What to Expect From the iPad 3*

We’ve been tracking mobile tech long enough to know that Apple rumors should always be taken with a grain of salt, but as the consensus seems to be that the newest iteration of the iPad is due in a few weeks’ time, we thought we’d take a look at what the tech community is expecting – and hoping for – in the new release.

The folks over at ComputerWorld have compiled a list of the more prevalent rumors surfacing from the blogger community, most of which involve poring over a handful of available images in the hopes of finding clues about the changes in the hardware within.  Among those bloggers is Matt Peckham of PCWorld, who says he’s “not going to join the hordes and speculate on the March arrival of the iPad 3” and then does just that.  Through a bit of Sherlock Holmes sleuthing and deduction, Peckham investigates the “intriguing” screen upgrades in the iPad 3 and the retina display.  (Incidentally, a “retina display” is simply an Apple marketing term that refers to the maximum number of ppi (pixels per inch) the human retina can discern when viewing the screen at a distance of ten to twelve inches.)

For their part, the pundits at MacTech seem prepared to confirm that users clamoring for a proper iPad keyboard are destined for disappointment.  We agree that probably not going to happen, given that an iPad with an integrated keyboard is what most people would call a “laptop.”  In any event, third-party accessories like the Touchfire are making good coin by stepping in to fill Apple’s gaps.  Meanwhile, iFixit’s Kyle Wiens suspects that most of the improvements in the new iPad are likely to be “incremental.” and speculates that any radical improvement in the device’s graphics resolution issues would require an upgrade in the processor, from a dual- to a quad-core.  The incrementalism of the upgrades leads Wiens to believe that what’s being released is not in fact the iPad 3 at all, but rather the iPad 2 HD.  We tend to agree, which explains the asterisk we added to the end of this blog.

ZDNet manages to avoid conjecture entirely, and jumps straight to a wish list of upgrades it would like to see in the next generation of iPads.  If you can think of any you’d like to add to that list, let us know in the comments.

App Store Categories and Rankings

Given the number of transactions conducted in Apple’s App Store, it should come as no surprise that any change, however slight, in the algorithm Apple uses to rank apps is likely to draw considerable attention from the tech media.

Last April, for example, Apple shook things up when it altered its ranking system to account for active use of certain mobile apps, rather than relying merely on the number of total downloads (a metric that is somewhat difficult to interpret).  Apparently, the idea was to acknowledge apps that don’t seek, and don’t need to seek, the flavor-of-the-month status that propels a great many apps to the top and makes instant millionaires of their developers.  Once the change in the algorithm went live, for example, Facebook’s mobile app shot to the top spot in its category, after lingering previously between tenth and twentieth places.  It makes sense, really; most people with mobile devices use Facebook every day, and Apple’s new system correctly reflected its popularity.

Oddly, however, Apple made another change recently that seems to have escaped much of the usual media scrutiny.  According to 148Apps, “about a month ago Apple quietly changed the ordering of its mobile app categories on the iPhone and iPad to be alphabetical.”  “Quietly” is right.  Few of the other tech blogs seem to have registered the change, but it appears as though it’s having a not insignificant effect on total sales.  Prior to the change, Apple ranked the categories by popularity, and it was no surprise that games were comfortably at the tippy-top of the list on everyone’s iPhones.  (The effect is less dramatic for the iPad, where nearly all categories fit on the single screen.)  App downloads are heavily influenced by popularity.  While the App Store ordering change has had no effect in terms of inter-category volumes, this slight alteration does appear to have had an effect on intra-category popularity and mobile app sales as well.  Of course, coming up with a catchy and memorable name for your mobile app is important, but keeping an eye out for the category in which it appears looks to be just as important.

Mobile Apps for Super Bowl Sunday

It’s that time of year again, time to tap the keg and rip open the chips as we all settle in for Super Bowl Sunday.  Whether you’re a fan of the Giants or the Pats, or just love all the fanfare that comes with the final bout in this smash-mouth post-season, there are some great mobile apps out there to help you enjoy the game.

If you happen to be a Verizon subscriber, we’ve got news for you:  once you’ve downloaded the NFL’s official mobile app, you’ll be able to stream the action live from your mobile device.  Fans watching the game on their iPhones and iPads might not have the benefit of a wide-screen TV, but the good news is that the mobile stream will have more camera angles and more up-to-date stats than what’s traditionally available to the analog crowd.

And if watching the game isn’t enough, you might even have an opportunity to win a car.  Chevy released a mobile app called Chevy Game Time that gives discounts for Papa John’s Pizza, Sirius XM Radio, Motorola, and Bridgestone, and allows users to participate in polls and trivia contests throughout the game, with a chance at witnning with a shiny new vehicle.

Super Bowl Sunday isn’t just for football, of course, and this is one of those occasions when spectators are as tuned into the commercials as they are to all the gridiron action.  Considering advertisers are planning on spending a whopping $3.5 million each, the ads are sure to please, so make sure you check out AppBurst’s Super Ads, a nifty little app that allows you to browse ads, catalogued by company and brand, that date all the way back to 2006.

And if you’re one of the lucky few who scored tickets to the game, you’ll be able to get the most out of the infamous Hoosier hospitality with all the apps available to help visitors to Indianapolis enjoy their Super Bowl experience.  Circle City officials have confirmed that visitors with mobile devices should have everything they need to navigate through the city, in addition to being able to keep abreast of all the local festivities.

Enjoy the game!

Managing Your App Development Budget

We recently discussed the many factors at work that determine the costs involved in developing a mobile app.  While we’re well aware that those costs fluctuate greatly depending on the level of sophistication of the app in question, this week we’re going to discuss budgeting strategies for those development projects.

If you already know how much you’re willing to spend on your mobile app development project, then you’re off to a good start.  The next question you’ll have to answer is what, precisely, is it that you want your app to accomplish?  If your dreams are big and your budget is small, you might be in a bit of a pickle.  Sophisticated mobile apps cost more to develop, so you’ll either have to (a) increase your budget or (b) pare down your app’s functionality so that it can fit your budget.

The good news is that services like ours exist to help you navigate the process of budget and development before you’ve spent your first penny.  Knowing what you want your app to do is by far the most important factor in determining what your budget will have to be.  While you won’t have to have a perfect grasp of all the technical terminology, you’ll need to be able to describe in detail every function you want your app to have.  It becomes a question of balancing the scales until you can locate a happy medium between what you’re willing to spend and what your app can accomplish.  Bear in mind that you might have to scale back your app’s functionality for it to fit into your budget.  That’s the bad news.  Here’s the good news – some of the best apps out there are elegant, useful, well-designed, well-executed, and yet technically simple to develop.

In any case, give us a call.  We’ll visit with you about your app and help you understand the factors that affect development costs.   Then, we can set you up with experienced developers who will offer you three free quotes for your app development project.

iPad App Development Costs

The question we’re most frequently asked is “How much does it cost to develop a mobile app?”  The fact that that question doesn’t have a definitive answer is only slightly more frustrating to us than it is to the hundreds of entrepreneurs we serve, but truth be told, “it depends” is really the only honest answer that we or anyone else can give.

To be sure, for a stripped-down, bare-bones, information-only app (screen savers and wallpapers, for example) that doesn’t need to communicate with anything outside of the device onto which it’s been downloaded, development is cheap.  But for every additional layer of sophistication, expect your development costs to rise accordingly.  Here are a few of the whistles and bells that can raise the initial development costs:

• Does my app need a database?  In other words, will the app need to communicate with an external server in order to function?  This applies to just about anything with a “shopping cart” feature, which can’t be handled within the hardware of the device itself.
• Do I need sophisticated graphics?  By “sophisticated,” we don’t mean “pretty.”  But if your app is a game that requires intricate pathing algorithms and a seamless experience for the user who’s trying to shoot whatever they’re aiming at, expect your development costs to rise.
• Will the app need to exploit the device’s hardware?   Smartphones are coming with more and more sophisticated features and some of the best apps out there are going to make use of them.  Will your app need to access external speakers, like Ocarina?  Will it need to tap into GPS functionality or the accelerometer?  Will it need unfettered access to the battery when you need to warm your hands?  All of these will require a bit more coin when you take your idea to a developer.

Of course, these are just a few of the factors at work when determining mobile app development costs.  That said, if you already have an idea for an app, drop us a line and we’ll set you up with three free development quotes so you can know in advance precisely what you’re getting into.