

00:24:18 ◼   ► impression that there's different you

00:24:20 ◼   ► know they're trying to put together

00:24:21 ◼   ► different campaigns or collections of

00:24:23 ◼   ► apps on their end and if they don't get

00:24:27 ◼   ► enough of apps in one

00:24:28 ◼   ► Gouri or just they decide to go another

00:24:30 ◼   ► way maybe they'll just sort of you that

00:24:32 ◼   ► that particular promotion that they were

00:24:33 ◼   ► thinking about may not ever run what

00:24:36 ◼   ► they'll ask you for is essentially that

00:24:37 ◼   ► banner that you see in the app store so

00:24:40 ◼   ► if you open up the App Store right now

00:24:41 ◼   ► on your phone and go to any category or

00:24:44 ◼   ► the featured pages you'll see like the

00:24:46 ◼   ► not not the app icon display the kind of

00:24:49 ◼   ► the bigger rectangles just that you know

00:24:53 ◼   ► usually have the apps name and some kind

00:24:55 ◼   ► of artwork associated with it and

00:24:57 ◼   ► essentially Apple is just asking you to

00:24:58 ◼   ► make that that banner for you and so if

00:25:01 ◼   ► you get one of these emails and you get

00:25:03 ◼   ► that you know get that artwork usually

00:25:05 ◼   ► it said based they'll give you say

00:25:06 ◼   ► something along the lines of you know

00:25:08 ◼   ► you have a couple of days to get back to

00:25:09 ◼   ► them I would definitely encourage you to

00:25:12 ◼   ► work hard to get something back to them

00:25:14 ◼   ► it's one of the it's definitely I

00:25:16 ◼   ► wouldn't push it in terms of if they say

00:25:18 ◼   ► they need it by next Thursday I'd get it

00:25:20 ◼   ► to them next Wednesday you know you want

00:25:22 ◼   ► to be responsive and doing everything

00:25:26 ◼   ► you can on there on your end because I

00:25:28 ◼   ► imagine you're not the only one they're

00:25:30 ◼   ► sending that email to and so anything

00:25:32 ◼   ► you can do to make their life easier

00:25:33 ◼   ► it's going to just increase the chances

00:25:36 ◼   ► that you're gonna end up being featured

00:25:37 ◼   ► you know that much more but you know you

00:25:40 ◼   ► put together this big PSD file you'll

00:25:43 ◼   ► send it back to them and then you wait

00:25:44 ◼   ► and if the waiting part is definitely

00:25:47 ◼   ► always a little bit disconcerting like I

00:25:49 ◼   ► you often find you know someone else

00:25:52 ◼   ► will tell you that your app is being

00:25:53 ◼   ► featured because you just never know

00:25:54 ◼   ► when it's gonna happen there's not a lot

00:25:56 ◼   ► of visibility into that and they don't

00:25:58 ◼   ► tell you and if they choose it like they

00:25:59 ◼   ► like no one tells you unless you notice

00:26:01 ◼   ► it or someone else exactly they like you

00:26:03 ◼   ► there's no it's not no it's not like a

00:26:05 ◼   ► conversation you're having it's very you

00:26:07 ◼   ► get the email that says give us this

00:26:09 ◼   ► thing and you upload the thing into

00:26:11 ◼   ► iTunes Connect and then you just wait

00:26:13 ◼   ► yeah yeah it used to be FTP servers and

00:26:16 ◼   ► before there was email attachments at

00:26:17 ◼   ► one time like it the system has gotten a

00:26:19 ◼   ► lot better over the years so a couple

00:26:22 ◼   ► things number one most at metrics

00:26:26 ◼   ► services things like app figures or the

00:26:28 ◼   ► one I use they will usually have a way

00:26:31 ◼   ► to track whether you're featured so you

00:26:32 ◼   ► don't have to be checking every store in

00:26:34 ◼   ► every country with every category and

00:26:36 ◼   ► every page so you usually like vailable

00:26:38 ◼   ► they lovely attract that which is nice

00:26:39 ◼   ► also

00:26:41 ◼   ► Apple will occasionally request things

00:26:44 ◼   ► for their social media accounts and you

00:26:46 ◼   ► and I have both had this happen that so

00:26:48 ◼   ► that that's like the app store account

00:26:49 ◼   ► on on Twitter and I believe is also on

00:26:51 ◼   ► on Facebook and the requirements are

00:26:54 ◼   ► pretty different for those than for the

00:26:55 ◼   ► regular promotional artwork they have a

00:26:58 ◼   ► lot of restrictions on them that

00:26:59 ◼   ► basically mean that you will probably

00:27:01 ◼   ► have to make something brand new just

00:27:03 ◼   ► for that often times you will have to go

00:27:05 ◼   ► to a designer just for that or license

00:27:06 ◼   ► new a new stock photo or something like

00:27:08 ◼   ► that that's one of the ones I did those

00:27:11 ◼   ► are probably not worth it in my

00:27:14 ◼   ► experience so far it so basically these

00:27:16 ◼   ► these artwork requests it is almost

00:27:19 ◼   ► always worth responding to them

00:27:21 ◼   ► completely and quickly but it is not

00:27:24 ◼   ► probably worth having to go like hire a

00:27:27 ◼   ► designer for a whole lot more time or

00:27:30 ◼   ► buy new assets or create all new assets

00:27:33 ◼   ► if it's gonna be a lot of time or

00:27:35 ◼   ► expense to you because the chances of

00:27:37 ◼   ► you getting featured are already not

00:27:39 ◼   ► probably above 50% and the chances you

00:27:42 ◼   ► getting featured in a place that drives

00:27:44 ◼   ► enough downloads to matter is pretty low

00:27:47 ◼   ► as well and so you know keep it you know

00:27:50 ◼   ► keep your head straight when you get

00:27:51 ◼   ► these requests don't go totally nuts

00:27:52 ◼   ► trying to serve them with like the most

00:27:54 ◼   ► amazing stuff in the world because you

00:27:57 ◼   ► know it the possible upside usually is

00:27:59 ◼   ► fairly small and and the the ones that

00:28:02 ◼   ► had the larger upsides like the big a

00:28:04 ◼   ► star banners are actually the easiest

00:28:06 ◼   ► ones to make you don't go nuts yeah and

00:28:10 ◼   ► I think that's very fair to say that I

00:28:11 ◼   ► think it's important to you anytime you

00:28:14 ◼   ► get an opportunity I mean this it

00:28:16 ◼   ► applies probably to a lot of you know

00:28:18 ◼   ► press publications as things as well but

00:28:20 ◼   ► in general like if you have an

00:28:21 ◼   ► opportunity to someone's asking for

00:28:23 ◼   ► assets from you to help them promote to

00:28:26 ◼   ► you like that's pretty much a good thing

00:28:28 ◼   ► and yeah I wouldn't go crazy like

00:28:30 ◼   ► whenever I get the the social media ones

00:28:32 ◼   ► that ask for things like I just got a

00:28:34 ◼   ► you know a stock photo site I'll find a

00:28:36 ◼   ► relevant image you know formatted in the

00:28:39 ◼   ► way they need it and send it off and

00:28:40 ◼   ► it's yeah it's a cut maybe a couple

00:28:42 ◼   ► hours work you could imagine going down

00:28:44 ◼   ► the road of doing a lot of heavy work

00:28:46 ◼   ► there but it's probably not going to pay

00:28:49 ◼   ► off because the difference between an

00:28:51 ◼   ► amazing featured banner a

00:28:54 ◼   ► just a basic future banner it's probably

00:28:57 ◼   ► relatively small in terms of traffic and

00:28:59 ◼   ► like you said I mean that the social

00:29:01 ◼   ► ones I found have some impact may be on

00:29:04 ◼   ► on downloads but not very much there's

00:29:06 ◼   ► just not not new there's something not

00:29:08 ◼   ► nearly as powerful as you know being

00:29:10 ◼   ► promoted in the App Store which is an

00:29:12 ◼   ► app someone has launched because they're

00:29:14 ◼   ► looking for an app and then they'll see

00:29:16 ◼   ► a promotion for an app so they're ready

00:29:19 ◼   ► in the I want an app oh look here's an

00:29:21 ◼   ► app oh let me get this app it's always

00:29:24 ◼   ► gonna be more powerful than you know

00:29:25 ◼   ► someone's on Twitter looking at the news

00:29:27 ◼   ► or on Facebook looking at you know like

00:29:30 ◼   ► pictures from their friends and then

00:29:33 ◼   ► they see and you know something about an

00:29:35 ◼   ► app but this is never gonna be as

00:29:36 ◼   ► compelling so I wouldn't worry about it

00:29:37 ◼   ► quite as much exactly yeah so keep your

00:29:40 ◼   ► head on straight don't get your hopes up

00:29:42 ◼   ► too far but respond quickly it sounds

00:29:44 ◼   ► about right

00:29:44 ◼   ► all right that's all the time we have

00:29:46 ◼   ► for this week thank you everybody for

00:29:47 ◼   ► listening and we will talk to you next

00:29:49 ◼   ► week bye