This week we take a look at how developers tease their apps to build hype, how they manage relationships with the press, and how journalists feel about this themselves.
Over the years, I’ve often been asked to share my process for evaluating app pitches and tips/best practices for developers who want to work with the press for a successful app launch. I’m very happy to have contributed some thoughts for Myke Hurley’s excellent Inquisitive series, Behind the App. The episode features some great guests, and, if you’re a developer, I strongly recommend listening to this.
If you’re not familiar with Behind the App, it’s a fantastic series on Relay FM about app making and the people behind the apps we use every day. It’s an Inquisitive series, so start from this episode and work your way up to #35 (the latest one).
This week, the boys are joined by Jason Snell to talk about Photos.app, then wrap up “Becoming Steve Jobs.”
On this week’s Connected, we invited everyone’s favorite power slider, Jason Snell, to discuss Photos for OS X. I didn’t talk much, but I listened. You can get the episode here.
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This week Federico and Myke talk about Lego Dimensions, the new Guitar Hero, Pokemon Rumble World and whether Apple Watch games make sense.
Even if you don’t play videogames much, I’d recommend listening to this week’s Virtual for the smartwatch section and how game developers are approaching Apple Watch. You can listen here.
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As with every product we make, we want as many people as possible to enjoy using Apple Watch. That’s why it’s designed with assistive technologies and features that make it easy for people with disabilities to use. Accessing them is also simple, either through Settings on the device itself or through the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
Apple launched a new webpage for Accessibility in Watch OS last night, highlighting different accessibility features that will be available in the first version of Apple Watch. As Steven Aquino wrote last month, the Taptic Engine could play an important role for the accessibility community.
Angie explained to me that Instagram perfectly suited her vision for The Shade Room: image-centric and interactive. For her purposes, Instagram was the equivalent of WordPress. When she started the feed a year ago, her goal was to accumulate 10,000 followers in the first year. She accomplished that in only two weeks. Angie started by posting about people at the bottom of the celebrity hierarchy (minor reality stars, mostly) and worked her way up to bigger names, building her loyalties slowly. Eventually, readers started sending her tips and videos via Instagram’s direct-messaging feature. Now, The Shade Room has more than half a million followers on Instagram alone.
I wouldn’t recommend Instagram over WordPress to anyone, but it’s interesting to see how a business has been built on top of this.
Bani McSpedden (watch editor of the Australian Financial Review and watch-next.com) has a fascinating take on Apple Watch from the perspective of a watch expert and wearer (don’t miss the video).
This point about bands stood out to me:
Even little details like strap changes have been addressed in an ingenious way. The straps on Apple’s watch – in four styles from silicon to fine leather and metal versions – slide into the case rather than loop around a spring bar, making switching from one to another as simple as pressing a recessed button.
Why traditional watchmakers haven’t come up with something like this after all these years – well, a century – is a mystery.
When I think about the innovative ease of swapping bands and Apple’s surprisingly low prices, I won’t be surprised if the bands become a sleeper hit of the Apple Watch. These deeply personal, and now incredibly useful, devices will finally join the rest of your wardrobe in being nearly effortless to adjust and re-personalize on a daily basis. That’s going to be powerful, convenient, and appealing.
I can’t wait to see which companies will get into the business of third-party Watch bands. Fortunately, it sounds like it’ll be easy to switch between multiple bands, which should help swapping them on a daily basis. John Gruber writes:
At first, I found swapping watch bands to be a bit fiddly. I can see why Apple wasn’t allowing anyone to do so in the hands-on areas at the press events. But once you do it a few times, you get the hang of it. They really are rather easy to remove, yet they feel very secure once clicked into place. My advice: pay attention to the angle of the slot as you slide them into place.
Just a few years ago, there was a sharp divide between fans of Microsoft and fans of the iPhone. But in this “mobile first, cloud first” world, it’s now possible to combine Apple’s iPhone hardware with Microsoft’s best-in-breed productivity apps and not feel terrible about yourself. Things really have changed, and for the better.
Paul Thurrot as a good rundown of Microsoft’s apps for iOS. I remember a few years ago when it seemed unthinkable to have full Microsoft and Google ecosystems on iOS, and today not only is that completely normal – people expect Microsoft and Google to release their apps on the App Store. How things change.
Apple has purchased Israeli camera technology company LinX Imaging for approximately $20 million, reports The Wall Street Journal. LinX specializes in creating multi-aperture camera equipment for mobile devices and it’s possible that Apple will use the company’s technology in upcoming iOS devices.
Reading through what LinX Imaging had developed, there’s lots of interesting possibilities for the future of iPhone cameras.
The simple truth is that Apple thinks portable cameras can still aspire to higher degrees of quality and convenience, edging towards SLR-like photos without the complexity, cost, and additional hardware of SLR cameras. The iPhone’s camera is one of the features that is improved every year, and it sounds like we’re going to see notable breakthroughs over the next iPhone iterations.
With an update to their iOS app released today, AgileBits has officially introduced 1Password for Apple Watch, which users will be able to install once the Watch launches this month.
On the Watch, 1Password will enable the creation of “bookmarks” to pin important information to the Watch app, where it’ll be easily accessible. From their blog post, an example:
After a couple months of diligently attending the gym, you’ve earned a coveted private locker. Of course, remembering your locker combination is probably not a priority when you’re counting reps. But if you store that combination in 1Password, it only takes a couple of taps for you to see the combination in 1Password for Apple Watch when you’re back at your locker.
Also interesting: AgileBits made the Apple Watch app a Pro feature, which can be unlocked through 1Password’s $9.99 In-App Purchase. I wonder if more developers will follow this route and try to monetize Watch apps as extra features of iPhone apps with IAPs.
