Future Updates..?
Lately I’ve been hard ar work adding some much requested features to the TBR software used by Colossal Short Stories Collection, Self Help Classics and many more of my ebook apps.
So far implemented:
- toolbar hiding in autoscroll mode, thus displaying the text full screen (more screen size->better readability
- multi-stylesheet display mode-> you can now select Stylish mode(serif) / Modern (sans serif, clean) or Nightmode (white on black, sans serif)
- several small but important UI improvements that will greatly enhance the appeal of the apps
(screenshots are based on a junk test app which is a mix of Colossal Collection and Myth Stories).
As nice as these updates might be, because of Apple’s update-related policy which I already complained about, there’s no big incentive for me, as a developer, to push them right away to the customers. Without a ‘last updated’ list in each category, the only way I could get some extra exposure for my apps would be by pitching the updated features to some major blogs. But with just a minor update list, blogs won’t be impressed and will avoid writing about my apps. I’m forced to wait until I can get a big enough set of new features that could convince major blogs to write about it. And, as any developer knows, this ‘big enough set of features’ might never be implemented.
So, if proof was still needed, Apple’s update-related policy is eventually harming end users; users who could have benefited by having their apps updated earlier, with nicer looks, extra features and minor improvements. But because AppStore is such a closed market, with only two main entry points (iTunes app and iPhone’s AppStore app), the game changes and developers need as much exposure as they can get their hands on. And if this sometimes means that users have to wait a bit more for their updates, guess what? Developers sometimes will chose this option, because developers sometimes have to eat and pay rent too.
In less ranting terms and more programmer related ones, I’m now fighting with some unforeseen issues with the bookmarking subsystem. Turns out that I’ll need to completely rewrite it, which means that after updates existing bookmarks will be erased. No, migrating old bookmarks to the new ones doesn’t seem possible. Touch call. Should I do it, if it means future updates will be able to add stories and authors in a more flexible way?
