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Charles and Joe return from WWDC to discuss the iOS 7 announcement and its impact on your app business. We talk timeframes, prioritizing your work in the lead-up to release, and the importance of having your apps ready for iOS 7 on day one. Then discussion turns to designing for iOS 7 and making your app fit into its new look while still maintaining an individual identity. Finally, we consider animation, its importance, and its new role in iOS 7. Continue reading →

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This week, a reader question prompts us to talk about whether or not “branching out” into new fields, new talents, is worthwhile for indie developers. Can you afford to spend time working on new skills when you barely have enough time to finish your current tasks? Can you afford to stand still as technologies change? Is there a middle ground to find between jack of all trades and master of only one? This is one of the primary struggles for any small business owner. We discuss how we manage our time to continue growing, which new fields we are trying to explore, and how we think basic business skills may be the most valuable and essential things to learn for anyone trying to make a living in the App Store. Continue reading →

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In this episode we discuss ways to foster communications with customers — both current and potential. We talk about social media, message boards, mailing lists and why it’s important to be conspicuously active on these channels. We consider ways to approach new customers, and Joe explains why you need to be your own best product evangelist. Finally, we talk about in-app communication and walking the fine line between informing and annoying our customers.

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With so many people attending WWDC for the first time this year, we thought it might be fun to share our version of a “WWDC First-timer’s Guide.” In this episode, Joe shares his local knowledge of San Francisco and particularly the area surrounding the Moscone Center. We tell you what to wear, where to go, and where not to go. Joe shares some of his favorite places around Moscone to grab a bite to eat, find free WiFi, or just sit and enjoy a drink — including his picks for the best Bourbon and Scotch whisky selections in the city. We share a few tips for those who got a ticket to WWDC and then discuss options for those who didn’t, including a preview of Appsterdam’s AltWWDC. Finally we give some tips for keeping tabs on friends, finding the best parties, and generally making the most of your trip to San Francisco. Charles and Joe will both be in San Francisco for WWDC, so if you see us out there, please stop us and say hello! Continue reading →

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In this episode, we share our own stories of going indie and consider whether it’s better to gradually transition to indie development or to just jump in head first. We talk about the importance of saving money while you can, developing a business plan, choosing a pricing model, and the “magazine rule” for properly sizing a niche market. Finally we discuss the importance of recurring revenue to your business and weigh the benefits of taking on contract work against its seductive dangers. Continue reading →