Daniel reveals to Manton that he’s (on the verge of) taking a part-time job. They assess the likely impact on Red Sweater, and how it might affect Daniel’s self image as an “independent developer.” Manton talks about updates he’s making to Micro.blog’s billing infrastructure, and how small improvements can lead to recurring increases in revenues. Finally, Daniel reviews his plans for the upcoming 4.3 release, and questions whether having less time to work on Red Sweater might make the time he does spend on it more productive.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

• TextExpander: Communicate Smarter.
• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You.

Links:

• Brent Simmons – Developer of NetNewsWire and other fine apps.
• Inessential.com – Brent Simmons’s blog.
• NetNewsWire GitHub – Open-source repository for Brent’s Mac-based news reader.
• Core Intuition Slack – Join the community of Core Intuition listeners.
• What’s an Indie? – Steve “Scotty” Scott and John Fox on whether you have to sell your own apps to be an indie.
• Six Colors – Apple-centric blog by Jason Snell and Dan Moren.
• Micro.blog – Manton’s microblogging service.
• MarsEdit – Daniel’s Mac-based blogging app.

Manton and Daniel talk about how IndieWebCamp Austin went, and reflect on the virtues of the diverse “open web” community. They react to a debate between Jeff Atwood & David Heinemeier Hansson about their purportedly different approaches to business. Finally, they talk about Daniel’s increasingly glum feelings about his business, Daniel makes some self-assessment of shortcomings, and the two of them talk about making small, productive tweaks to increase revenues.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

• Swift by Midwest: A focused learning experience for Swift, iOS, and macOS developers. Use promo code COREINT for 20% off.
• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You. Use promo code coreint2019 for $20 credit when you sign up.

Links:

• IndieWebCamp Austin – Gathering that Manton helped organize.
• Micro.blog – Manton’s open-web inspired blogging service.
• Eating You Alive Inside – Jeff Atwood’s tweet about what he thinks should motivate entrepreneurs.
• I Have a Confession – David Heinemeier Hansson’s contradictory response to Atwood.
• Permits of Passion – Hansson follows up with a blog post on the subject.
• Basecamp – Company founded by Hansson, along with Jason Fried.
• Red Sweater – Daniel’s indie software business.
• Success Hides Problems – Ed Catmull talk from which the semi-famous phrase comes.
• Black Ink – Daniel’s crossword-solving app.

Daniel and Manton talk about this weekend’s Austin IndieWebCamp, and new rumors about Apple’s plans to support a single binary format for apps to run on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. They explore the possible impact such plans would have on Micro.blog for Mac, and on Daniel’s iOS aspirations. Meanwhile, Daniel bemoans the ongoing challenge of figuring out what to focus on when nobody’s forcing him to focus on one thing.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You. Use coupon code coreint2019 for $20 credit when you sign up.

Links:

• IndieWebCamp Austin – An unconference that Manton is co-organizing.
• Combining iPhone, iPad, and Mac Apps – New report from Bloomberg.
• Things to Wait For – Gui Rambo enumerates some of the likely forthcoming iOS technology announcements at WWDC.

Manton and Daniel react to MacRumors’s discovery that WWDC will likely be held on June 3. They talk about the increasing price of hotels in San Jose, some options for more affordable accommodations, and the impact of high cost on the diversity of attendance. Manton prepares for IndieWebCamp Austin, while Daniel comes to term with the possibility of dropping support for Blogger, and thinking about ways to expand the appeal of MarsEdit.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You. Use coupon code coreint2019 for $20 credit when you sign up.

Links:

• WWDC 2019 Dates – MacRumors reports on the likely schedule for WWDC.
• Affordable Lodging Fund – Jessie Char muses about a potential fund to offset housing costs for some attendees.
• IndieWebCamp Austin – A gathering for independent web creators of all kinds.
• The Future of Blogger and MarsEdit – Daniel’s post about the likelihood that Blogger will be dropped as a supported platform.
• WordPress.com – A blogging service you might have heard about once or twice.
• Wix – A blogging/publishing service that Daniel is considering supporting.
• Hugo – Static web site generation tool that Micro.blog uses.
• Jekyll – Static website generator behind GitHub Pages.

Daniel returns from Paris and Manton shares his plans for WWDC 2019 accommodations. They talk about Spotify’s acquisition of Gimlet and Anchor, and the possible implications for the diversity of podcasting ecosystem. Finally, they react to Angela Ahrendt’s departure from Apple, and what it means for the future of Apple Stores.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

• PDFpen: Edit PDFs with ease!
• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You. Use coupon code Linode2019 for $20 credit when you sign up.

Links:

• dotSwift – Paris-based conference where Daniel just spoke.
• James Dempsey and the Breakpoints – Apple-inspired novelty songs from a former Apple Employee and friend of the show.
• Spotify Doubles Down – TechCrunch reports on Spotify’s acquisition of Gimlet and Anchor.
• Anchor on Free Podcasting – Manton’s blog post last year about Anchor’s attitude to free podcasting.
• Duolingo – Web and mobile app for learing new languages.
• Apple Store Leadership Changes – Press release from Apple about the departure of Angela Ahrendts and promotion of Deirdre O’Brien.
• Starbucks.fr – Un bon endroit pour demander un café OK.

Manton finishes Dark Mode support for the Mac Micro.blog app. He and Daniel discuss the merits of supporting bleeding edge features, and the difficulty in gauging demand for features that people want but are not complaining about. They speculate about when Dark Mode will come to iOS, talk about the Release Notes conference coming to Mexico, and Daniel’s last-minute preparation for dotSwift in Paris.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You. Use promo code coreint2019 to get a $20 credit.

Links:

• Micro.blog 1.5 – Manton announces the updated version of the Mac app.
• Target the Forward Fringe – Daniel’s 2012 blog post about catering to bleeding-edge customers.
• Release Notes Mexico – Episode of Release Notes in which the conference venue decision is discussed.
• Peers Conference – Web-development conference coming to New Orleans in April.
• dotSwift Paris – “The European Swift Conference,” happening in Paris this Monday.

Manton’s premature release of Micro.blog for Mac with Dark Mode enabled release spurs him to work on an official update that supports it. DuckDuckGo announces they are now using MapKit JS for their maps, reminding us that Apple offers a web-based mapping service. Finally, Daniel and Manton start to look forward to WWDC 2019 and the greatness that may await.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You. Use promo code coreint2019 to get a $20 credit.

Links:

• Micro.blog for Mac – Desktop version of Manton’s microblogging app.
• Supporting Dark Mode – Daniel’s blog series about supporting Dark Mode in Mac apps.
• Eye Friendly Pro – Mac utility from Jörg Jacobsen for easily switching between display resolutions.
• DuckDuckGo Taps Apple Maps – Announcement that the search engine will use Apple’s MapKit JS.
• MapKit JS – Information about Apple’s JavaScript API to Apple Maps.
• MapsConnect – Apple’s system for managing places that appear in Apple Maps.

Manton and Daniel talk briefly about Apple’s revenue shortfall, and then more extensively about Apple’s announced deals with Samsung and other television makers to bundle iTunes and AirPlay 2 functionality. They talk about the company’s shift towards being a media conglomerate and how their so-called core values will be reflected in that area. Finally, Daniel catches Manton up with his progress on the iOS version of Black Ink, and reacts to a listener tweet criticizing his allegedly misplaced confidence.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You. Use promo code coreint2019 to get a $20 credit.

Links:

• Letter from Tim Cook – Apple announces revised estimates on revenue expectations.
• Apple’s Indirect CES News – CNET article about TV manufacturers including Samsung and LG who will integrate iTunes and/or AirPlay 2 functionality.
• Apple Music on Amazon Echo – Blog post from Amazon announcing the forthcoming functionality in November, which has now gone live.
• Myke Hurley tweet – Letting go of our notion of what Apple is.
• Walkman – Wikipedia page about the legendary portable cassette player from Sony.
• Into the Spider-verse – Web site for the latest Spiderman movie.
• Netflix Pulls iTunes Billing – Venture Beat story about Netflix’s decision to stop enlisting new customers through iOS and Apple TV.
• Swish for iOS – Daniel’s white noise audio and visual static app for iOS.
• TestFlight – Apple’s beta-testing platform for iOS.

Daniel and Manton greet the New Year with a vague sense of optimism, as Daniel moves closer to serious iOS development, and Manton remains confident and focused on Micro.blog. They talk about finding a balance between optimistic enthusiasm and realism about chance of failure. Finally, Daniel talks about his shifting plans for Black Ink 2 and the possibility of co-launching it with an iOS version.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

• TextExpander: Communicate Smarter.
• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You.

Links:

• CVS – American drug store that stubbornly refused to support Apple Pay.
• DotSwift – Paris-based conference that Daniel will speak at later this month.
• Unread’s First year – Jared Sinclair’s 2014 blog post about the success of Unread during its first year.
• Core Int #148 – We discuss Jared Sinclair’s blog post on an earlier episode of the show.
• Only a Game – Daniel’s 2009 comparing the indie software business to game playing.
• Micro.blog Holiday Giveaway – Manton’s promotion encouraging users to invite others to Micro.blog.
• FlexTime for Mac – Daniel’s Mac app which one customer estimated the price as too expensive “by the megabyte.”

Manton and Daniel discuss the expansion plans of Amazon, Apple, and Google, as they add office space in cities around the United States. Following up on last week’s rundown of Riverfold Software’s product lineup, Manton takes Daniel on a talk-through of his current lineup of apps.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

• Linode: Cloud Hosting for You.

Links:

• New Campus in Austin – Apple press release about their expansion in Austin and other areas of the US.
• Google Hudson Square – Google’s announcement of similar expansion in Manhattan.
• Open Space at Apple’s New Campus – Manton’s blog post reacting to the news from Apple.
• Slack – Online collaboration software.
• Red Sweater – Home page for Daniel’s software company.
• Sell Me Your Product – Daniel’s 2007 blog post that led to his acquiring Black Ink.
• Hard to Categorize – John Gruber’s terse assessment of FlexTime 1.0.
• Super Robots – Direct download of a Mojave-compatible version of Daniel’s first Mac app.