iphone

Filed under: Apple

App Store clutter remains an ongoing issue. In addition to “business card” applications that offer little or no functionality beyond a simple web page^[1], there are lite editions, demo editions, full editions, and even in the case of Tweetie 2, completely new applications providing upgraded functionality.

Each of those applications must be registered with a unique app identifier, each one takes up a separate slot when installed on your iPhone’s home screen, each application occupies a separate App Store listing, complete with its own screen shots, marketing material, reviews, and so forth. Each one must be managed by you in iTunes, where you must decide which to sync, which to keep, and so forth.

Add to the mix, the possibility that we’re likely to see iPad- and iPhone-specific application releases in the near future in addition to the Universal Application solution that Apple has been heavily promoting. That’s because iPad applications offer developers the opportunity to re-imagine their interfaces, adding features without the constraints of the iPhone’s small screen and modal interaction limitations. An iPad app that adds significant new functionality may branch off and become yet another related app in a single application family.

Together, this means that an application family might include four or more applications: free versions, paid version, device-specific versions, and various upgrade options, all of which offer a single branding and some core overlap of features, despite differences in price and platform.

In my recent write-up, I proposed that Apple might be able to consolidate many versions of an application into a single product using multiple iPhone application files, aka a “multi-ipa” solution. Each component of this family would install to the same application slot and would use the same application identifier, that code that every developer must register with Apple. An application’s identifier uniquely identifies each iPhone OS product to the device it lives on and to the App Store ecosystem.

The way I picture this working is this. Each member of a multi-ipa family would have a built in priority, specified in the bundle’s Info.plist. That’s the file that tells iPhone OS how the application bundle fits into the operating system. It works the same way that Info.plist files work on Mac OS X. In this case, the ipa with the highest priority gets installed. It’s iTunes that makes the final call.

So imagine if a person downloads a free, iPhone-only demo version of a game and then later upgrades to a full-featured paid version. The paid version’s higher priority wins out against the free versions, so iTunes knows to install the paid ipa into the same slot that the free version currently occupies. Right now, that doesn’t happen. You end up using two slots and two application identifiers. Should a person then buy an iPad upgrade to this app (assuming here that it’s not a universal application), then iTunes will sync the iPad-specific ipa to their iPad device rather than the iPhone version, eliminating any need to use pixel doubling to play the game.

As I previously wrote, Apple could offer a “Complete my App” feature to allow customers to buy the iPad-specific enhancements only when and if they eventually buy an iPad device. This approach depends on iTunes storing more than one version of the application, i.e. multiple ipa archive files, so that it can sync the best match to each device.

In each of these cases, it’s iTunes that decides which ipa to install. The multiple ipa delivery system allows separate versions of the same application to coexist in the iTunes Mobile Applications folder. The latest, best-featured and most device-specific version always wins.

For Apple, for developers, and for consumers, there’s pressure to both consolidate these families of apps and, at the same time, there’s reasons to keep them separate. Both Apple and consumers win when just one listing and one device slot are dedicated to what is, essentially, a single application with multiple expressions of itself. App Store instantly declutters to a great degree; a single listing now takes care of both free and paid versions.

Developers may resist this. In the case of lite/demo and paid apps, split-personality multiple-listing can be a blessing for developers. Negative reviews for free applications can be mitigated by providing a completely separate product, whose reviews are culled only from paid customers.

That’s been a big part of many developers’ decisions not to migrate to in-app purchases, where the same app can exist in both demo and paid mode. With in-app purchase, users try out the application and, if they like what they use, can unlock the full version from within the demo app itself. Unless Apple offers some kind of free-version review block, developers will rationally keep picking the latter choice and design separate products for free and full versions. Apple, of course, can change its policy on this practice any time it chooses.

Paid upgrades are, on the other hand, a consolidation win for developers. One thing we do know for sure, Apple is likely to introduce paid upgrades in the near future. Existing customers can upgrade for a small fee; new customers must buy in at the full price. Admittedly, consumers who bought earlier app versions, believing they had bought in “for life” to all future innovations are going to be displeased to realize that a buy once, upgrade forever business model is unsustainable. It’s a tempest that App Store is simply going to have to weather. Just don’t expect customers to be happy about it.

So what’s your take on this? Do you think Apple should go full-out in consolidating apps together? Or should they continue to allow separate trial and paid versions? Do you think the notion of a separate iPhone and iPad purchase has a future? Or will Apple push ahead with a priority on Universal application delivery? What do you think is the direction that App Store will be taking on these issues? Let us know in the comments.

^[1] Apple is, even now, in the process of house-cleaning those applications to trim down App Store bloat

TUAWiPhone devsugar: The need for multiple ipa delivery originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: TUAW Business, Podcasts

It’s the biggest night in show business, but just in case you’re not caught up in the Hollywood horse race (go Hurt Locker!) you’re welcome to join Mike Schramm and I for our Sunday night Talkcast, as we dive into all things Mac, iPhone and iPad.

This week, of course, the big news was the announcement of the on-sale date for Apple’s newest platform and the teaser of Steam for Mac, but there’s also a lot coming up at the Game Developer’s Conference over the next few days; we’ll preview it with you. As always, your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be.

To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the “TalkShoe Web” button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (take advantage of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 — during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8.

If you’ve got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk with you then!

TUAWTalkcast reminder: Oscar night show 10pm ET originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Apple, iPhone

One of the questions that always seems to come up during our TUAW Talkcast and TUAW TV Live sessions is “When do you think Verizon Wireless is going to get the iPhone?” According to recent comments from Merrill Lynch analyst Scott Craig, the answer to that question is irrelevant to Apple.

Craig anticipates that Apple could sell 33 million iPhones in 2010, and that number would rise to 35 million in 2011 even without a second U.S. carrier. However, the upside to Apple in selecting a second U.S. carrier — possibly Verizon Wireless — is that the number of 2011 sales could rise to as high as 55 million.

Other Wall Street analysts believe that Apple’s decision to stick by AT&T for the iPad indicates a vote of confidence for the carrier, with analysts at Credit Suisse even going so far as to say that there’s a 75% chance that AT&T will keep iPhone exclusivity for another year.

While the analysts don’t seem to see a real downside risk for Apple, Credit Suisse recently downgraded Verizon from Outperform to Neutral based on the absence of the iPhone from their product line. It would definitely be in Verizon’s best interest to make an agreement with Apple to carry the iPhone; however, Apple is unlikely to make agreements with non-GSM carriers such as Verizon Wireless until they are well into a transition to the 4G LTE technology.

[via Cult of Mac]

TUAWAnalyst: Apple will sell 35m iPhones next year, with or without Verizon originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Apple, iPhone

One of the questions that always seems to come up during our TUAW Talkcast and TUAW TV Live sessions is “When do you think Verizon Wireless is going to get the iPhone?” According to recent comments from Merrill Lynch analyst Scott Craig, the answer to that question is irrelevant to Apple.

Craig anticipates that Apple could sell 33 million iPhones in 2010, and that number would rise to 35 million in 2011 even without a second U.S. carrier. However, the upside to Apple in selecting a second U.S. carrier — possibly Verizon Wireless — is that the number of 2011 sales could rise to as high as 55 million.

Other Wall Street analysts believe that Apple’s decision to stick by AT&T for the iPad indicates a vote of confidence for the carrier, with analysts at Credit Suisse even going so far as to say that there’s a 75% chance that AT&T will keep iPhone exclusivity for another year.

While the analysts don’t seem to see a real downside risk for Apple, Credit Suisse recently downgraded Verizon from Outperform to Neutral based on the absence of the iPhone from their product line. It would definitely be in Verizon’s best interest to make an agreement with Apple to carry the iPhone; however, Apple is unlikely to make agreements with non-GSM carriers such as Verizon Wireless until they are well into a transition to the 4G LTE technology.

[via Cult of Mac]

TUAWAnalyst: Apple will sell 35m iPhones next year, with or without Verizon originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Multimedia, iPhone, App Review

I love Flickr (and alliteration, apparently). That is, I love Flickr on my desktop, and often on my Apple TV. I’ve never really been in love with the mobile experience, mostly due to long wait times and cumbersome navigation. When Mike Bernardo from Green Volcano Software contacted me about Flickit Pro, his Flickr app for the iPhone, I was definitely game to try it. I bought a copy the same day in the hopes that it would bring a little joy to my mobile Flickring.

We’ve played with Photon before, so we know that Green Volcano knows how to make photo handling fluid and fast. That interface dexterity carries over to the iPhone app. I was impressed by the overall aesthetics, and as I played with it I quickly confirmed that it wasn’t just eye candy. There are little details that made me smile, and then ask, “Why all apps don’t do things like this?” My favorite of these interface gems has to be the ability to zoom a photo in quite far, drag it to the edge and hold it a sec, and watch it suck back down and load the next image. Whether or not you dislike the usual double-tap-before-you-slide on most iPhone photo browsers as much as I do, it’s still a great feature and demonstrates some serious attention to detail.

The speed is impressive, the background loading isn’t cumbersome or even noticeable, and the overall experience left a great impression. It was $3.99US well spent. There’s a free version, Flickit (without the Pro), but I haven’t tried it. I assume it’s a cool app, but if you’re a Flickr fanatic (or really like well-designed apps), check out Flickr Pro.

I put together a little gallery below, so in case you don’t buy that whole “nice interface” spiel, you can dive in and see for yourself.

TUAWFlickr faster with Flickit Pro originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gaming, Portables, iPod touch

While Sony appears concerned about its eroding share of the mobile gaming market since the phenomenal success of Apple’s App Store, gaming giant Nintendo isn’t worried about Apple at all. In an interview with VentureBeat, Nintendo of America’s Cammie Dunaway said that with 11.2 million DS units sold last year, and 125 million DS sales in total thus far, Apple’s mobile platform isn’t really a threat to Nintendo’s dominance of mobile gaming. “Consumers are still finding fun with our products, and there is a lot of room to grow,” Dunaway said.

Nintendo certainly has room to feel comfortable, at least for now. In terms of units sold, the DS has been the most successful gaming system in history, and the iPhone and iPod touch aren’t even primarily focused on gaming. If anything, Apple’s success in gaming came almost accidentally; it’s only relatively recently that Apple has been touting the iPod touch as a gaming device, and only after the success of the App Store did Apple even start to take portable gaming seriously. For many people, “Nintendo” remains synonymous with “video games” — compared to Nintendo, Apple’s only dipped its toe in the gaming waters. That said, the continued explosive growth of Apple’s mobile device sales and the popularity of the App Store means Nintendo can’t afford to rest on its laurels forever.

[Via slide to Play]

TUAWNintendo not concerned about competition from Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

Do you remember the personalized movies that had been showing up in your email a while back? The one that sticks in my mind was a ‘get out the vote‘ video the Obama campaign sent out a month before the presidential election. The story told by the video was that Obama lost by just one vote and it was you, whoever you are. You name was smoothly integrated into about a dozen places in the narrative. It was a real attention getter.

PixyMe (US $1.99) brings a static version of this technology to your iPhone or iPod touch. This beautifully designed and rendered app lets you incorporate any name or short phrase seamlessly into an eCard or postcard, appearing as though it were part of the photograph. The resulting personalized photo can be either emailed, sent to Facebook, saved in your photo album, or sent as a high-quality physical postcard to any address in the world. It works remarkably well, as you can see from the picture on the right and the gallery below.

It’s unfortunate that this app has the all too common problem of dropping you into the fray with scant instructions. That would be okay for a simple one-trick-pony, but this app is fairly complex and has functions that need explanation. There is an info screen at the end of all the options, but all it gives you are the raw basics and a link to get to the PixyMe site. What you probably don’t know is that on the site is a great introduction and all the information you need to get started quickly in a video tour. You can view it at the end of this post. I feel that this video should be incorporated into the app or directly linked to rather than dropping you at the site. That’s my only complaint. The rest of the app is a delight.Do you remember the personalized movies that had been showing up in your email a while back? The one that sticks in my mind was a ‘get out the vote‘ video the Obama campaign sent out a month before the presidential election. The story told by the video was that Obama lost by just one vote and it was you, whoever you are. You name was smoothly integrated into about a dozen places in the narrative. It was a real attention getter.

PixyMe (US $1.99) brings a static version of this technology to your iPhone or iPod touch. This beautifully designed and rendered app lets you incorporate any name or short phrase seamlessly into an eCard or postcard, appearing as though it were part of the photograph. The resulting personalized photo can be either emailed, sent to Facebook, saved in your photo album, or sent as a high-quality physical postcard to any address in the world. It works remarkably well, as you can see from the picture on the right and the gallery below.

It’s unfortunate that this app has the all too common problem of dropping you into the fray with scant instructions. That would be okay for a simple one-trick-pony, but this app is fairly complex and has functions that need explanation. There is an info screen at the end of all the options, but all it gives you are the raw basics and a link to get to the PixyMe site. What you probably don’t know is that on the site is a great introduction and all the information you need to get started quickly in a video tour. You can view it at the end of this post. I feel that this video should be incorporated into the app or directly linked to rather than dropping you at the site. That’s my only complaint. The rest of the app is a delight.

TUAWPut yourself in the picture with PixyMe originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Multimedia, Software, iPhone, App Store

Baseball season is almost here (Spring training starts this week), and with it comes a brand new version of Major League Baseball’s great iPhone app. MLB.com At Bat 2010 is out now on the App Store, and for $14.99, you get the same great app you bought last year: live scores, streaming audio of all the games around the league, and available video of games via an in-app purchase.

There’s no lite version yet, but last year MLB released a free version sans audio and video, so if you just want the scores, you can wait and see when that one shows up.

Meanwhile, if you want official baseball info beamed straight to your phone all year long, this app is the way to go. While there are definitely lots of other apps that will hook you up with scores and alerts for a much cheaper price, the MLB app is a quality way to get information straight from the league. Especially if you’re going to be following baseball closely all year, the $15, while steep for an iPhone app, is definitely worth it. Personally, I can’t wait for this season to start. Play ball!

TUAWMLB.com At Bat 2010 out now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gaming, Freeware, Internet, Apple, iPhone, sxsw

Happy March! The super hip and trendy South-by-Southwest music and tech festival is coming up this month, and like many tech conventions these days, AT&T is working on a plan to keep their network up and running as thousands of iPhones descend on Austin, Texas to send around voice, texts, and data.

GigaOM has a little insight into how they’re planning to do it this year, and if you’re interested in the nuts-and-bolts of keeping a cell phone network up and running (or at least trying to — this is AT&T, after all), it’s worth a read. They’re beefing up the cell towers in the city’s vicinity, setting up a whole new system around the convention center itself, and putting money into the backend as well, to try and increase bandwidth coming into the region. I don’t know if they’ve done anything like this before (I can’t really judge with Macworld — while my iPhone worked fine most of the time, I still only have a 1G, and I was using Sprint MiFi on my Macbook most of the time), but it sounds like a pretty comprehensive setup.

Of course, the other reason AT&T is pushing to get ready for SXSW is that the convention has become sort of an unofficial testing ground for the next big social apps. A few years ago, Twitter made its first big push around SXSW, and last year, Foursquare was the app to use (which has since spawned a brand new genre of app, the “check-in” network). So what’s going to be the app pushing data through the AT&T network this year? The buzz so far is around Twitter’s coming ad platform, though it’s hard to think that an ad platform could be a killer app. My money’s on some sort of location-based social game — while Foursquare has gaming elements, I think an app like MyTown could take the concept even farther, and we still haven’t really seen an actual GPS-based RPG or MMO break out. Even those of us who aren’t at SXSW this year will be paying attention to what people are doing on their iPhones there, because odds are good that the app that clicks with attendees there will be what we’re all playing with in a few months.

TUAWAT&T plans for SXSW 2010 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keep your eyes peeled on CrackBerry.com this week as they unleash a slew of contests for their third birthday – they’ll all be listed here!

Best of Smartphone Experts, 28 Feb 2010 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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