EmprendedoresTV & INSEAD asked me to volunteer my thoughts on entrepreneurship in the following video.
Here is the direct link if the inline video does not display.
Archive for category iPhone Dev
Granted that we hear about all the frustration, the rejections, the waiting game, etc…
But considering the 65k apps approved in the last year or so, I cannot help but think Apple is doing an outstanding job. Across the more than handful applications I have personally submitted or been involved with, all interactions with the app review team have been professional and even friendly.
One may argue that the process is overkill and unduly lengthy, however, I find comfort in knowing that Apple is both raising the bar by making sure developers stick to the “minimum standard” guidelines which ensures a fairly consistent common base for the end users, both in terms of UI and in terms of security. Not having this scrutiny would most certainly render the iPhone experience both very buggy and very unsafe for my end users (and therefore jeopardize my prospect base & target audience).
Moreover, this process has taught and forced me to include “best practice” in our iPhone app developments. I have had some “silly” rejections at first, such as lack of end-user warning in case the app was used in airplane mode: clearly, why would I need to notify the end user that the app is not managing to connect because they are in airplane mode; end-users should know better since they triggered the airplane mode in the first place!!! Well, Apple tells you in section X.Y.Z that you should take care of that. Of course, I had not digested the entire guidelines document, so I had failed to include this level of feedback, and learnt the hard way. And after thinking about it, Apple is right to make sure my end users are told why my app is not functioning; a simple reminder will educate the end-user and ensure a better experience both of the iPhone and my app, and vice-versa.
Moreover, I’ve included this “warning message” in all subsequent apps; and the review team has never bothered me with this again, and rightly so. I’ve therefore built into my practice, by force, a better experience going forward. And Apple has made sure that we, the developer community, do so going forward. Yes, Apple has a few tricks to teach seasoned developers!
Long story short: the approval process is quite a daunting task, and I’m sure Apple has invested quite a lot of resources into it already. Recent interventions by Phil Schiller show that they are listening, and care about improving the process. Curious to see how this pans out in other app store initiatives, and eagerly waiting to see how the Android community will manage this, with possibly even more pressure…
There is room for immediate improvement for sure: lack of transparency between submission and expected release date (often: ASAP), and feedback rounds are sequential (the review team will not give us a wash list, but instead give us each pain point one at a time, forcing us to go through week-long iteration cycles). I feel for those that are waiting for a very long time - though I would never wait sitting idle, and instead would email Apple with additional info about the app, it’s intent, it’s way of working, etc… my waiting time has been at best 4 days, and at most 13 days; and 4 days is already frustrating. I agree that Apple should be more transparent about where they are at, even if it’s just to say: “5 more days until processing (position : 250 in the queue)”, or “pending escalation (reason: not sure about privacy)”, etc… That would help tremendously.
I am confident Apple will fix and improve this process going forward.
Meanwhile, I am proud to say that we released the @appsfire iPhone app (http://appsfire.com/4iPhone) in one go (no iteration with the review team), with a 13 day span between submission and approval (slightly below the current “average waiting time”). With regards to Apple, I am sure the track record with them, the experience and understanding of how Apple caters to its consumer world helps optimizing all of this. Again, hats off and keep up the excellent work Apple. The expectations are high and that’s a good thing.
Yann.
Nice video on our last iPhone SDK training in Paris (in French mostyl): http://tr.im/wfKd Next training coming up in the Fall!
CP IAAF
The INSEAD Alumni Association France releases it Communiqué de Presse concerning their dedicated iPhone app, possibly a premiere in the business school market.
A business school classmates of mine recently spotted my involvement with iPhone software development on LinkedIn. He asked me if I knew about the Livescribe pen and whether I knew how to synchronize it with the iPhone…
I don’t really like it when my answer to a question involving the iPhone or technology yields a double NO.
I’m always on the lookout for new gadgets, especially the ones that help me reconcile the physical and digital world, or simply help boost productivity… It took me just a few clicks to realize the Livescribe was one instance of the ANOTO technology, something that I had been tracking loosely since its inception, but without being totally convinced: a way to turn pen strokes into digital equivalent using special dotted paper.
My friend’s enthusiasm and immediate need gave me some doubts though, and perhaps correlated with the burdening weight of my 3 kg MacBook Pro that I lug around everyday with me, I decided to give the Livescribe a go, and ordered a set from a UK distributor (watch out for shipping costs with the notebooks!!!).
Unpacking the device, I found that some things were still not quite right nor ready for mass adoption: no wireless synchronization, pen slightly too large and perhaps “fragile”… however, the overall package and experience turned me into an instant convert even though I usually don’t use pen & paper:
- pretty good Mac OS X integration
- availability of an SDK (I’ll get to it later - useful for me to explore the challenge that my friend unknowingly bestowed upon me!)
- pretty solid pen after all
- great way to record written notes & contextual sounds at the same time (unexpected & quite dazzling)
- impressive penlet possibilities (playing the piano on paper!) though not immediately accessible/trivial
I started using the pen on a daily basis, taking notes instead of depending on memory or the laptop, a 17 inch version that is not welcome in all situations…
This is my roundabout way to say that I recommend this gadget, especially if you’re an hybrid like me: technologist at heart, but all too aware that the current state of technology is disruptive and not necessarily adequate.
Now, how did I respond to my friend re: the iPhone synchonization? Watch this space for part II…
Yann.
May 2009
Announcing the release of the INSEAD Alumni Association France iPhone app: http://sens-digital.fr/iaaf/
Only 3 pre-registration seats left for the June 29-July 3 intensive iPhone SDK Training in Paris… http://tr.im/myht
SensDigital is sponsoring tomorrows Cocoaheads meeting in Paris http://tr.im/mtpW @LaCantine 7pm
2nd intensive iPhone SDK training in Paris from June 29th to July 3rd 2009. OS 3.0 SDK notions will be covered. http://tr.im/laSw
RT @gcerquant: Next session of CocoaHeads will be on Wednesday, 27th of May, at La Cantine http://www.cocoaheads.org/fr/Paris