Year App Store: an interview with the author Doris.app
Makradar Technologies / / December 19, 2019
Dmitry Lakachauskis - author of several programs for the iPhone, which you can buy or download for free in the App Store. The topic of our conversation - the problems faced by application developers.
Dmitry, please tell us about yourself. How did you come to the iPhone-development? How did the idea of creating Doris.app and how long it took for the implementation?
Programmer. One of the main developers (actually only commit'er, not including the founder) once popular seagull Framework. I live in Riga, where, in fact, was born and worked. I love to watch boxing, K-1 fights without rules.
As a web developer (who is still for the most part and I am), a lover of Apple products (MacBook Pro, iMac, iPod shuffle, iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch 2G), one of the founders Web Service DorisI was fascinated iPhone'om and method for delivering applications to your device - App Store. It became clear that without Doris iPhone app - is a defective product.
6 months, I had promised myself to start tomorrow "study» iPhone SDK, Cocoa Touch, objective-c, etc. Watching the App Store is filled with potential competitors, reading about crazy stories "of millionaire developer-with-one-program", about the ease of development of the SDK, about «build-and-go», I became more nervous on his powerlessness.
One day, delegating some of their projects newly acquired partner, I finally had time to break the deadlock.
Through 2-2.5 months the first version Doris.app I was ready and loaded to check the App Store. During this time, we had to shovel several times interface, write the API, make sure that everything fits the usual standards, make beautiful (to my taste) design finally. Apple has set the bar extremely high for developers, so that the most simple programs deliver a bunch of trouble.
In addition to Doris, you participated in the development of other applications for iPhone - Read Later and My High Street. Tell us about them.
FROM My High Street it's simple. People in the UK love brands. They do not say they want to go to the grocery store and say that it is necessary to go to Tesco. Do you want to eat - KFS, Subway, etc. Shops in the city is built on the principle copy-paste, so that in every city there is a standard set of brands. Using GPS, My High Street allows you to find nearby stores the selected brand. At the moment the program is only available in the UK App Store.
Read Later (Link to iTunes) - another niche product for delicious.com fans. It may seem strange, but many people use delicious, as a means for the storage of articles that one should read. By the way, they add tags «toread» tag or «to_read» - everyone can have his own. At this point the tag «toread» 1068119 have links, readme - 42300, to_read - 75080.
Read Later allows you to specify your «toread» tag, then all items with this tag will be uploaded to your device for later offline reading. Once you've read an article, the selected tag is removed for the corresponding links. Read Later - Instapaper is for fans of delicious.
Were there any difficulties with the application publishing the App Store? Was it not with Apple's refusal. Tell us about your experience sabmita the App Store.
Doris and MHS have been the first time. We even argued among themselves how much time Apple will give up :) Doris. Read Later denied the first time, and then another 2 or 3 times. I do not know as there is in the Apple operating system approval applications, but Read Later got a very "hard" inspector. Such a confusing element, it is confusing. Of course, the claim was not groundless, but in the assessment of Doris difference and RL was on the face. Then there was the failure of Doris LITE. Strangely enough, but the fact that Doris LITE according to experts from Apple was is confusing, in the usual Doris passed on hurray. Apparently the laws have become stricter.
Again, nothing new to say, but the check is now going for much longer than before. Before that within 7 days, came the answer from Apple, but now that period is unpredictable.
Some developers complain about the fact that Apple does not provide enough data to analyze sales. Criticism causes and a system of user feedback on the app. What are the disadvantages in the App Store would you mention?
iTunes Connect - it is still the same headache. I try not to go unnecessarily. For the record, I use AppViz. Not great for a solution, but it is much more convenient than iTunes Connect. also I use MajicRank.
With the feedback is difficult to change something, I think. There are always strange people who are ready to write «bullshit» or «ultimate rubbish». The value of such comments is clear.
However, Apple on forces to change the way the search application. If you're not in the TOP100 in one of the categories, you simply will not find, if you do not know what to look for. It's depressing. The only chance to shine in the Top 100 - this is sorted by release date. After earning the right amount of downloads, you can get into a regular TOP100 in the category, but already there is all up to you.
Since Doris was a bad example. Program submitted to the test on the 18th, approved of, say, the 26th, and in the App Store if you sort by release date was given 18th number and to have Doris was a bunch of applications. Again. 26th (the first day in App Store) Doris was already on the devil knows where when sorting by release date. Now we always specify a date in the future when filing the application.
Now your applications are only available in the App Store. Whether you are considering porting to other platforms and therefore placement in other stores (Android Market, Windows MarketPlace for Mobile)?
Not. In this regard, I like Opera move. Phone Opera Widgets is placed by means of which you can use standard web technologies to implement widgets. It is not necessary to know how to work with each platform - all engaged in Opera. A sort of Adobe Air for phones. We have already made a widget that works with the Vodafone Widget Manager (some Vodafone shell for Opera Widgets). Our widget is ranked second in the Vodafone competition.
What advice would you give budding iPhone-developers who are prepared to follow your example?
I do not think I can give some valuable advice, the following paragraph 4 - rather, it is my own fault, that it is better not to say:
- Do not be naive. Units earned hundreds of thousands of dollars for their applications.
- Do not be an idiot. It is possible that you have conceived you only need.
- You cool programmer, you have one designer, you have released a fantastic app. So, this is 5% of all cases. Likely about your job no one would ever know. If you are not a marketer, I advise you to make the appropriate introduction.
- Do not overdo it with reading all use cases. Now on iPhone, App Store, etc. He does not write just lazy. As the saying goes, use your common sense.