Keynote - Do your apps support the newest Apple devices?

Mells · October 2012

Yes. Apple has announced the iPad mini (1024 x 768, no need to rework our apps) & iPad 4 (hardware upgrade).

ar2rsawseen · October 2012

yes and video available only on Apple devices.

Mells · October 2012

@ar2rsawseen putting this limitation makes no sense

First time I watch an Apple keynote, I didn't know it was that slow & boring.
For those that didn't want/couldn't watch, the only relevant informations for us mobile devs are the ones in my first comment :

Your apps will be iPad mini ready (1024x768)
An iPad 4th generation has been announced, and it's just an hardware upgrade

When Gideros Mobile will add support for desktop :

All Macbook are equipped with a Retina Screen (Macbook Pro Retina 13" announced today)

Other informations : Redesigned iMac, Mac mini hardware upgrade.

ar2rsawseen · October 2012

@Mells thank you for sum up.

moopf · October 2012

In the UK the iPad Mini is only 20 GBP more than the latest generation iPod touch. This seems a little bizarre on first look - who would buy an iPod touch now. Then I got thinking. It's long been known that iPod touch sales have declined a lot but there's one thing about the latest generation that could explain the much higher price (it's much higher than the previous generation when that was introduced).

I have a theory that a lot of the people buying an iPod touch will be developers as it's a cheaper way to get the iPhone 5 screen size, without having to signup for a mobile contract. That being the case, I have a sneaky feeling that it's priced so high to make as much from developers as possible whilst it still being a "cheaper" option for those wanting the latest screen ratio to test on.

I could be completely wrong, but the pricing difference between that and the iPad Mini seems too close for the way Apple normally operates.

Mells · October 2012

@ar2rsawseen
Sure thing.

@moopf
Your theory makes sense and has been developed here and there on the web (App developers being a profitable source in the entire customer base so it makes sense to maximize profit on that segment - From Apple's point of view).

Also from a consumer point of view the iPod touch didn't compete with the other small tablet makers (Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Google Nexus 7, Amazon Kindle Fire HD) because it's more seen as a media player (video & audio) and gaming device.
While it's capabilities are comparable (for some uses) to the iPad Mini, it is not positioned and addressed to the same segment.
From Apple's point of view and in front of Samsung/Google/Amazon, the iPad Mini fits perfectly.

Maybe this is a transition phase and the price change is a start to reposition the iPod touch, and merge it with the iPad mini in the long run.

moopf · October 2012

@Mells - you're right, I think, it does look like a transition period. I'd expect the iPod touch to cease at some point although when I'm not sure, it's still in the millions of sales although whether that changes now the iPad Mini is around, cannibalising the sales of the iPod touch remains to be seen.

Apple definitely needed to get into this 7" tablet market although I do think that their pricing on the iPad Mini is a little high for mainstream. But then, when have Apple ever worried about pricing their products competitively. They've never competed on price and I don't expect that to change anytime soon!

OZApps · October 2012

My two bits is that, It's what is called having a finger in every pie, if they want to squash Google as the Apple Empire set out initially, they need to have their finger in every pie or piece of every pie whichever fits best here.

Most of my pre-mobile years have been with in the Luxury Automobile Industry, Mercedes did not have a small car while they had the C class and the M Class, they were missing out on that market segment, so they came out with the A Class. Now, BMW was also not competing in that segment, so they purchased Mini and placed it in that segment, but when Mini proved that it was it's own market and did not sell simply because of the BMW brand, BMW introduced the 1 series apart from the 3, 5 and 7. There was a time when they killed the 8 series trying to consolidate their range, purchased Land Rover and came out with the X series.

Apple is trying to capture each of these markets in a similar way, the only thing that I see where they are not doing it right is that the markets are mostly dominated by pricing, their pricing is very inappropriate, if it were lower, it would kill the iPad market and everyone would jump at the iPad Mini, at the current price, it is a bit high. However they could have released it like they did with the eMacs, only for Education (maybe they might still do that)

The other mistake that Apple has made or is making is it is defragmenting it's own devices. The one upside of iPhones were Retina and non-retina, then with the iPad, it was Tablet or Phone, then Retina Tablet, but these were easy by simple doubling or halving the images (whichever way you look at it) with the odd 1136x640, what do you do with that extra 176 pixels that stick out sore? How can you design a game for 4:3 (iPads) to work on 16:9 and on 3:2. The 640x960/320x480 could soon become history, but till then it will remain a pain, for businessy apps its not a problem, but for games, it will be.

On the other hand, Microsoft is making an even larger mistake, they have priced the Surface *arrogantly*, it is a wonderful piece of hardware that could cost or be sold for the asking price, but when Microsoft is hardly established in the market and with their sandbox policy will not allow side loading of apps and... not allow developers to develop with anything other than C# and DotNet, they could end up with a repeat of the Windows Mobile Phone story.
The only reason that they are currently a sell out is a lot of people think that Windows RT on a surface is the mobile tablet version of windows, which it is NOT. Soon you will see many of these devices on eBay and craig lists.

Just my two bits...

Mells · October 2012

@OZApps

the only thing that I see where they are not doing it right is that the markets are mostly dominated by pricing, their pricing is very inappropriate,(...) at the current price, it is a bit high

I see, my view is a bit different I believe that their pricing strategy (not competing on pricing) is the good one to attract the right kind of customers (based on Apple's positioning, trying not to be too subjective).
In a lot of industries consumers who make their purchase decision based on pricing are the more vocal, checking every default, and complain a lot (not saying that they are wrong doing it).
They can cost a lot in support, product branding, etc... and they are not loyal -> will move to the competition if their product becomes cheaper.

People that pay more find more and more reasons to rationalize and validate their purchase (typically Apple's customers, for the right and wrong reasons).
There are a lot of people who are happy to pay more for the same device as others (to be reassured of the quality of their purchase, to feel their ability to make the purchase compared to others, etc etc).
They are more loyal, it's easier to cross-sell/upsell them and keep them in the funnel.
They are also the best brand evangelists, they are committed to their purchase and to the brand.
And they claim to be more satisfied with their purchase than those who bought the cheaper alternative.

So in Apple's point of view, I believe that this pricing strategy makes sense.

(on Microsoft RT on a surface being the mobile tablet version of Windows ->) which it is NOT. Soon you will see many of these devices on eBay and craig lists.

I totally agree. I believe the problem is not in that difference, but more in the expectations that are based on the fact that Microsoft never made it clear enough.
That's more a problem of communication than anything else.

moopf · October 2012

Surface isn't really of much interest to me and Microsoft have done an awful job of describing the difference between operating systems. So much so that there will be a lot of unhappy people.

Surface also isn't anything particularly new - they're late to the party. They had an opportunity with the Courier project which they ended up shelving. That would have been something truly different in the market and I would have snapped one up in a heartbeat:

OZApps · October 2012

@moopf, the courier guys are the guys that made the Paper App, which shows that they had the vision and would have done an amazing job had Microsoft not shelved the product.

I think just having the name Steve is not good enough, when it is followed by Bummer, what can you do...

OZApps · October 2012

@Mells, one more thing...

if and when Microsoft release Office for the iOS devices, they could also be digging their own graves. That is one of the only reasons that people are looking at Surface, so if they can make office available on iOS for $10 or so per app... "The End", curtains ...

Mells · October 2012

@OZApps
Yes there are a lot of talk about Office on iOS (rumors and videos last year, Don't expect Office for ipad in the near term, Microsoft Office Web apps for ipad - Impressions).

Another strategic move has been removing Google Maps in iOS and replace it with an in-house solution.
What is happening is very interesting, more competition is a good thing.

@moopf
"Courier" looked great, I don't know the story behind it but I would be curious to know what would have things become.

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