Text Post
Posted 1 year ago

New Updated & Expanded 2nd Edition of My iOS App Marketing Book Now Available

My updated and expanded second edition of The Business of iPhone and iPad App Development: Making and Marketing Apps that Succeed (Apress, 2011) is now available.

First and foremost, I’d like to thank everyone who picked up a copy of the first edition, making it the best-selling business and app marketing book in publication for iOS developers. I truly appreciate all of the wonderful comments and feedback that we’ve received from app designers, programmers, and project managers who found the book beneficial. But even if you’ve already read the first edition, you’ll quickly discover the wealth of new material within the pages of this second edition.

It has been only one year since the publication of the first edition, and yet there have been so many exciting new developments in the mobile arena that the book definitely warranted this well-deserved update. Within that short time, Apple changed the iPhone OS name to iOS for targeting app development on multiple platforms, released the instantly popular iPad tablet and iPhone 4, launched its own iAd in-app advertising network, unveiled the impressive new Xcode 4, rolled out Game Center, continued to evolve and improve iTunes Connect and the App Store, and the list goes on…

Some newcomers have the unrealistic belief that if you build a good app, people will buy it, so they feel an entire book on app marketing may be overkill. That couldn’t be further from the truth! As any experienced developer currently selling apps in the App Store would attest, you should be doing anything and everything possible to help increase exposure and sales for your app. With more than 300,000 apps available in the already overcrowded App Store (and that number continues to grow exponentially every year), it’s now more important than ever to learn how to successfully promote your app to stand out from the vast sea of competitors.

This newly revised and expanded second edition is packed with winning marketing solutions and effective business strategies on the very latest opportunities in the iOS world, including extensive new coverage of iPhone and iPad app marketing, universal applications, iAd, In-App Purchase updates, recent App Store submission policy changes, in-app cross-promotion, social media and sharing, and much more!

The PDF eBook is now available for purchase from Apress at:
http://www.apress.com/book/view/9781430233008

The Printed book will be available through Amazon.com and all major bookstores by March 30, so place your pre-order today:
http://www.amazon.com/Business-iPhone-iPad-App-Development/dp/1430233001/

Code examples from the book can be downloaded from my book site at: http://iphonebusinessbook.com/

If you prefer learning in classes and workshops, there are still a few seats left for my upcoming March 22 online course based on my book. Enroll now at: http://www.scps.nyu.edu/course-detail/X52.9706/20111/the-business-side-of-iphone-and-ipad-app-development

For those of you who have already purchased or pre-ordered the new second edition, THANK YOU!!! Your support and readership is much appreciated! Enjoy! And may your app become the next big seller in the App Store.

Best Regards,
Dave Wooldridge

View Comments
Text Post
Posted 1 year ago

Still a Few Seats Available for My March 22 Online Course on iOS App Marketing

As some of you may know, I’m teaching an online course for NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies, called The Business Side of iPhone and iPad App Development.

Based on my Apress book, The Business of iPhone and iPad App Development, I’ll be showing attendees how to incorporate marketing and business savvy into every aspect of the design, development, and release stages, giving their apps the best possible chance of succeeding in the App Store.

The live online classroom includes 8 weekly sessions on Tuesdays at 6:00pm - 8:30pm EST. The course begins March 22 and runs until May 10.

Anyone can enroll in this online course. Space is limited, but there are a few spots left, so ENROLL NOW!

View Comments
Text Post
Posted 1 year ago

A Busy Year End Schedule - Happy New Year, Everyone!

Well, they say there’s no rest for the weary, and I’m starting to believe it. After an unbelievably busy year full of writing books and iOS app projects, 2010 comes to an official close today with yet more developments on the horizon.

I’m currently racing the clock to finish writing the expanded and updated second edition of The Business of iPhone and iPad App Development: Making and Marketing Apps that Succeed, which is slated for publication by Apress in early March 2011. This second edition will be packed with tons of new information on iAd, Game Center, the very latest marketing strategies for iPhone, iPod touch, and the iPad, new time-saving code examples, and much much more! For those interested, Amazon.com is taking pre-orders at: http://amzn.to/dWrpgC

I’m also excited to announce a special online course that I’ll be teaching for NYU, based on my book. The NYU course is called The Business Side of iPhone and iPad App Development with the new second edition of my Apress book serving as the official textbook. I’m deeply honored to have been approached by NYU and look forward to teaching the weekly course, which runs from March 22 to May 10. The class size is limited, so if you’re interested, sign up for the course soon! Detailed information and online enrollment can be found at: http://bit.ly/hvzxSX

I also have a couple iOS apps in the works that will hopefully see the light of day sometime in early 2011.  I’ll reveal more on that in the coming months.

After the tough economic climate of the last couple years, I’m sure we could all use some positive changes in 2011, so be sure to make that list of New Year’s Resolutions! I’d like to wish everyone a very prosperous, safe, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Cheers!

View Comments
Text Post 3
Notes
Posted 1 year ago

Battling Software Piracy by Courting Consumers

With piracy rates so high for both desktop and mobile apps, developers often question how much time they should spend on trying to bullet-proof their apps. While it’s always a good idea to do what you can to prevent ordinary consumers from cracking your app, don’t spend too much valuable time on it. No matter how much blood, sweat, and tears you put into your anti-piracy measures, the unfortunate truth is that if hackers want to crack your app, they’ll find a way to do it. It’s the challenge they thrive on.

My friend (and ever-so-wise developer guru) Jeff LaMarche posted on Twitter today:
“You can’t win by fighting the pirates. The more complex the scheme, the greater the satisfaction they get from cracking it. You win by courting the consumer. If any potential customer can’t easily buy the product, you’ve failed. It’s the pirate-to-consumer link in the chain that’s vulnerable. Make it easier for the ordinary person to buy than to pirate.”

Even though Jeff was referring to the recent news that the new Android app licensing scheme has already been cracked by hackers, his tweeted words of wisdom actually apply to any software app platform.  

Some iPhone and iPad developers also complain of dismal app piracy rates, but that’s not all money lost. A large percentage of those people using a cracked version would never have paid for that app anyway. But if your industrial-strength anti-piracy measures make it more difficult for ordinary consumers to purchase your app, then you’re doing it wrong! Your time and energy is best invested in keeping your paying customers happy, and making it as easy as possible for consumers to buy your app and not wander toward the cracked sites out there.

One helpful method is by maintaining an inviting, direct relationship with consumers via your web site, blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Sure, answering emails, tweets, and Facebook messages takes time, but it’s just as valuable as the support you provide to existing customers. If there’s a direct connection, consumers are often more motivated to support the developer’s efforts.

Another method that is proving effective in iOS apps is by attracting new customers through the In-App Purchase of add-on content, which can be securely verified via Apple’s servers.

If you’re new to iOS development and haven’t yet checked out Jeff LaMarche’s amazing blog, do yourself a favor and visit: http://iphonedevelopment.blogspot.com/

View Comments
Photo Post 3
Notes
Posted 1 year ago
Unboxing Our New Apress iPad App Development Book! Friday just got a whole lot better with the arrival of a box of books from Apress! Hot off the press is our new Beginning iPad Development for iPhone Developers that I co-wrote with Jack Nutting and Dave Mark. A lot of hard work went into the research and writing of this book, but it was a really fun experience for all of us! Big kudos to co-author Jack Nutting who did the heavy lifting with the code-centric chapters!Packed with tons of useful examples and detailed explanations on all of the new iPad frameworks, it even includes the complete source code for a full-fledged iPad drawing app called Dudel. And since many of the new features in the iPad’s iOS 3.2 are also present in iOS 4, this is one of the first books available in print that extensively covers several of the new APIs that iPhone developers are also eager to learn for creating iOS 4-optimized apps.If you’re an iPhone developer itching to get into iPad app development, you’ll definitely want to read this book, which is now available as an eBook from Apress.com and in print at Amazon.com and bookstores everywhere! Click here for more book info… Happy Friday, everyone!

Unboxing Our New Apress iPad App Development Book!

Friday just got a whole lot better with the arrival of a box of books from Apress! Hot off the press is our new Beginning iPad Development for iPhone Developers that I co-wrote with Jack Nutting and Dave Mark. A lot of hard work went into the research and writing of this book, but it was a really fun experience for all of us! Big kudos to co-author Jack Nutting who did the heavy lifting with the code-centric chapters!

Packed with tons of useful examples and detailed explanations on all of the new iPad frameworks, it even includes the complete source code for a full-fledged iPad drawing app called Dudel. And since many of the new features in the iPad’s iOS 3.2 are also present in iOS 4, this is one of the first books available in print that extensively covers several of the new APIs that iPhone developers are also eager to learn for creating iOS 4-optimized apps.

If you’re an iPhone developer itching to get into iPad app development, you’ll definitely want to read this book, which is now available as an eBook from Apress.com and in print at Amazon.com and bookstores everywhere! Click here for more book info… Happy Friday, everyone!

View Comments
Text Post 3
Notes
Posted 1 year ago

Good Book for Novice Game Developers

Beginning iPhone Games Development book

Developing productivity apps is my comfort zone, but occasionally, I tinker with the idea of creating a game. But game programming requires quite a different set of skills. If you’re an iOS developer interested in making games, Beginning iPhone Games Development (Apress) by Peter Bakhirev, PJ Cabrera, Ian Marsh, Scott Penberthy, Ben Britten Smith, and Eric Wing is a great place to start! This massive 700+ page guide touches upon all the key ingredients you’d want to learn to produce game logic, animation (Quartz 2D, Core Animation, OpenGL ES), music and sounds (Core Audio, AudioAL, AVFoundation), and networking (Bonjour, GameKit). As a fellow Apress author, I’m admittedly biased toward Apress books, but I only recommend the ones that I truly love. I personally learned a lot from this book and feel it’s a very worthy read for any beginning iOS game developer.

Of course, if you’re serious about selling your game in the App Store (insert shameless plug here), you should also check out my book, The Business of iPhone App Development: Making and Marketing Apps that Succeed, which shows you how to incorporate effective marketing and business savvy throughout the design, development, pre-release, and post-launch stages.

View Comments
Video Post 3
Notes
Posted 1 year ago

MGSplitViewController for iPad

Matt Gemmell, known by many developers as the creator of the popular MGTwitterEngine, has produced yet another amazing solution for iOS developers. MGSplitViewController is an open source replacement for UISplitViewController, and includes several cool features that Matt feels should have been in Apple’s own UISplitViewController. Options such as being able to manually adjust the width of the master column, display the master column on either the left or right side of the detail pane, insert the master column alongside the detail pane in Portrait mode without a popover, and even choose to display the master column above the detail pane instead of the default side-by-side placement.

For a better idea of how MGSplitViewController works, watch Matt’s demo video here (or on YouTube).

You can download the source at:
http://github.com/mattgemmell/MGSplitViewController/

After watching the video or playing with the code, I’m sure you’ll agree that MGSplitViewController is simply awesome! If you find the code useful, then show your appreciation for Matt’s hard work by sending him a PayPal donation.

THE BIG QUESTION:
With MGSplitViewController offering so many new custom features not found in Apple’s UISplitViewController, will it pass the scrutiny of the App Store review process? There are several iPad apps in the App Store with graphically enhanced split views, but I can’t think of any approved app UI’s that dramatically alter the split view functionality the way MGSplitViewController does. I’m sure Matt and a large following of developers will be anxiously waiting to see the review fate of the first iPad app that gets submitted to the App Store utilizing MGSplitViewController. I know I’ll be curious. If Apple approves iPad apps that use MGSplitViewController, then I predict a lot of iOS developers will be taking advantage of this cool new split view replacement in their future iPad apps!

Big thanks to Matt Gemmell for contributing such great code to the iOS developer community!

View Comments
Link Post 3
Notes
Posted 2 years ago

iPhone & iPad Resources

Ari Braginsky has compiled a vast list of links to iPhone and iPad development blogs, books, online resources, etc. There’s some great links there, so it’s definitely worth browsing!

View Comments
Text Post 3
Notes
Posted 2 years ago

New Developer Sketchbook for iPad Apps

By popular demand, I’ve created The Developer Sketchbook for iPad Apps. You asked for it, so now it’s available at Amazon.com. As the second book in the popular Developer Sketchbook series, it enables iPad developers to quickly mock-up their next iPad app. This time-saving sketchbook is packed with more than 250 pages, which includes:

* 100 pages of 768 x 1024 grids for Portrait user interface design
* 100 pages of 1024 x 768 grids for Landscape user interface design
* 50 pages of enlarged grids for App Icon design

Like most developers, when I have a new idea for an iPad app, I like to first sketch the initial user interface design on paper. This process enables me to jot down my thoughts quickly, experimenting with different UI concepts. Once I’m satisfied with an optimized design, then I’ll launch Xcode and create the actual UI in Interface Builder.

I was tired of constantly calculating the height measurements of commonly used interface components — over and over again — for every screen I drew on grid paper, so I created my own design templates with unique iPad-specific visual markers. Without interfering with my own sketches, these helpful guidelines indicate the accurate size and placement of the:

* Status Bar
* Navigation Controller
* Toolbar
* Tab Bar Controller
* Portrait Keyboard
* Landscape Keyboard
* Split View Column (Landscape)
* Rounded Corners (App Icon)
* Glossy Bevel (App Icon)
* Horizontal and Vertical Center

These templates have saved me countless hours by streamlining my own user interface design efforts, so I decided to make them available to benefit other iPad app developers. Since it’s typically not practical to carry around a book that’s larger than an actual iPad, the Portrait and Landscape templates have been conveniently scaled down to fit within this compact, portable sketchbook.

The Developer Sketchbook for iPad Apps
258 pages, $15.99

For Details and Screenshots:
http://www.developersketchbook.com/

View Comments
Link Post 3
Notes
Posted 2 years ago

Apple's official list of iPad-ready sites

And the death march on Flash continues as many major web sites — convinced that the iPad will be HUGE — have converted their web sites to use HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript for delivering online news, content, and video playback. Click the link above for Apple’s growing list, which includes CNN, Vimeo, MLB, People, Time, NYT, etc.

Is this an indication that Flash’s demise is imminent? Nah, I’m sure Flash technology will stick around for quite awhile with so many businesses still heavily invested in Flash development. But I do believe the impact of the iPhone, iPod touch, and the iPad will definitely diminish Flash’s importance on the Web. Whatever the future holds, I’m certainly glad I decided to learn Objective-C/Cocoa Touch, instead of Flash/Flex development a few years back.

View Comments