Category: I-phone

iOS app developers who are looking to make big bucks on the App Store should consider using the in-app purchase model, according to a recently published study from Distimo. In-app purchases are a huge source of revenue, accounting for a whopping 72 percent of all App Store revenues.

That number has increased drastically from July of 2010, when only 28 percent of App Store revenues came from in-app purchases. What’s even more surprising is that only four percent of all apps are currently using the in-app purchase model.

This all points to a trend of freemium apps dominating the App Store. These, of course, are apps that are free to download and try out, but require an in-app purchase to supply full functionality. Freemium apps made up the majority of the revenue — 48 percent, or nearly half of all App Store earnings. Many of these apps are games, but comic apps are also starting to create an impact.

TUAW would like to know what your favorite purchase model is — a one-time purchase that gives you unlimited upgrades and full functionality, or a free download with in-app purchases. Answer our poll below, and if you feel compelled to provide a longer answer, do so in the comments.

View Poll

Report: In-app purchases a strong source of iOS app revenue originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In yet another move highly suggestive of a major product announcement pending at Sprint (gee, what could it be), insider sources at the company have told Sprintfeed that Sprint plans to cap its tethering plans to 5 GB of data per month starting October 2. Mobile data that goes straight to the phone will still be unlimited (or as “unlimited” as such plans ever are), which remains a key advantage that Sprint will hold over rivals AT&T and Verizon should the iPhone actually launch on its network next month.

Like AT&T and Verizon, Sprint charges an additional monthly fee to tether mobile phone data connections to another device, such as a laptop or iPad. In Sprint’s case this fee will end up being US$29.99 per month for 5 GB of data, which contrasts with $20 per month for an additional 2 GB from Verizon or AT&T. There’s obviously no indication yet whether or not this pricing will apply to the (still theoretical) Sprint iPhone, but it seems likely.

So far Sprint has raised its Early Termination Fees, discontinued its Premier service, raised its upgrade fees, and has now capped its tethering plans. These are all quite consumer-hostile moves on the carrier’s part in the lead-up to a supposed iPhone launch, and they don’t paint a particularly rosy picture of the company’s stance toward its customers. Despite rumors pointing to Sprint offering the iPhone with unlimited data in the relatively near future, it’s worth noting that other networks who shall remain nameless have buckled under the strain of “unlimited” iPhone data in the past and have summarily discontinued those plans.

Sprint caps mobile tethering plans to 5 GB per month starting October 2 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The public library in Eau Claire, Wisconsin has launched a program that lets customers borrow iPads instead of books. Each iPad is packed with over 1,000 eBook classics, ten audiobooks and a bunch of apps. The iPads can be rented in the library for four hours at a time or taken home for up to seven days.

The library has 44 iPads that were purchased with a grant. Library director John Stoneberg looked at different tablet and eReader alternatives for this program, but chose the iPad because of “its place as a tablet computer marketplace leader and its flexibility in providing more access to library-related content than an e-reader-only device.”

If the library can ensure the tablets are not easily broken or stolen, then this may become a model program that could spread to other libraries.

[Via AllThingsD]

Wisconsin library lending out iPads originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We get several emails every week from readers claiming to have been hit with fraudulent charges on their iTunes accounts. It seems as though scammers have found a neatly exploitable hole in iTunes accounts, but they may have bitten off more than they can chew with their latest victim. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said her stolen credit card info was recently used to make fraudulent purchases on iTunes, and she wants answers from Cupertino.

According to Threat Post, after having her credit card info stolen during a New Hampshire skiing trip, the thieves tried to purchase a laptop from Dell, who noted the transaction was fraudulent and contacted Coakley about it. Apple was not so diligent; thieves quickly emptied Coakley’s account via iTunes transactions.

While Coakley’s response (seeking answers from Apple) may seem a bit reactionary at first, the slow trickle of reports we’ve received over the months concerning fraudulent iTunes purchases signifies that this problem is far greater in scope than one person’s stolen credit card. We keep hearing the same stories again and again: “Purchases showed up on my account that I had nothing to do with. Apple hasn’t gotten back to me. What do I do?” It’s been happening often enough that there’s clearly a real issue, and it’s something that Apple, as operator of one of the world’s largest repositories of credit card info, has a responsibility to address.

Massachusetts Attorney General investigating iTunes scams originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has allegedly already switched away from Samsung for production of the next-gen A6 processor for iOS devices, and if the latest report from Digitimes is accurate, Apple’s also diversifying its sources for DRAM and NAND memory. Digitimes’ sources claim that Apple is now starting to source NAND memory from Toshiba and mobile RAM from Elpida.

Currently, a fairly large proportion of the internal components of iPhones and iPads are actually manufactured by Samsung. Considering the much-publicized global patent spats between the two companies, this puts Apple in a potentially awkward position. It makes good business sense for Apple to start sourcing components from the few tech companies on Earth that haven’t filed lawsuits against it (yet).

MacRumors points out that Samsung’s currently contracted for US$7.8 billion in parts over 2011, including the A5 processor that powers the iPad 2. Although Samsung is the world’s largest supplier of many electronic components, losing Apple’s business will likely put a very large dent in the Korean tech giant’s ledger.

Apple moving away from Samsung memory components originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We took a look at the WebCamera iPhone app last fall. It’s a clever piece of software that turns your iPhone into a portable webcam on a Wi-Fi network. Since our review, the price has dropped to US$2.99, iPad 2 support has been added, and you can now record the streaming audio and video right on your computer.

Setup is easy. Install WebCamera on your iPhone or iPad, and download a free app for your desktop or laptop computer. Both Mac OS and Windows are supported. Run the app on your phone, select the computer running the app, and whatever your iOS camera sees shows up on your computer. It’s nice for keeping an eye on kids or pets, or use it with any messaging app just as if you had a USB camera plugged in.

On the iPhone or iPad 2, you can choose the front-facing or rear camera, mute the audio and use the flash on the iPhone as a light to brighten up the scene. Just beware of battery drain if you’re not connected to a power source.

The new recording feature allows you to grab a still or a movie with sound from your iPhone. The resulting video clip is a standard .mov file.

The video doesn’t work with iChat, unfortunately (it’s an Apple issue). WebCamera worked fine on Skype, but of course you can run Skype directly from your iPhone rather than your computer.

Running the app keeps your iPhone ‘awake’ so it does not time out and lock in the middle of a session. WebCamera is a good app made better with the updates. iPad 2 support is welcome, and the ability to record the webcam sessions on your computer is a nice feature. The app was stable in my tests, and if you have ever wanted a portable cordless webcam this might be a great solution. The app also runs on the 4th generation iPod touch.

Mobiola Webcamera adds iPad 2 support and recording features originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to All Things D, Apple is planning to show-off the iPhone 5 on October 4th with the phone being available a few weeks after. This date makes sense considering a media event is scheduled for that day.

In addition to the iPhone 5 people are interested in seeing how new Apple CEO, Tim Cook, does with his first big media event as the head honcho. Folks are also speculating whether or not Mr. Jobs will make an appearance, which I seriously doubt.

I wish the iPhone 5 would come out already so we can start speculating on the iPhone 6!

I’ve mentioned the terrific Cocos2D-iPhone fork, the Cocos2D-X cross platform game engine that utilizes C++.   Cocos2D-X currently supports the iOS, Android, Windows, and Marmalade platforms.

I’ve also pointed to some Cocos2D tutorial examples that have been ported from Cocos2D-iPhone to Cocos2D-X.

This set of examples has grown significantly recently adding a conversion of the Angry Birds like game tutorial for Cocos2D-iPhone along with a Space Invaders game and a number of other examples.

The examples are from Clawoo, and you can find all the different examples on Clawoo’s Github page here:
https://github.com/clawoo/AsteroidsCocos2D-x

Looking through these examples should be a great help if you’re looking to convert a game from Cocos2D-iPhone to Cocos2d-X.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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It was suggested that I make more posts related to iPhone development as a business when I previously made mention of an interesting guide on pricing your iOS development services.

Recently I came across an excellent interview with Calvin Carter the founder of Battle Rocket Apps. A highly successful app development company.

What I really liked about the interview was how Andrew from Mixergy really drills Calvin about how he landed contracts with big companies such as BMW, and Disney owned ESPN. Calvin explains the process and talks about situations where smaller companies were able to win contracts over Bottle Rocket Apps.

They’ve actually published details about their app creation methodology here.

There are quite a few takeaways in this interview, and a few that I picked up on are:

– Provide instant gratification for the client during the initial meeting (sketches are good.)
– Often a Request for Proposal with extensive requirements will just be a waste of time.
– Be willing to tell the client if their are problems with their vision.
– Showing you’re a fan of a company and it’s products can be great help in getting them as a client.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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The Mobile Safari provides a great interface for easily switching between multiple views.

I’ve come across a component that allows you to easily enable a very similar control within your own iPhone apps that enables similar sideways scrolling.

The component is very easy to use operating much like a UITableView with a datasource and delegate. You can even add the component to a viewcontroller which is within a UINavigation stack so you could have multiple “decks” of data if desired.

Here’s a screenshot of the component in action:

You can download the library on Github at:
https://github.com/100grams/HGPageScrollView

Definitely a very useful control.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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GoatUp is a surreal game made by Jeff Minter, the game developer behind Xbox Live’s Space Giraffe and a number of other colorful (and often abstract) retro games over the years. GoatUp has you, as a goat, jumping up a series of platforms while eating grass and collecting various items. The gameplay is often wild, as the series of worlds you go through features homages to the various ages of platforming games. It’s always crisp and interesting, with excellent retro graphics, finely tuned controls, and a fun set of mechanics. Everything is backed up by a plethora of gaming references, from the silly to the extremely subtle.

GoatUp is a simple title, but it’s a lot of fun, and it shows just how much joy the iOS platform seems to inspire in a very experienced developer like Minter. The game features both OpenFeint and Game Center integration, and it’s available from the App Store as a universal app right now for US$1.99.

Daily iPhone App: GoatUp originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I do have my Gmail account connected to my iPhone’s Mail app through IMAP, but occasionally there are still times (mostly when searching my archived mail) that I need to use the mobile Safari web app version of the popular mail service. So it’s good to hear that Google is still updating that feature. Just recently, Google has added the option to use multiple accounts through the web app. You can even set up URLs for each account to use and set up a special mobile signature to use specifically when you send mail from the mobile web app.

There’s also the ability to set up vacation messages for the account, so even while you’re out on vacation, you can turn on an “away-from-keyboard” notice. That way Janice from accounting doesn’t wonder why you’re not responding to her emails about that unpaid invoice.

The additions aren’t huge; they’re mostly standard features that are just new to this version of the service. There are still quite a few reasons to pull up the web version of Gmail, and an update like this makes things easier for those times. Despite all of its issues, I would still recommend hooking up your Gmail to the iPhone’s mail app, but having the web service to use when you want is very helpful.

[via App Advice]

Gmail’s web app adds multiple accounts, mobile signature originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns’s latest project, Prohibition, is set to debut on the iPhone and iPad on September 23 via the PBS iOS app. The first episode will debut on iOS devices, but the three-part series won’t be shown on the PBS TV channel or streamed on its site until October 2-4.

According to GigaOM, PBS is debuting Prohibition in advance on iOS devices to build early buzz for the documentary. HBO’s Boardwalk Empire returns on September 25, and as a highly-regarded fictional account of a Prohibition-era gangster, the HBO series is likely to generate greater interest in the nonfiction PBS series.

PBS reports that it’s seen a great deal of usage of its app, with 52 million streaming views in just the last month. Prohibition’s airing won’t be the first time the network has offered free content through its app, either; several months back, another Ken Burns documentary streamed its first episode for free via the PBS video app.

Ken Burns has built a reputation as an outstanding documentary maker — he’s even got a film effect named for him in iMovie — so if you’re at all interested in his work or the Prohibition era itself, take a look at the series on September 23.

Ken Burns documentary ‘Prohibition’ will debut on iPad and iPhone originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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123D Sculpt is a virtual sculpture program designed by Autodesk, a software company known for its 3D business software like AutoCAD. Though Autodesk has a rich history of creating professional applications, 123D Sculpt is designed to the artist inside all of us.

The iPad application lets you sculpt a 3D model out of a lump of virtual clay. It supports multi-touch so you can use all your fingers to mold thel clay into any shape you like. For the beginning artist, 123D Sculpt includes several pre-defined shapes that include animals, objects like cars and shapes like a cube.

Once you decide on a shape, you can use a suite of tools to manipulate the clay by pulling, smoothing, pushing, pinching, flattening it and more. You can even apply textures and add color to each creation. And if you want a personal touch, you can import a photo from your camera or photo library and use it a custom texture. When you ‘re done with your sculpture, you can export it to a transparent PNG. It’s unfortunate the app does not let you export the creation to a 3D file format.

Though I am not an artist, I found 123D Sculpt to be very easy to use and enjoyable. The interface is intuitive and the app has a nice help section to explain what each tool and menu bar contains. A multiple undo feature lets you backtrack when you realize you’ve made some design mistakes.

If you are a budding Michelangelo, then you should check out 123D Sculpt. It’ s available for free from the App Store and ships with 15-20 clay models. Additional models are available as an in-app purchase.

Daily iPad App: 123D Sculpt originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe has announced version 3 of its Air cross-platform development runtime is out now, and the company says it will allow developers to use Flash, Actionscript, JavaScript, and other technologies to create what are essentially console-quality 2D and 3D games for the web, and even iOS. While Flash doesn’t yet work on iOS, Adobe Air works on iOS, Mac, Windows, and a few other compatible platforms.

The new version of the development kit, in addition with Flash 11, will be able to build out some pretty good-looking games, and run rather powerful applications. I use TweetDeck on my Mac, which is built with Adobe Air, and even the popular iPad game Machinarium was created with the Air technology.

Traditionalists may scoff (and, of course, the reason Flash isn’t on the iPad or iPhone is because performance still isn’t where it needs to be), but truthfully, the more options developers have for making great apps on Apple’s platform, the better for us users.

Adobe promises console quality games on iOS with new Air 3 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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