I’ve been spending the last few weeks trying to decide what app to build. I’ve already got a list of ideas that I’d like to attempt, but the problem is choosing one.
What I’d usually do is this:
- Open up Xcode
- Start building and prototyping the app idea
- Decide to carry on with the idea or discard it
This process worked, but it was tiresome. I have a little more than 40 Xcode projects that I’ve started, and only 3 released apps on the App Store, which says a lot about this method.
So here’s what I’ve been doing: Sketching. I can get a pretty accurate idea about the app I’m considering making by simply transferring it from my brain onto a piece of paper. It’s faster, easier to do, and much more satisfying.
An additional bonus is that I’ll end up with a neat scrapbook of my ideas later on, which is much better than a folder full of barely-worked-on Xcode projects.
Screen Sizes
I’ve been thinking about the newly-announced screen sizes for the iPhone, and what that means for the iOS family. The 5s/5c are still sold today, but probably won’t be in the future. So does that mean that the 4" models would just disappear?
Here’s what I’m hoping for in the future:
- iPhone Mini: 4"
- iPhone (Air?): 4.7"
- iPhone Plus: 5.5"
- iPad Mini: 7.9"
- iPad Air: 9.7"
- iPad Plus: 12.9"
Many suggested that Apple didn’t release a 4" iPhone 6 due to technical limitations. If that’s the case, and I hope it is, then I really think Apple could consider bringing back the 4" model when it’s possible again.
On another note, on Debug 46, Vicki Murley suggested that the iPad Mini has no place anymore due to it being squeezed out by the sizes of the iPhone Plus and iPad Air. I actually think the current lineup works great. People with a 5.5" model would buy the iPad Air, while people with smaller models might still opt for the iPad Mini. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
Apple Watch and Notifications
The Apple Watch got me thinking about the way notifications are dealt with. We’re extremely used to the idea of sound notifications. But, with the Apple Watch, how necessary are they? While wearing the Watch, we’re probably not going to miss any notifications, and we won’t need the sound to alert us if our iPhone isn’t nearby; the Watch is right there on our wrist.
And, what I’m also hoping for, is a smart, automatic way for sound notifications to get enabled/disabled on the iPhone. The Apple Watch could detect when it isn’t worn, and re-enable sounds when that happens. And vice versa.
This seems like a really minor detail, but it could potentially get us to stop thinking about the concept of putting phones on silent. I hope this exists.
Unread Purchased By Supertop ➔
Exciting news from the Supertop duo:
Today, Oisin and I are hugely excited to announce that Unread is a Supertop app.
Unread makes an excellent companion to our podcast app, Castro. Both apps are news/entertainment focused, share similar design goals and even rely on the same underlying feed technology. We are grateful to Jared for trusting us with the future of Unread and look forward to developing and refining both of these apps for years to come.
Unread is my favourite RSS reader, and Castro is my favourite podcast client. They both focus on simplicity and beauty in design. I had even written a whole post comparing the two. They really do share the same vision, I think.
When Jared announced his retirement from indie development a few months ago, I was very disappointed that we wouldn’t be getting any future updates for Unread. Today, I know that Unread is alive and well, and in great hands. I can’t wait to see what comes of this!
The Wrong Size ➔
Marco Arment, on the larger iPhone 6 screens that are about to be announced:
How did we go so wrong before? I’d argue that we were partially just flat-out wrong, but mostly mistakenly judging the status quo with a lack of foresight. Big-screened phones were mediocre in 2011, but we failed to see that they wouldn’t always be.
In 2011, big screens came at bigger costs to size, weight, and battery life than today’s bigger-screened phones. We failed to anticipate advances in enclosure design, manufacturing, and screen technology.
I recently tried out 3 pieces of software that I really liked, and that you should definitely check out (if you haven’t already):
- Time Zones by Jared Sinclair is super simple. I don’t have much use for a time zones app other than checking if people I know who live on the other side of the world are awake or not, so its simplicity is great for me. The beautiful backgrounds and typography don’t hurt either.
- I finally played through Year Walk, and, my God, that’s one hell of a game. I had no idea that it was as scary as it is, but now I do. It was a huge joy playing through Year Walk.
- OmniFocus. Yep, I hadn’t tried out OmniFocus until a few days ago. Now I’m finally Getting Things Done™.
App: The Human Story ➔
This movie looks great. It looks like Indie Game: The Movie for apps, which would be super amazing. I’m sure IGTM played a big role in popularising the whole culture of indie games, and hopefully App: The Human Story can play a similar role for apps.
Here’s how the directors are describing the concept:
App creation has become the new art form for our generation. This is the story of the cultural phenomenon that touches all our lives.
Really exciting.
The State of the Apple Developer Ecosystem ➔
I spent about 10 minutes trying to decide which part of the essay I wanted to quote from, but I just couldn’t choose one. The whole thing is really great, and puts everything Apple Developer-related into perspective.
It’s a 30-minute read, but it’s well worth those 30 minutes. Nik really took time to suggest some really great ideas, and it’s hard to disagree with anything he said.
There’s no point in saying more about it. Point is: great article. Go ahead and read it.
While working on Mingle’s 1.1 update, I’m noticing that some of its code is really cluttered. Some parts feel like they’re being held together by duct tape, and some other parts are just abnormally massive. This is because I learned a lot of stuff while working on Mingle. So before continuing work on the update, I’m going to work on cleaning up Mingle’s code.
I found this year-old article from objc.io called Lighter View Controllers, and it looks like a great starting point. I love this piece of advice:
One of the most powerful techniques to slim down your view controller is to take the UITableViewDataSource part of your code, and move it to its own class. If you do this more than once, you will start to see patterns and create reusable classes for this.
I’d never thought about these kinds of things before. I’d always focus on getting a feature working, then moving on to the next one. The structure of the code was getting worse and worse, and I barely, if ever, took notice.
In order to make my work more enjoyable, I’m taking some time to clean things up. When things seem polished and clear, every problem will appear easier to solve.
It’s the equivalent of cleaning up my desk before studying. I’m glad I’m doing this.
iTunes Connect App Updated for iOS 7 ➔
Finally.
Supertop released Castro 1.1 about a week ago, and it really got me thinking about the relation between good design and the amount of content we consume.
I first thought about this when Unread came out. I had never used an RSS reader other than Feedly, and opening up the app, which feels really cluttered to me, made the content seem just as ugly and cluttered. It took a huge effort to get myself to read just a few articles, and I eventually just stopped. Unread, on the other hand, provided me with what could possibly be the most beautiful reading experience on iOS so far. I loved the typography, the structure, and the design of the app, and it got me reading and enjoying way more articles than before.
Castro had the same effect on me, which is even more interesting: podcasts aren’t even a visual form of media. I suppose when the packaging is this good, you want and need to know what’s inside. Many people argue that content is the only thing that matters, but I can’t be the only one who, still to this day, cringes at the sight of Reddit’s design.
I love good UI. I love beautiful designs. The simple, clean look of Matt Gemmell’s blog, the new MacStories redesign, every single article on Unread; these are the things that push me to consume content, and that’s when content begins to matter. A restaurant could have the most delicious meals, but not one person would step in if it looked like a total mess. That’s the way it should be for everything. If you want to pull people in, give them the most beautiful entrance you can provide. That’s how they’ll know you care.