iPad TouchID

I'm sure one of the reasons the new iPads this year didn't get the fingerprint TouchID is simply it would be hard to make enough for all the iPhones and iPads they're going to sell.  (And I've not looked into how thick the part is compared to the thickness of the devices, that could be an issue too.)

But another reason...

iPhones are very personal, you might let your kids borrow it, but they aren't really shared within a family, much less to a guest.

But iPads are much more often shared.  One of the things that iOS has lacked, and hopefully will come in 8, is some sort of user accounts.  So when the parents use it, they get Safari with their own bookmarks; their own email, Facebook, and other accounts; their own apps.  When a kid uses it their apps are restricted to PG ones, Safari or email might not be there at all, and they can't install new apps or other restrictions. All settings the iPad can do, but right now it's globally, not per user.

Without something like that, TouchID that only unlocks the device is nice but a missed opportunity for instant and easy personalization.  Kid's fingerprint--gets kids account.  Mom or Dad--they get their own accounts.

All that together seems a worthy upgrade for iOS 8 and the 2014 iPads.

Even do a nice setup when making an account.  A few choices that set the basics for what is restricted that you could customize.  "Adult"=All  "Teen"=R  "Pre-Teen"=PG  "Toddler"=G

iPad 2

I thought it was odd that the iPad 2 was kept around for sale.  Why not do the iPad 4 as the older model?  The new Air is a big enough step forward, especially over that even thicker and heavier model.

Then I thought of a reason:  Lightning.  The iPad 2 is the model that still had the old style 30 pin connector, which is used for a variety of devices like Point of Sale terminals.  And who knows what industrial uses it might have.

Rather than bring back the iPad 3 with the old connector (which would be weird since it's been off the market for a year) keeping the iPad 2 makes a little more sense.  And give its older technology, the profit margins on that one must be huge.

Older Models

Historically, when Apple released a new iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, it has very often kept around last years model at a reduced price.

And most of the time it's one model, with the same or less storage compared to the low end of the "new" model, and $100 cheaper.

Does that mean next week we'll see a 16GB model of the current iPad mini stay on sale...for $229?  Interesting if they do, that's the same price as the low end 16GB iPod touch.  I'd guess they'd either drop the iPod touch price a little to $199, or make that model iPad mini be $249.

They've never increased the price of iPads, but this might be the time to do the Retina mini at $349 and the current non-retina at $249.  Keeps that $100 price separation.

iOS7 parallax shadows

It looks cool enough, we're doing it anyway, even though "floating above" is more normal in iOS7 than "shadowed behind".

To my eyes it is a more subtle and less jumpy depth effect.  The content you're looking at isn't moving, but the shadows it casts are.

@implementation UIView (Giffish)

- (void)addShadowing {
    [self.layer setShadowColor:[UIColor blackColor].CGColor];
    [self.layer setShadowOpacity:0.4];
    [self.layer setShadowRadius:3.0];
    [self.layer setShadowOffset:CGSizeMake(0, 2)];
}

- (void)addShadowParallaxMotionEffect:(float)amountAndDirection {
    float       amount = 10.0*amountAndDirection;
    UIInterpolatingMotionEffect *motionX = [[UIInterpolatingMotionEffect alloc] initWithKeyPath:@"layer.shadowOffset.width" type:UIInterpolatingMotionEffectTypeTiltAlongHorizontalAxis];
    [motionX setMaximumRelativeValue:@(amount)];
    [motionX setMinimumRelativeValue:@(-amount)];
    UIInterpolatingMotionEffect *motionY = [[UIInterpolatingMotionEffect alloc] initWithKeyPath:@"layer.shadowOffset.height" type:UIInterpolatingMotionEffectTypeTiltAlongVerticalAxis];
    [motionY setMaximumRelativeValue:@(amount)];
    [motionY setMinimumRelativeValue:@(-amount)];
    UIMotionEffectGroup *group = [[UIMotionEffectGroup alloc] init];
    group.motionEffects = @[motionX, motionY];
    [self addMotionEffect:group];
}

@end

//You'd want -1.0 to start.  See how that looks and adjust.  
[button addShadowing];
[button addShadowParallaxMotionEffect:-1.0];  

//This type of thing works too.
[button.titleLabel addShadowing];
[button.titleLabel addShadowParallaxMotionEffect:-1.0];  

TouchID

The first time after you restart an iPhone 5S you have to enter your PIN and can't use the fingerprint scanner.  Seems like a good security protection.  The same thing happens with App Store purchases, the first time after a restart you have to enter the password.

What if that's not just a second security check.  It would be super smart if the PIN and password were only ever stored in the "secure enclave" part of the CPU, so in memory and never written to disk.  Even if someone got the iPhone and took it apart to get at the memory chips, they couldn't get the PIN or password.

You'd have to somehow tear the CPU apart while the iPhone never turned off.

Screenshots Album

I'm in Seattle, Pete's in London, and Shawn is in Los Angeles.

In the afternoons, Shawn and I are working while Pete is asleep.  I got the idea for Screenshots Album one afternoon...

Screenshots Album was a very quick app to make.  I did a "test" app to see if it was possible and how fast it would be, and that turned into it.  Using stuff from FTP to make the one button much prettier and added better messages at the end with the animated help (using one of the next upcoming apps giffish.com!)

Shawn and I were tempted to submit so Pete would wake up in the morning not just to a new app idea, but one that was done and submitted!  But he makes the best icons, so we waited so he could see and do up a cool one for it.

A nice video of it in action, finding all 477 screenshots on my iPhone from years of app development and photos following along between phones.

Get it in the App Store Now!

GeekWire Article!

Blair Hanley Frank at Geekwire.com asked some excellent questions for the article about our upgrade scheme, Pete, Shawn & I worked together on some answers...  I'm better at writing code, but they're better at writing words!

1. It seems like your method creates a number of apps with similar names and the same functionality. Are you concerned about fragmenting your user base?

There is no system in place to do anything other than to fragment.  If a developer wants to charge a different price for their app for iPhone and iPad the only way to do that is to release two versions which fragments the user base.  There's no way to set version 4.0 as a paid upgrade with the option to tell your users ahead of time or give them the option not to upgrade if they don't want to pay again.  Removing the older version from the App Store cuts off your existing user base and prevents any bug fixes.

So while we are worried about fragmenting our user base, there is no alternative way of doing the things we want to do.

It would be so much better if Apple did this so all the app variations (iPhone, iPad, iOS6, iOS7, free upgrade, paid upgrade)  aren't needed.  Once the iOS7 versions are going, we may do some changes to the keywords for the earlier versions so they aren't very easy to find, and we've already added descriptions to go get the iOS7 version.  

The need to maintain a sustainable business--and free upgrades forever is not sustainable--had to override our concerns with fragmenting the user base or releasing multiple variations of one core app.  Ongoing development of an app or any piece of software takes time and money.  If an app isn't going to be a 1-off 'disposable' piece of software then developers (ourselves and everyone else) need the resources to keep going.  Any app that ceases to be profitable will cease to be worked on.  Whether that means the developer abandons the app and moves on to the next thing or goes of business entirely. And if that happens then there won't be any more fixes or improvements ever.

2. I know that apps that are free with an in-app purchase to upgrade to the full version have occasionally garnered a significant number of one-star reviews because users thought they were getting the full app for free. How concerned about that are you?

I'm sure we'll get a few 1star reviews, but over the years, people have become more accustomed to free apps having things to upgrade, so hopefully not too many.  A note about the purchase required is the first part of the app's description in the App Store, so we are trying to be as up front as we can be.  

Our FTP apps are more specialized tools, so even people seeing it for free wouldn't pick it up the same way they would a game.

3. I know you noted in your post that you think this method has a greater chance of long-term success than the program that the Omni Group tried for their App Store upgrades, but are you at all concerned that Apple could still pull the plug on what you're doing?

Omni Group's system let you get upgrades from their website of an app you had purchased from the Mac App Store.  I believe getting something anywhere outside the App Store for something you'd purchased within the App Store was the problem.  Our way is all within the App Store, so as far as I can tell from reading all the information, that is OK.  We were as explicit about what it does in the review notes to Apple as we could be, even saying we hoped for a higher level review to make sure it is allowed.  

We are absolutely concerned that Apple could pull the plug.  And if they do, we will revert to what Omni Group did for their iOS7 updates--release new apps for iOS7 and charge full price.  We were and are willing to take the risk and be kind of a test-case because we believe that this is a necessary evolution of the AppStore if business tools, utilities and other long-term and non-disposable apps are to remain viable.

Let's say a developer writes a great app and sells 1 million copies then works for a year on version-2.  If version-2 is released as a free upgrade then the 1 million people most-likely-to-buy-it end up getting it for free.  The developer gets a lot of happy customers, but no financial compensation for all the hard work.  That needs to change.  If version 2 is released as a new app, even if only a fraction of those million people will buy it, the developer comes out ahead.