Episode 280: You Have a User Base

Manton and Daniel talk about Manton’s launch of Micro.blog to Kickstarter backers, then check in on Swift and the state of Developer Tools. Finally they talk about Apple’s affiliate program cuts, and the merits of avoiding reliance on a single platform or marketplace for a living.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

  • appGarten.io: appInsight, appCare, and appServices for Your App.
  • Indeed Prime: Apply to 100 Top Tech Companies with 1 Application.

Links:

  • Micro.blog – Manton’s new microblogging service.
  • Apple Cuts Commissions – John Voorhees of Macstories responds to Apple’s affiliate commission changes.
  • Killing the iTunes Affiliate – Brett Terpstra responds in no uncertain terms to the Apple affiliate changes.
  • touchArcade – A business Daniel assumed might be somewhat dependent on iTunes affiliate links.
April 28, 2017 at 6:02 pm.

Episode 279: No Planned Updates

Daniel and Manton talk about Manton’s impending rollout of Micro.blog to backers starting next week, and the merit of picking a specific launch date and sticking with it. They respond to a listener question about accounting practices, and discuss Apple’s apparent decision to stop updating the Workflow app, and what it means for the future of such functionality on iOS.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

  • Linode: Cloud Hosting for You.
  • Digimarc: The best mobile scanning solution today. The only solution for tomorrow.

Links:

  • Micro.blog – Manton’s forthcoming microblog publishing service.
  • The Gates of Chaos – Halle Winkler’s NSConference 2015 talk.
  • Study Accounting – iOS app for learning the fundamentals of double-entry accounting.
  • Baremetrics – Subscription sales analytics service.
  • MoneyWell – Mac bookkeeping app by Kevin LaCoste.
  • OmniFocus – Mac task management app from The Omni Group.
  • Less Accounting – Online accounting software.
  • Xero – Another online accounting app.
  • No Updates Planned – Story from 9to5mac about Apple’s apparent cessation of Workflow updates.
  • The Future of Workflow – Federico Viticci’s reaction to Apple’s acquisition.
  • Automator – Documentation for Apple’s Workflow-esque Mac-based automation tool.
  • AppleScript – Apple’s documentation about the canonical scripting language for Mac.
  • Frontier – UserLand’s web-based outliner and scripting language.
April 21, 2017 at 4:26 pm.

Episode 278: A Little More Urgency

Manton and Daniel react to Apple allegedly using private API from Clips, and what it means for their App Store apps to enjoy special privileges. They talk about Daniel’s consideration of a freemium approach for the next major release of MarsEdit. Finally they examine Apple’s new TestFlight features, speculate about the cause for a looming iTunes Connect shutdown, and follow up about the efficacy of responding to App Store reviews.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

  • Zendesk: Bring native, in-app support to your app.
  • Linode: Cloud Hosting for You.

Links:

  • Fancy Screwdrivers – Stephen Hackett and Federico Viticci talk about Clips’s private API usage.
  • MarsEdit – Daniel’s Mac-based blog editing app.
  • What’s New in TestFlight – Apple’s announcement about changes including support for multiple builds.
April 14, 2017 at 12:15 pm.

Episode 277: Appealing To The High End

Daniel and Manton react to Apple’s surprisingly transparent “roundtable” meeting with several members of the press, and celebrate the many positive signals coming out of the event. They engage in a friendly debate about the likelihood that Mac users will defect to Windows. Finally, they talk about the merits of professional software, and the negative impacts that a poor market for such software may be having on iOS as a platform.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

Links:

  • The Mac Pro Lives – John Gruber writes about Apple’s special press event outlining the Mac Pro’s future.
  • The Reset Button – Matthew Panzarino writes about the Mac Pro announcements.
  • Osborne Effect – Age-old adage about the risks of premature product announcements.
  • Workflow Acquisition – TechCrunch story on Apple’s acquisition of the popular iOS automation app.
  • This Might Be Our Fault – The Connected podcast discussion of Workflow’s acquisition.
  • Panic 2016 Report – Panic’s reflections on the year and its struggles with iOS app sales.
  • Coda for iOS – Prime example of Panic’s professional-grade app development for iOS.
April 7, 2017 at 11:14 am.

Episode 276: I’m Going To Say Yes

Manton and Daniel discuss the opening of the WWDC ticket lottery, the correlated announcements about details of the WWDC Bash location, and Apple’s promotion of 3rd party events happening in the orbit of the conference. Manton reflects on his new decision to say yes to public speaking, and Daniel takes stock of recent reading around a “Going Pro” mentality. Finally, they react to the new ability for developers to reply to App Store reviews, and whether and how developers should choose to do so.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

  • Zendesk: Bring native, in-app support to your app.

Links:

  • San Jose Drainage Ditch – Image from Wikipedia of the Guadalupe River, near WWDC’s San Jose venue.
  • Discovery Meadow – Location of the WWDC Bash.
  • San Antonio River Walk – Texan example of a riverside parkway.
  • Beyond WWDC – Apple’s guide to conferences and events happening outside of WWDC.
  • Relay FM Meetup – WWDC-peripheral meet-up hosted by the Relay.fm podcasting network.
  • CocoaConf Next Door – Conference near WWDC 2017 at which Manton will be speaking.
  • The Power of Habit – A book about the effects of habits and how to establish or modify them.
  • The War of Art – Steven Pressfield’s motivational book about pursuing your dreams with vigor.
  • Turning Pro – Follow-up to The War of Art.
  • Responding to Reviews – Apple’s advice to developers about how to respond to customers on the App Store.
  • Customer Support – 2007 post from Manton about his rules for customer support.
  • Sunlit.io – Photo-based storytelling app by Manton Reece and Jon Hays.
  • Appfigures – Web-based service for tracking app sales and reviews.
March 30, 2017 at 2:54 pm.

Episode 275: A Completely New Thing

Daniel and Manton talk about Manton’s decision to hire Jean MacDonald as Micro.blog’s Community Manager, and the psychological effects of transitioning from a single to multi-person company. They also react to this week’s Apple announcements, focusing mainly on Apple’s new Clips app and how it relates to Apple’s historic focus on facilitating user creativity.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

  • Digimarc: The best mobile scanning solution today. The only solution for tomorrow.

Links:

March 24, 2017 at 3:25 pm.

Episode 274: Actually The Business I Want To Run

Manton and Daniel discuss Apple’s short-lived restrictions on editing App Store descriptions, weighing the merits of adding more semantic fields to App Store pages, and supporting a separate review process for metadata-only updates. They talk about Apple’s rejection of apps using Rollout.io technologies, and larger risks of depending on any 3rd party binaries or open source. Finally they consider the power of assuming certain labels such as “entrepreneur,” and how it frames your business thinking moving forward.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

  • Linode: Cloud Hosting for You.

Links:

  • Editing App Store Descriptions – 9to5mac reports on the change of policy by Apple, and subsequent reversion to status quo.
  • Firewatch – macOS game from Campo Santo and Panic.
  • Rollout.io Statement – Rollout responds to Apple’s rejection of apps using their hot-patch technology.
  • CocoaPods – A popular package manager for iOS and Mac.
  • SXSW – Austin-based film, music, and technology conference.
  • Open Coffee Club – Worldwide directory of meetups aimed at uniting investors and entrepreneurs.
  • Open Coffee Austin – Manton’s local club.
  • 15 Years of Blogging – Manton celebrates his long blogging career, and looks back at some favorite entries.
March 18, 2017 at 11:37 am.

Episode 273: Unquestionably Viable

Daniel and Manton rethink WWDC’s Apple Bash location, and celebrate the recently announced scholarship program for the conference. They catch up with Daniel’s productivity challenges, and lament the discipline required to finish any major release. Daniel checks in with his blogging habits and how they may relate to passion for MarsEdit. Finally, the two look to Marco Arment as an example of repeatedly trying new ideas and iterating on the aspects that work.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

  • Zendesk: Bring native, in-app support to your app.
  • Linode: Cloud Hosting for You.

Links:

March 9, 2017 at 7:46 pm.

Episode 272: The Cheap Hotels Are Gone

Manton catches Daniel up on Micro.blog process, while Daniel bemoans a loss of motivation and focus in recent months. They discuss strategies for increasing productivity through personal rules and changes of habit. Finally, they reflect upon the news that WWDC will return to San Jose, compare notes on plans to attend, and wonder about US border policy’s potential impact on international attendance to the conference.

Many thanks to our sponsor this week:

Links:

  • New Schedule for Usernames – Manton’s latest Micro.blog campaign update.
  • OmniFocus – Personal productivity app from The Omni Group.
  • SelfControl – Open source time management utility for blocking access to distracting websites.
  • WWDC17 – Announcement from Apple about this year’s developer conference.
  • Moof Braü – Flickr photos of the Moof-branded beer that Apple may have offered to an underage Manton.
  • OS 9 Is Dead – Macworld coverage of WWDC 2002’s mock funeral for the classic Mac OS.
  • Jamba Juice – Popular California-based juice chain whose smoothies were once featured at WWDC.
  • C4 – Wolf Rentzsch’s developer conference, which famously revived the Jamba Juice tradition.
  • Erik’s DeliCafé – California sandwich chain that once operated a location at the 1 Infinite Loop campus.
February 28, 2017 at 9:43 am.

Episode 271: Not Trying To Pile On

Daniel and Manton react to the promo trailer for Planet of the Apps, and discuss whether it lives up to Apple’s name. They compare the show with other reality television such as the Great British Baking Show and Project Runway. Then they revisit the Siri/Alexa comparisons in response to Eddy Cue’s recent comments on the subject, and debate the wisdom or foolishness of Apple’s conservative approach with SiriKit intents.

Many thanks to our sponsors this week:

  • Digimarc: The best mobile scanning solution today. The only solution for tomorrow.
  • Linode: Cloud Hosting for You.

Links:

February 16, 2017 at 3:18 pm.