Author Archives: Hussain Fakhruddin

The Rise And Rise Of Mobile Gaming In Southeast Asia: Facts & Figures

$7 billion. That’s what the value of the mobile gaming industry in Southeast Asia is expected to be around (according to a recent Frost & Sullivan report) by the end of 2019. The $1 billion mark has already been breached, and at present, over 50% of the total number of apps downloaded by smartphone-users here are iOS/Android games. Couple that with the fact that, on average, one out of three people play games on their handsets at least once every week – and you get a fair idea about the popularity of gaming applications in this region. Let us here take a look at some interesting stats related to usage of mobile games in Southeast Asian countries:

 

  1. The big players – Out of the 11 nations in this part of the world, 6 countries – Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines – contribute the most to the mobile gaming sector. Among them, Indonesia is the leader of the pack, with more than 34000000 regular gamers (13.45% of the country’s total population), with Vietnam (31400000 gamers; 33.9% of the population) occupying the second spot. Singapore has the lowest number of individual gamers in absolute terms. However, well over 50% of the country’s population are gamers – highlighting the high adoption rates of mobile game apps here.
  2. Which country contributes the maximum revenue? – With a 21% share in the total revenues from gaming apps, Thailand is the most profitable market in Southeast Asia for mobile game developers. Researchers have predicted that the country will maintain (in fact, slightly increase) its leadership position till 2017 (by when, the total revenue from SEA countries will nudge towards $2.5 billion). Indonesia and Malaysia are pretty much close together at the second and third spots (both nations contribute around 19% of the total revenues from game applications). The only Southeast Asian country that is likely to show a dip in revenue generation from mobile games is Singapore – with its revenue share expected to go down from 14% to 12% in the next couple of years.
  3. iOS vs Android – iOS games are gaining in popularity in these countries, but Android still rules the roost here. Software analysts and experts from the field of mobile game development in Asia feel that it is the presence of a large number of low-end, ‘budget Android smartphones’, that drives the popularity of Google’s platform in Southeast Asia. The extreme fragmentation of the Android platform does pose a problem for developers (particularly while deciding the OS versions new games should be compatible with) – but over time, as adoption rates become more uniform, the issue will get sorted out.
  4. Type of games – In all the 6 main countries of SEA, strategy-based games generate the maximum downloads. Racing games, arcade games and role-playing games have their takers as well, as do multiplayer action and adventure game apps. Interestingly, these 5 genres of the gaming apps are the most popular in all the six nations (there are slight differences in their respective engagement percentages though). Games developed by Western app companies (like Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Clans) enjoy maximum popularity.
  5. Scope for further growth – Unlike the US market, or even the markets in countries like South Korea and China, the mobile gaming industry in Southeast Asia is nowhere near saturation. This point can be illustrated easily by the fact that, while download figures are high, app store revenues from gaming applications are still on the lower side here. The percentage of revenue from mobile games in the total app revenues in the 6 leading SEA countries vary in the 50%-70% range – significantly lower than the 90%+ figure in South Korea. Game developers have to implement separate app monetization strategies to earn from their applications (ads, in-app purchases). App makers unanimously feel that app store revenues in SEA is still at a very early stage of growth.
  6. Usage of paid features – Nearly 1 out of every 2 mobile gamers in Thailand spend actual money on the gaming applications they use. The stat is pretty much the same in Vietnam. In Singapore, less than 30% users go for paid features – but that is more than offset by the fact that those who spend on mobile games, spend really big. The annual spend per payer figure in the country is just a shade under $190 – nearly 6 times more than the corresponding figure in Malaysia (around $33), where multiscreen games are the most popular. Although the mobile app market in Philippines is growing at the highest rate among Southeast Asian nations, it still has one of the lowest annual pay-per-user (a bit over $ 8). The same figure for Vietnam ($12.7), the SEA country with the highest number of gamers in absolute terms, is also low.
  7. Pace of growth – The European gaming market has a projected CAGR (2013-2017) is 14.8%, as per studies conducted by mobile app developers and analysts. The Latin American mobile game industry has a CAGR of 14.2%. These figures nearly pale into insignificance, when they are compared with the 28.9% CAGR of the Southeast Asian gaming app market, for the same period. If the 2015-2019 time span is considered, the CAGR (48%) is even higher. Clearly, these countries are on the fast track, as far as mobile game development is concerned. Spiralling penetration figures of smartphones is the principal cause for this.
  8. Opportunity for local game developers – Although Western titles still take up the lion’s share in the lists of most downloaded games in Southeast Asian countries (in Philippines, 15 out of the top 20 games are from Western companies), local developers are also in with more than a shout. Touchten, an Indonesian game development company, has two hugely popular games in its kitty – ‘Infinite Sky‘ and ‘Ramen Chain‘. GameMaker (in Thailand) and VNG Corp. (in Vietnam) are two other successful game developers from the SEA region. The competition is tough, but there is definitely a scope for local mobile app companies to thrive here.
  9. Who plays what? – In terms of gross revenues, ‘Clash of Clans’ holds top spot in nearly all the major Southeast Asian countries. A notable exception is Thailand, where ‘Let’s Get Rich’ is the best-selling game (which has got a lot to do with the overwhelming popularity of the LINE chat application in the country). Usual suspects like ‘Subway Surfers‘ and ‘Candy Crush Soda Saga‘ also have considerable fan-following in all the SEA countries. ‘Everybody’s Marble‘ (in Thailand and Indonesia) and ‘Hay Day‘ (in Indonesia) are also big money-churners.
  10. Country-wise growth in mobile gaming – Between the 2014-2017 period, the mobile app market in Southeast Asia is expected to grow by approximately 215% – making the region arguably the most lucrative for professional game developers to target. Vietnam, with an annual growth of nearly 90% in downloads, leads the way – followed by Thailand and Phillipines. Among the major countries in this region, Malaysia is the only one where the rise in app downloads has somewhat tailed off (since it has come close to matching the app markets of Japan and South Korea).
  11. The biggest rivals – Surveys have identified mobile chat applications and social networking apps as the biggest challengers to games, in the Southeast Asian markets (as far as jostling for the users’ attention is concerned). Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and LINE (particularly in Thailand) have large user-bases, while Zalo is witnessing rapid increase in adoption among users in Vietnam. Blackberry Messenger, predictably, is still fairly popular in Indonesia. Among social media apps, Facebook is far and away the most popular, with several cities featuring in the list of locations with the largest number of active FB accounts in the world. Gaming apps might be growing fast, but users are interested in other types of applications too.
  12. Making in-app purchases – Nearly 45% of gamers from the Southeast Asian markets spend money on mobile games – but there still exist roadblocks in the way of implementing in-app purchase options. The main reason for this is the extremely low credit card penetration rate (around 10%, if Malaysia and Singapore are excluded). Over the next few years, as more people start using credit cards, the purchase of virtual goods through mobile games will become easier. For the moment though, mobile app developers have to supplement their in-app purchase plans with other subsidy-based app monetization plans and advertisements.
  13. Language barriers – With the probable exception of Singapore and Malaysia (both of which are primarily English-speaking countries), customizing mobile games in local languages is something app developers have to consider. For a country like Thailand, which generates the largest revenues from gaming apps, it is not sufficient to release games that are not available in the Thai language. While creating games for these markets, developers need to make sure that their products have multi-language support. Otherwise, acceptance levels will remain low.
  14. Separate countries. Separate features – As already stated above, Thailand is the leading SEA country in terms of revenue generation from gaming apps. The CAGR of the gaming industry (2014-2017) of this country is 31%, with total revenues expected to be around $495 million by the end of 2017. Fast adoption of mobile internet services has boosted the total percentage of online population in Phillipines by more than 8 times. Although the total population level and the percentage of mobile gamers spending money of apps is low in Singapore, the country accounts for the highest annual spend-per-user ($189). In Malaysia, most app-users prefer multi-screen gaming (smartphone, PC, console and tablet). And of course, Indonesia has the largest pool of mobile gamers in absolute terms – thanks to its comparatively ‘young’ population.

 

Unlike countries like China and Russia, it is easier for third-party mobile app and game developers to enter the Southeast Asian markets. The average count of Android game downloads in these countries is almost 4 times more than the number of iOS games downloaded by users (highest difference in Indonesia; lowest in Vietnam). Apple, however, has the edge in terms of revenues (except for Malaysia) from app stores. Mobile gaming has picked up serious momentum in Southeast Asia, and over the next five years or so, both downloads and revenues are likely to increase manifold.

What To Expect From Apple Watch 2?

 

List of features of Apple Watch 2

 

With all due respect to Android smartwatches, it won’t be out of place to refer to Apple Watch as the hottest gadget in the domain of wearable technology. Within six months of its launch, the sales of the Cupertino company’s very first smartwatch have reached the 5-6 million units mark (according to Wall Street reports). The fact that Watch has been able to more than hold its own against a line of strong competitors (from Motorola, Tag Heuer, Huawei, etc.) is proof enough that it has caught the fancy of users and Apple app developers alike. The presence of a separate Apple Watch app store have helped matters along, along with the release of watchOS 2 – three weeks back. The second generation Apple Watch – Watch 2 – is expected to be unveiled this summer, and over here, we take a look at some expected new features from the upcoming version of the smartwatch:

 

  1. Wider choice – Experts from the field of iOS app development mostly agree that Apple went for marketing its brand in a big way with the introductory Watch version. The company evidently wanted people to put something on their wrists that looked beautiful and ‘different’. While the move generally received the thumbs-up from early adopters, certain minor glitches with the digital crown (in particular) were present. Tim Cook’s ‘one more thing’ is expected to arrive in an array of new materials – like tungsten, platinum and titanium – in its upgraded edition. The price points of the new models will be somewhere around, or a touch above, the $1000 level.
  2. Improved wireless functionality – Apple Watch 2 will be a lot less reliant on paired iPhones than its predecessor (third-party app makers can already make native apps for the smartwatch, on the watchOS 2 platform). There will be an additional dynamic chip present in the build of Watch 2 – which will do away with the need for Bluetooth connection while receiving calls directly on the smartwatch. Location-based services will receive a lift from the new chip too, thanks to the smart router triangulation capabilities. With the wifi features on Apple Watch becoming more reliable, general data services and app updates will be smoother as well.
  3. A round dial, maybe? – Going by the buzz among mobile app developers and analysts worldwide, Apple Watch 2 might have one (or more) round-dial models as well. The square-faced versions have worked well – but Apple certainly has the chance to offer more form-factor options to buyers (just like it will be doing regarding new materials). When Watch debuted, the focus was, understandably, on branding and product-differentiation. This summer’s Watch 2 is likely to look more like…well…a regular wristwatch.
  4. FaceTime calling via Watch – One of the breakthrough new features reported to be present in Watch 2 – although opinions remain polarised as to whether users would be interested in using FaceTime video calling on their wrists. The first couple of prototypes would give us an idea about how the FaceTime camera is placed on the upper portion of the bezel. watchOS 2 already has audio capabilities via FaceTime, and WatchKit app developers are taking that as a tell-tale sign of FaceTime Video arriving on the new version of the Apple smartwatch.
  5. 3D Touch to replace Force Touch – Another likely change in the upcoming Watch edition – and a change making that would make it more sensitive and user-friendly. In place of the Force Touch technology on the existing Apple Watch version – which differentiates between 2 different types of touches, the Cupertino company is expected to bring in 3D Touch (which can ‘understand’ the difference between 3 types of touches). Apple has already introduced 3D Touch on the new iPhone 6S/6S Plus handsets – and it’s only natural that the technology will be extended to Watch 2.
  6. A slightly better battery life – When considered in isolation, the ‘all day battery life’ of Apple Watch is impressive enough – but it appears somewhat poor when compared to the ten-day battery life that the Pebble Time Steel offers. Watch 2 is rumored to have a slimmer OLED display, and if that actually happens, there will be room for including a larger battery, which would offer a better performance (maybe, just maybe, charging the Watch every day won’t be necessary). If there is indeed an upgrade on the 250/246 mAh battery currently present in Apple Watch, users will be able to wear it while sleeping, and get accurate sleep-tracking data from dedicated apps (like Sleep Cycle).
  7. Speedier responses to ‘Hey Siri’ – Right from Apple Maps and HomeKit, to Glances – the sharper artificial intelligence (AI) of watchOS 2 has made many integral features of Apple Watch snappier. iPhone app developers fully expect Siri – the virtual digital assistant – to get a speed boost in the upcoming iteration of the wearable. Improvements are likely in both the processor performance of Siri, as well as its web-based performance. According to many users, Siri on Apple Watch has the potential to become more useful than on iPhone – and Apple would miss a trick if it does not make it a smarter, better assistant.
  8. More and better sensors – First, let’s clear a confusion. Apple is working on a full-blown medical device (as reported by Tim Cook to The Telegraph) – but Watch 2.0 is NOT that gadget. However, there will be a slew of new sensors, dedicated to health-tracking, in Apple Watch 2. Apart from stress level trackers, there will be separate sensors for monitoring stuff like blood oxygen and blood pressure. There have been reports of the Watch sensors not working properly for users who had tattoos on their wrists/arms. The revamped sensors in Watch 2 will resolve that problem.
  9. Custom-made smart straps – Well, this one is probably the least likely of the features that have made this list. However, there is an outside chance that Apple would introduce Smart Straps for the new version of Watch (just like the ones Pebble smartwatches have). These would open up the opportunity for watchOS app developers to create a wide range of customized straps and bands (LED bands for notifications, battery-straps for greater battery power, etc.). The Apple ecosystem is gradually becoming more ‘open’, and the chance of third-party manufactured smart straps cannot be ruled out.
  10. The less power-hungry S2 chip – Another factor that should add some extra battery juice to Apple Watch 2 is the replacement of the existing S1 chip with the more efficient S2 chip. The latter will have Samsung’s 14nm architecture – and hence, will consume less power on average than the 28nm S1 chipset. Techies from the field of wearable technology and mobile app development feel that Apple might use the cutting-edge 14FF process (Foundry) to design the S2 chip.
  11. Better waterproofing – The current version of Apple Watch has 1m waterproofing (i.e., IPX7 rating). The results of a recent Wristly Inner Circle survey revealed that, 8 out of 10 Watch-owners considered this to be inadequate. It would hardly be a surprise if Apple Watch 2.0 boasts of greater waterproof rating – enabling users to keep the device on while underwater. The first-generation Watch has done well as a luxury smartwatch – it’s now time for Apple to make it tougher and more damage-resistant.
  12. GPS functionality – Since tetherless wifi will almost certainly be present in the new Apple Watch iteration, the chances of it having built-in GPS as well seem slim. Apple can spring a surprise by including GPS-based location services in the new model. That would allow users to keep it on during activities (running, treadmill, etc.) – enhancing the usability of the gadget. What’s more, there is a possibility of the Workout app having manual calibration options. Accurate GPS with real-time information will go a long way in making Watch a comprehensive fitness-tracker device.
  13. Personalized watch faces – For all its virtues, the display of Apple Watch is more of a tappable screen, instead of a regular ‘clock face’. WatchKit software and app developers are expecting the Apple designers to do a few tweaks – to provide both users as well as designers access to a larger portion of the overall screen real estate. With Live Photos and Time Lapse videos on watchOS 2, Apple has shown that it is keen to make Apple Watch displays more personalized. Apple Watch 2 will take this further.
  14. More of a standalone gadget – As already stated above, the second iteration of Apple Watch will be less dependant on paired iPhone for proper functioning. The new chipset and the robust wifi support will be very important in this regard. Reports from online software and app development forums also suggest that Watch 2.0 will have a ‘Find my Watch’ feature (like ‘Find my iPhone’). Apple won’t bring in Android compatibility to its smartwatch anytime soon – but people will not have to carry their iPhones all the time, for their Watch models to be of any use.
  15. Qi charging option – Apple Watch already has wireless charging feature. However, the Cupertino tech giant still has the scope to build on this aspect. A possible option would be the implementation of the Qi charging standard (which is present in the Samsung Galaxy S6). Finding wireless charging pads and hotspots while on the go is becoming increasingly common – and at those places, Qi charging will be more useful than regular wireless charging features.

 

Those who make native software and apps for the iOS/watchOS platform had identified Apple Watch as a gadget that bolsters the Internet of Things (IoT) network (HomeKit was brought under the hood with watchOS 2). More advancements in this regard are expected to be built in Apple Watch 2. The new version is also likely to debut on an upgraded OS version (watchOS 3). Apple might just provide some more storage space in the new models, while significant changes in pricing or designs are not likely. The 2nd-gen Apple Watch is already under development at Quanta – and Apple will probably release a limited edition in June, with a wider launch coming later this year. Let’s wait and find out how many of these expected features it actually comes with.

Play Store vs App Store: Showdown Of The Mobile App Marketplaces

The app-count at Blackberry App World currently stands at a paltry 130000. With around 350000 and 400000 applications respectively, the Windows Phone Store and the Amazon App Store fare better. However, when it comes to mobile app marketplaces – there are two clear cut, runaway leaders – the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Both were launched in 2008 (the Play Store was known as the ‘Android Market’ back then), and have, since that time, grown at a very rapid clip. In today’s discussion, we will do a Play Store vs App Store comparative analysis, and try to determine which app marketplace shades it:

 

  1. Availability of apps – Till recently, Apple always had a healthy lead over Google in terms of total number of apps in their respective stores. By 2010, the App Store had a stock of nearly 320000 apps, while Play Store lagged behind with only around 80000 apps at the time. However, by the end of 2014, Android app developers had caught up with their iOS counterparts – and currently, it is Google Play, with a tick over 1.6 million apps, that has the lead. Apple App Store offers users a library of 1.5 million applications.
  2. Total downloads – This one is an absolute knockout in favour of Google. Recent surveys by mobile app development experts have shown that the total worldwide downloads from the Google Play Store is an amazing 88%-90% higher than that from Apple App Store. It has been forecasted that the two app marketplaces will collectively account for 9 out of every 10 app downloads globally by 2017. Play Store is likely to have the lion’s share in that.
  3. Quality of apps – Apple has a stringent set of design guidelines and strong app review process in place. That, in turn, ensures that the majority of the apps in the iOS store are of high quality. Over the years, the Android App Store has been a lot lax in this regard – and the presence of a fairly large number of app clones (how many clones of 2048 are there anyway?!) and malicious, spammy applications. There are hardly any chances of cases like the Android Virus Shield disaster cropping up at the App Store. Things have started changing though, with Google announcing a manual review system of Android apps from March 2015. Still, it has a lot of catching up to do to match the app quality standards at the Apple Store.
  4. Revenue for developers – This time, App Store blows the Play Store out of sight. While the total downloads are way lower in the former, iOS apps generate (on average) around 80% more revenue than Android apps. The 70:30 revenue split rule also works in favour of iOS app developers. The surge in downloads of iPhone applications in China (which has overtaken USA as the largest downloader from Apple Store) has widened the gap this year. In 2015 Q3, there was a 24% spike in the revenue from App Store. The figures from Play Store were flat during the period.
  5. Free vs paid apps – There is a general perception that owners of iOS devices are more likely to actually spend money on mobile applications, than Android-users. The availability (and indeed, popularity) of so many budget Android smartphones add to this belief. Not surprisingly, the Play Store has a higher percentage of free apps (in 2015, this rose to 68% – an increase of nearly 5% over 2014) than the App Store. The ‘freemium’ model is almost equally popular in both the stores – although Android developers tend to go for in-app ads (which can be obtrusive at times) in a big way.
  6. Responding to user-reviews – Reviews and ratings provided by genuine users – particularly within the first few days after an app is launched – are critical for determining its ranking and visibility level. Google Play Store offers Android developers greater flexibility in this context. They can respond to individual reviews, queries and complaints – and even inform them about bug fixes and request for revised ratings. On the Apple App Store though, if a new app garners negative initial reviews – the concerned developer has no way of individually responding to them.
  7. Registration charges – Whether making Android apps is easier than creating applications for the iOS platform will remain open to debate – but it is definitely cheaper. To become a registered developer, Android developers have to pay a one-time fee of 16 Pounds ($25) – about four times less than the annual pocket pinch for becoming a registered Apple app developer (65 Pounds/$96.5). It’s not for nothing that many experts advise newbies to start off with coding for Android apps, and moving on to the iOS platform later.
  8. Compatibility with older versions of the platforms – Nothing to really choose between the two here. The backend support in the Play Store extends to Android 2.2 Froyo – while the App Store can have applications that are compatible with iPhone 3G (i.e., the 2nd generation iPhone, which arrived in 2008). Clearly, both Apple and Google want to make the apps hosted on their respective marketplaces have as large a user-base as possible.
  9. User-engagement – A 2015 survey by 451 Research has shown that user-engagement levels are slightly higher at the iOS app store, in comparison to the Play Store. According to the survey, 6.2 apps are downloaded (on average) by users every month from the Apple Store. The corresponding figure for the Android Play Store is just a shade over 4. When only free apps are considered too, the gap is significant – with 4.3 free iOS apps being downloaded per person every month, as opposed to 3.5 free Android app downloads per month.
  10. Listing at the stores – Once again, Android app developers are at an advantage here. While it is possible to add preview videos in addition to text descriptions on app pages at both the stores – Apple limits the maximum length of these videos to 30 seconds. On the other hand, the app preview videos at the Play Store can be of any length (although making a lengthy video is not advisable). In addition, more app screenshots can be added on the app listing page in Play Store than at the App Store (8 vs 5). In general, there is more room for devising app store optimization strategies on the Android marketplace.
  11. Downloading directly from the web interface – For downloading iOS applications, having an iTunes Connect account is mandatory for users. The ‘View on iTunes’ option (below the app icon) has to be selected, following which the download can be started. Installing new apps from the Google Play Store has an extra level of convenience – since users can click ‘Install’ on the Play Store website, and download the applications they want, without having to take out their handsets. This is, in fact, one of the factors behind the higher total app downloads from the Android marketplace.
  12. App pricing – Not surprisingly, iOS apps are ‘more expensive’ than Android software. While the average price of Android applications is $0.06, that of an iPhone app is $0.20 (at $0.50, the price of iPad apps is significantly higher). The maximum price cap for apps at the iOS store is $999 – five times higher than the $200 price cap at the Play Store (this is in keeping with the trend of iOS apps being more pricey). Interestingly though, Android apps have a lot more price points (29) within a limited range than iOS applications (7).
  13. Ratings reset after every update – Happens at the App Store only. On the Google Play Store, Android app developers can release updates to their existing apps – without having to worry about their app ratings getting reset. Unfortunately, this is exactly what occurs at the iOS app marketplace. App ratings are powerful indicators regarding their quality (and can trigger download behaviour) – and the fact that they get reset at the App Store after every update is a drawback. Those involved in Android app development can add/edit metadata more easily.
  14. Innovative features – While Android offers more than ample scope for developers to promote their applications, iOS has more unique, innovative properties. App Bundles and Family Sharing are two classic examples of such user-friendly features. On Play Store, people can check out the ‘Users also installed’ entries, before downloading any particular app. The detailed download stats for any particular app can also be viewed. In terms of additional features, iOS is ahead – but Android has lots of good points in its favour too.
  15. Number of categories – Opinions are polarized over this. Many users feel that since all Android apps and games are clubbed under one category, browsing is a lot more seamless and quicker. However, mobile app developers feel that this also increases the chances of confusion and hampers potential visibility/discoverability of applications. On the Apple platform, games can be put under any of the three categories, while apps are placed under two different classes. This makes it easier from the visibility perspective.

 

In terms of app security, the App Store is ahead of the Play Store (even though this comes at the cost of longer app review times). In general, the Android marketplace is a lot more ‘open’ than that of Apple – allowing both developers and users to do more with app listings and downloads. It is tough to identify a clear winner in the Play Store vs App Store fight. Let’s just say the developers can earn more from the iOS platform, while it is slightly easier to find and download free apps from the Play Store.

 

App Store or Play Store – which one is better according to you?

 

Making An iPhone App – Know The Basics

The year is drawing to a close, and it has been another big one for app developers working on the iOS platform. In 2014, developers earned more than $10 billion from the applications they made, with New Year’s Day witnessing record-breaking downloads from the App Store. This year’s figures are expected to be a couple of notches higher – and the festive period promises to be more profitable for app-makers than ever before. It’s a good time to get into the domain of iPhone app development, and the following tips should provide you a proper starting point:

 

  1. Get Xcode. Learn Swift – Xcode 7.2 is out in the wild, and you can download it from the ‘Dock’ of the ‘App Store’ in your Mac system (using a version earlier than Xcode 7 won’t be a good idea, for potential compatibility issues). Once Xcode is displayed right on top of the search results, click on Get → Install App. The IDE will be downloaded in the ‘Applications’ folder. You should also have a thorough knowledge of working with Swift 2.0. That will be the language you will be mostly making apps with.
  2. Decide on the type of application – Writing lines of code just for the heck of it does not make much sense (unless you are working on practice/dummy projects). Before getting down to the actual development, take a call on the precise nature of your app, its USP, its target audience, and the way in which you plan to market it. Avoid starting off with an iPhone application that is too niche – or, on the other end of the spectrum – a clone of an existing, popular app. Prepare a flowchart and follow it carefully.
  3. Start with a new project – Okay, done with the planning? Now, let’s kickstart the coding process. iOS app developers have to click on ‘Create A New Xcode Project’ from the welcome screen of the downloaded Xcode 7/7.2 IDE. Select a template from the dialog box that pops up. Choose ‘Application’ and ‘Single View Application’ from the ‘iOS’ side and the main area of the dialog box respectively. When done, click on ‘Next’.
  4. Use the available resources – For iPhone app development, the online support community is pretty much extensive. Sources like Raywenderlich and Github (this one is particularly good for teaming up with other developers on a project) offer valuable help, particularly for beginners. If you are planning to make a game, you will need to learn your way around Sprite Builder (to create game characters) as well as refer to the Game Center for Developers that Apple provides. To get yourself out of coding problems and other related issues, having an account in Game Development Stack Exchange is also advisable. You can post your questions there, get prompt solutions, and help others along as well.
  5. Fill in the project details – Once you have created a new Xcode project, you will be prompted to fill in certain details and options for your project. The name of your app has to go in the ‘Product Name’ box, while in the space for ‘Organization Name’ – simply put in your own name OR the name of your mobile app company OR simply keep it blank. Choose ‘Universal’ for the ‘Devices’ field, and ‘Swift’ beside ‘Language’ (select Objective-C in case you are using it). Check the ‘Include Unit Tests’ option and leave the other two (‘Include UI Tests’ and ‘Use Core Data’) unchecked. The ‘Bundle Identifier’ field will be pre-filled.
  6. Storyboarding – For most iPhone app developers, storyboards are still the preferred way to create the interfaces of new applications. One app screen and one View Controller (we will explain them in the next point) are present in every ‘Scene’ of the storyboard. The overall modal properties and in-app navigations are determined by the way storyboards are set up. For creating prototypes of your application too, storyboards come in handy (with ‘UITableViewCell’). What’s more – if you are making an app for both iPhone and iPad (remember how we selected ‘General’ in the Xcode dialog box earlier?), storyboards does away with file-naming problems and offers different views.
  7. A bit about View Controllers – When you are coding for an iOS app, ‘View Controller’ instances will be auto-generated by the storyboard. The instance serves as a subclass of the controller, with the specific behaviour/features of an app screen determined by the properties specified in the ‘ViewController.swift’ file. To put it more simply, the interaction between the data model of an app and the screen views (which show the implemented data) are managed by View Controllers. There is a single ‘content view’ in one View Controller, with an array of subclasses. The objects are of the UIViewController type. While working with more than one ‘scene’, you’ll need to use the ‘Identity Inspector’ as well.
  8. Define Actions for your app – Newbies in the field of iOS app development have to remember one thing at all times – apps are driven by system events, which are triggered by user-defined ‘Actions’. Let’s define some basic actions for your app at this point. In the default UI, create a SetDefaultTextLabel button, select it from the storyboard, and drag it to the ‘code editor’ area. Following this, a dialog box would appear. Select ‘Action’ on that, and choose ‘UIButton’ for ‘Type’ (the ‘Name’ has to be ‘SetDefaultTextLabel’). Once you click on ‘Connect’, the required code will be added by the IDE to viewcontroller.swift.
  9. Create engaging assets for games – This one is vital for iOS game developers. The concept of your game might be great – but if the app in its final form is not engaging enough, it won’t find any takers. From sounds and logos, to icons, buttons and the game characters – there are a lot of ‘Assets’ to make your game interesting, and adding a personal touch to it. Depending on the nature of the gaming app you are creating, you might also need to use sound assets.
  10. Know all that there is to know about Swift – It is not a replacement of Objective-C, but Swift is fast emerging as the go-to language for making iPhone apps. It is absolutely imperative that you learn the language thoroughly, before getting down to the coding part. Optionals, Variables and Constants, and Arrays are some of the basic things about Swift that you need to get a hang of. Knowing how to implement ‘Methods’ and ‘Functions’ is vital too. ‘Loops’ (while, for-in) and ‘Conditional Statements’ (switch, if) are the two Control Flow statements used in Swift programming – learn how and when to use them both.
  11. Manage in-app navigation – Doing this properly can go a long way in bolstering the user-friendliness of your application. For the ‘Scenes’ in the storyboard, a Navigation Bar has to be configured (use the Object Library and the Attributes Inspector for this). Create a ‘Segue’ (the transition from one Scene to the next) to lay out the forward navigation of your iPhone app. Developers monitor both backward and forward movements with the help of ‘Navigation Controllers’. Each of these contain a set of ‘View Controllers’ (with the entire set being called the ‘Navigation Stack’). Adding a navigation controller is easy – all that you have to do is go to the table view controller, and click Editor → Embed In → Navigation Controller.
  12. Know all about the MVC hierarchy – You have already used the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern in the above steps. However, it won’t be out of order to understand this process in a more in-depth manner here. All the data of the app you are making is stored in the ‘Model’, which also validates and sorts information. ‘UIView’ and/or similar such classes are used in ‘View’, to create the UI of the app. The Interface Builder helps in sketching out the layouts as well. Finally, the ‘Controller’ is the component that connects the ‘View’ and the ‘Model’.
  13. Test your app on device simulators – Presence of bugs is one of the biggest reasons for an app to get rejected at the Apple App Store. That, in turn, makes thorough testing of new iPhone apps critical. Developers can access and use the simulator app that is available within Xcode, to check out the software they have created on different virtual devices. Select the ‘iPhone 6 + Apple Watch 38 mm’ option to start off the testing (provided that you want your app to be usable on the smartwatch as well). WatchKit app developers have to run their applications on two target simulators simultaneously – for the iOS device and for Watch respectively.
  14. Create a preview video – Many iOS app developers have the opportunity (which generally remains unutilized) of adding a preview video for their applications. Having a detailed preview video is a great way to attract and engage users at the App Store – and increasing the potential number of downloads. Use QuickTime Player to create the video, add audio effects, and include a couple of screenshots as well (in addition to the static screenshots). A separate ‘app footage’ section can also be present. Make sure that the sound quality in the voiceovers is of high quality.
  15. Monetize your app – If your app’s a good one, it can generate significant revenues. You need to implement a proper app monetization strategy for that. Apple offers the iAd services as well as the in-app purchase options to monetize free apps. Prior to the final app distribution, check whether all the devices your app is compatible with is clearly stated. Ensure that all necessary launch images and icons are present as well. Finally, create a new app record in your iTunes Connect account, provide all the requisite information, and then upload your app (use Application Loader or Xcode for that). The average review time at the iOS app store is 5 days (the Mac App Store takes slightly longer).

 

New APIs like Metal (which arrived with iOS 8) have made the process of iOS app development more streamlined and powerful than ever – with its OpenCL/OpenGL-like capabilities. Be prepared for initial hiccups – even the biggest of mobile app development agencies have failed projects. Learn the basics well, make sure that initial mistakes are not repeated – and you should be on your way towards becoming a successful iOS developer.

 

As The Shadow Lengthens Over 2015…

— A Wrap-Up Of The Year

Mobile apps matter. A lot. Not because the good ones mint money for my company, not because making them is the hottest segment in the domain of m-technology (these are valid reasons though!) – but mainly because they excite me. Yes, 9 years after our first Java app – Qualicell – I still feel the thrills of a newbie, every time a new project comes in. ‘Puppy love’ – now that’s a nice phrase to describe how I and my Teks family feel about making new apps.

 

Okay, back to 2015 then. We completed 9 years of existence this year – that’s 9×365 days of taking up new challenges, connecting with clients, building on app ideas, and putting a smile on the faces of each people who gets in touch with Teknowledge Mobile Studio. It doesn’t feel like we have already created close to 1000 apps – but well, there it is.

 

Speaking of clients, this has been a watershed year for Teks Mobile. We have been involved in making mobile apps for overseas clients for the last four years or so – and in 2015, the total count of our foreign clientele breached the 200-mark. Here’s hoping that we will be able to touch the lives (and the smart devices!) of more people around the globe next year. Wish me luck on that!

 

Continuing with all things global, the Swedish chapter of Teknowledge – Teks Mobile Sverige – started operations from the second quarter of 2015. This one follows fairly close on the heels of the start of our branch in Australia. So now, we are present at Sydney (Australia), Kolkata (India) and Sala (Sweden). Helming a internationally mobile app company is a long-standing dream of mine – and I daresay we are already on our way.

A li’l bit of breaking news here – don’t be surprised if a new chapter of Teks Mobile opens in early-2016, at a Nordic country!

2015 has also been the year when the in-house team at Teknowledge grew like never before. This year, we recruited a handful of PHP, Android and iPhone developers. A couple of guys bid adieu too – but credit to them, both have remained in touch with us. You become a part of the Teks family once – you become a member for life!


This has been a breakthrough year for Team Teks in another aspect too. 2015 saw us really get serious about mobile game development – for both iOS and Android. A personal favourite of mine and am sure countless others, is the core area of focus.

The year has also been kind from a professional perspective. Appreciations and recognitions and awards have fairly flowed in from reputed sources. Some of the highlights in 2015 in this regard for Teks were:

  • Winner at GMASA 2015 (Best Books & Reference App Award) – Story Time For Kids.
  • Vodafone M4G Awards (Shortlisted) – Story Time For Kids.
  • Howww.com ‘App Of The Week’ (Shortlisted) – Story Time For Kids.
  • Honourable mention in the ‘Healthline 15 Best Anxiety iPhone and Android apps of 2015’ – ICBF.
  • Featured in the ‘Top 30 Meditation Apps (iPhone and Android)’ by TOPCOUNSELLINGSCHOOLS – ICBF.
  • A selection of apps featured in AppDesignServed.

Also, several of our apps got featured online in the Wacom Gallery (http://gallery.wacom.com/teknowledge) this year. We have believed in our apps, and our apps have backed up our belief!

Okay then, now let me turn my attention to the roller-coaster fun ride that 2015 was for Teknowledge Software. ‘All work and no play’ has never been a motto at my company – and it never will be!

  • On an early, chilly January morning – the 2nd cricket match between our fiercely competitive ‘Geeks’ and ‘Hipsters’ teams took place. I stood in as the umpire at times, and was the official scorer at others. It was an EXPERIENCE!
  • In April, we were off to a weekend trip to Mandarmani (yeah, it’s not THAT far…but it’s a beautiful place). Games, camping, splashing among the waves…and ah yes, some good natured roasting…were all on the roster there.
  • June saw us take up a stance that we had not tried before. The 1st edition of our ‘Go Green, Help Clean’ campaign was launched – and the entire Teks team took the pledge of planting a sapling for every app we develop. That’s our little way of giving something back to Nature.
  • And here’s one that I was not quite prepared for. We had planned a day picnic at a resort in Deulti in November – and my forever fun-loving team members sprung a surprise by arranging a surprise birthday party for yours truly! There was cake, and gifts, and good music, and great food on the occasion. Last year, they made a lovely caricature figure from one of my Facebook pictures, and now this in 2015 – there’s a reason I don’t own a ‘company’, I have a ‘family’.

Before wrapping up, I would like to thank all my co-workers, and each of our clients worldwide – for making 2015 such a special year. Keep supporting us, and plan more fun stuff from time to time (this order is for the team!). We will make 2016 bigger.

Doing more work with Node.JS and moving more into Swift programming are among our chief new year resolutions this time around. Swift 2.0 is out…and its time for us to become Teks 2.0!

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year (yeah, the original expression is the other way round…but hey, we’re quirky!). We hope that, to borrow a movie phrase, ‘the odds will ever be in our favour.’

iTunes Connect Shutdown 2015 – What Does It Mean For Developers?

It’s that time of the year again. The time when we wait for Santa to arrive, there’s the smell of cakes and turkey dinners and festivities in the air…and the guys at Apple App Store take their annual, week-long holiday. This year, iTunes Connect will remain closed from 22 to 29 December. In today’s discussion, we will look into what this annual shutdown actually means for iOS app developers worldwide:

 

  1. A great opportunity to showcase apps – The Christmas holidays have traditionally witnessed the highest number of app downloads from the Apple Store. In 2014, the total number of downloads jumped by around 150% during the Christmas weekend, compared to the combined figures during the first three weeks of December. It’s a happy time for Apple in general too, with more than half of the total count of new smart device activations being Apple devices. During the Santa season last year, the number of new Apple devices sold was almost 3 times that of its nearest competitor, Samsung (52% vs 18%).
  2. No new apps will release during this time – iPhone app developers clamour to get their applications submitted, approved and showcased at the App Store before the shutdown – to enhance the chances of high download figures. During the iTunes Connect shutdown window though, no new app – or even new updates to existing apps – are accepted. It’s always a good idea to get apps ready and at the store before the latter closes down. Missing out on the festive period would be a big opportunity missed.
  3. Be extra careful while testing – If you are not extra-finicky with your mobile app testing during this time, well…you’re stuck. If there’s an undetected bug in your published app – there is no scope for releasing a prompt bug-fix update. What’s more, even when iTunes reopens, you will have to wait for 15 days (maybe more) before your update gets reviewed and published. In the meantime, thousands of users can come across your buggy app, have a poor app-experience, leave negative ratings and feedback – all of these combining to a lowly app store ranking (remember how we talked about zombie apps sometime back?). Make doubly sure that there is no glitch in the iPhone/iPad/Watch app you are planning to release this Christmas.
  4. Submit your holiday apps nice and early – If you have submitted a new app last week, or worse still, will be submitting one today…you have missed a trick. Experts on Apple app development emphasize on the importance of submitting new apps at the App Store within the first 10 days of December. The average app store review period is 7-8 days, and an early submission would leave enough buffer time for the software to get approved and published. Developers would get the time to fix initial bugs too, if necessary.If you are late, note that the ship has already sailed!
  5. Accessing app analytics data – This does not go for a break during the app store shutdown. iPhone developers can still access and monitor all the mobile app analytics data that they require from the store. If anything, this is the best time to examine the trends in app-usage behaviour (since activities related to new app development is stalled for a week). With the newly gained insights, mobile app companies can chalk out plans to provide better user-experience with their upcoming applications.
  6. Make your apps bring in the holiday feel – It’s Christmas season, so why not make mobile apps – on which US teens spend more than 90 hours a month, and young men 72.5 hours a month – part of the festive feel as well? The onus for doing this lies on UI/UX designers and animators. From new, cheery layouts and interfaces, to in-app greetings – there’s plenty of ways in which developers can tweak their apps to add a seasonal feel to them. In iOS games, subtle changes can be made to the gameplay as well. It is also a good idea to change up the screenshots on the app page at the store – specifically for the festive season. While searching for apps, the cheerful new screenshots would capture the attention of users.
  7. It is not possible to change app prices – This one is important for publishers of paid apps. Just like app updates, no changes in the prices of iPhone applications are reflected during the Christmas shutdown period. The app monetization strategy (in re the pricing) has to be finalized well in advance. The number of app downloads spike significantly during the holidays – but if your pricing strategy is wrong, you will miss the scope of earning higher revenues.
  8. Is the annual shutdown an Apple-only thing? – Yes, but things can change in the next couple of years. Till last year, Google Play Store had an automated app review system – which meant that any form of yearly shutdown was not necessary. However, from March 2015, Google moved over to a manual review system, implying that a holiday break – similar to Apple’s – might be required. There has been no announcements about this for 2015, but a few years down the line, annual shutdown can arrive on Android too.
  9. No change in app rankings – This one can be a game-changer for iOS app developers. From the 22nd to the 29th of December, iDevice owners will not see any changes in the app store rankings. In other words, app visibility remains static during the shutdown (a ‘Code Freeze’) – and the applications with higher rankings stand to gain more from the higher download activities. Optimize your app well prior to release in December. If the rank of your app is low, you won’t be able to fix it during the holidays.
  10. Fresh SDK integrations have to wait – Yet another extension of the ‘no app updates’ point. When iTunes Connect is down for its annual break, developers cannot integrate and use new SDKs and APIs in their existing applications. Such changes, if made, will not be reviewed by Apple – and will go into the queue of waiting apps. During the Christmas period, such backlogs are long – and it can take upto 20 days until new SDK integrations are approved.
  11. Time to learn – You cannot submit new apps, cannot release app updates, cannot change app prices – so what can you do when the Apple App Store shuts down in December? Well, plenty! This is the ideal time to enhance your knowledge about making mobile apps for the iOS platform in general. Join a short app development training course, learn all the latest techniques of Swift/Objective-C coding, get familiar with the new Xcode version, and learn how to use sprite sheets (vital for app animators). App developers are busy round the year with clients’ projects – the holiday week gives them the chance to bolster their professional expertise.
  12. Using templates to make changes in the UI – It’s advisable to make all the necessary changes in the app UI well before the shutdown. However, in case you are somewhat late – there is the option to make such tweaks on-the-fly (going through the Apple Store is not possible). Do such changes ONLY if they are absolutely essential, and avoid trying to push big updates. The last thing you want is your app becoming ‘unavailable’ during the entire holiday period.

 

All other general access features and functionalities related to developer accounts remain the same when iTunes Connect is down for its yearly break. The total number of app downloads from the App Store has crossed the 100 billion mark, the user-count has grown by nearly 20%, and revenue from iPhone app development has increased by a whopping 25% in 2015. Prepare well for the upcoming App Store shutdown week, and make your apps really, really successful during the holidays.

 

 

Need To Hire A Digital Marketing Company? Follow These Tips!

It’s not for nothing that corporate houses are increasingly targeting the World Wide Web to reach out to potential customers. This year itself, more than 70% business organizations announced expansion of their allocated budgets for digital marketing activities. Internet penetration levels have come a long way since the days of dial-up connections a couple of decades ago (less than 2% people had access to the web in 1995) – and at present, 4 out of every 10 people use high-speed internet services on a regular basis. Connecting with target users online – for raising awareness about particular products, increasing business leads, and paving the way for business growth – is vital, and that is precisely where the importance of an efficient digital marketing company comes into the picture. Over here, we will provide you some handy pointers to search for an internet marketing company for your business:

 

  1. Jot down your needs – And search accordingly. Although online marketing companies are often clubbed together – not all of them offer the same set of specialized services. There might be agencies that primarily provide search engine optimization services (SEO), and do web designing projects as an addition. Many companies that are into traditional forms of marketing have started venturing into the digital medium. Create a list of the marketing goals that you have for your business, and start looking for digital marketers that would be best suited for your purpose. The core services of the company you hire must be beneficial for you.
  2. Do not overly rely on business directories – Yes, e-directories are helpful as reference sources – but you should be wary of picking web marketing agencies from any random directory. There are scores of obscure directories which simply feature names of companies in exchange of a submission fee – and do not take any responsibility regarding the proficiency, or even the genuineness, of the latter. Ideally, create a shortlist of 4-5 companies, get in touch with their representatives, ask for detailed free service quotes, compare, and then take a stand.
  3. Ask for client references and case studies – Any half-decent digital marketing company would have scores of ‘testimonials’ on their websites – praising its services to the high skies. You, the customer, however, have no way of verifying these testimonials unless you probe further. Doing so is fairly simple: you need to request your chosen internet marketing partner to supply the details of a few of their past projects, where the clients’ business was actually helped by its services. Ask for the contact information of a couple of clients as well. A good online marketing company will not hesitate in providing such details. Doing a thorough background check will keep you safe from fraudsters too. After all, what does it take to write a few lines of fake testimonials?
  4. Look for the best, not the cheapest – If a company’s USP is ‘cheap internet marketing services’, run a mile from it. Digital marketing in all forms (right from organic SEO, to paid campaigns and other online promotional activities) is a specialized field – and like all other specialized fields, it comes at a price. You need to understand that firms that promise such ‘cheapest’ services cut corners in some way in their marketing activities – compromising the overall quality of their services. Avoid such companies, and instead, look for one that would be ethical in its operations, can justify its pricing structure (and does not charge a huge advance payment), and most importantly, is in sync with your requirements. You need to find a ‘best’ match, not just a ‘cheap’ service provider.

Note: If possible, hire a digital marketing company that has already handled projects related to your niche. The ‘relevant experience’ always comes in handy.

  1. Be wary of the bad apples – Every profession has some, and online marketing has more than its fair share of such fraudulent companies. Look up the companies you have shortlisted on reliable sources like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), to authenticate their claims. Before signing on any agreements, keep an eye out for hidden costs and/or other such tricky policy clauses. Inquire about how the company plans to go about promoting your business on the World Wide Web (that would give you a rough idea of whether it has even understood your business needs or not). If you get stuck with a bad marketer, you will keep shelling out money – and there will be hardly any results in sight, even after months and years.
  2. Bust those myths – Do not let the many prevalent myths about internet marketing cloud your judgement. For instance, there is a thoroughly baseless belief that a company that ranks the highest on the Google SERP (search engine results page) for keywords like “SEO+(geographical region)” is the best. Such high rankings might be due to the domain age of the website of that company – and not even closely related to the quality of service it provides. Companies listed a couple of notches below might actually be better. There is no reason to believe that hiring an overseas digital marketing agency would be unduly risky either. In this day and age of quick, real-time communication and information-sharing, geographical distances have ceased to be a factor. In many cases, an overseas company might be at a position to help you better than a local one.
  3. Find out how success will be measured – Businesses differ from one another (precious little is common between, say, an online retail store and a law firm) – and separate sets of parameters, known as Key Performance Indicators, are required to monitor their performances. Find out from the representatives of the internet marketing company you wish to hire, what KPIs they will be using to track the progress of your business. Unless the ‘right’ KPIs are tracked, you might end up getting misleading reports…and ultimately, be clueless about how your company’s marketing campaigns are doing.
  4. Is the biggest digital company also the best? – That will be a ‘no’. The biggest digital companies, of course, know their job well (that’s why they have managed to become big in the first place) – but they may not be best-suited for your business. For starters, if you do not have a big enough budget, the senior executives of such companies will probably not look into your project – and the junior employees who are given charge might prove to be…well…not as competent. Your focus should always be on finding a company that would assign your project to its most experienced, efficient personnel. The complicated hierarchy of a ‘big’ company can be a roadblock in this regard – and a ‘smaller’ company might probably prove better.
  5. Don’t let your project get outsourced – Unfortunately, this is something quite a few digital marketing firms do. They accept projects from clients, take the advance payments, and promptly proceed to delegate the tasks to another, third-party, little-known agency. Clarify whether your chosen marketing company does the same as well, and if the answer is yes, start looking for another firm. The marketing for your company on the online space should be done by digital marketers who are prepared to take complete responsibility for their actions. The company that you get in talks with should be the company that handles your project.
  6. Ask for reports. Regularly – You hire the services of a digital marketing partner because: a) it knows the nitty-gritty of online marketing better than you do, and b) you do not have the time to invest on marketing activities. However, the onus is on you to ask for reports from the internet marketing firm on a regular basis. These detailed reports are the only sources of information for you to track how good (or otherwise) a job the marketing company is doing. Reports should be either monthly or quarterly, and should include information on all the KPIs. In addition, there should also be a mention of the strategies the marketing agency plans to implement in the next term. If a digital marketer seems reluctant or vague about providing reports, that’s a telltale sign that all is not right with it. Start looking for an alternative.
  7. Will there be any ‘black-hat’ activities? – Do not use the phrase ‘black hat’, but find out how exactly the marketing company plans to optimize your business website and social media profiles (Facebook page/post ‘likes’, Twitter followers, etc.). There is no dearth of new digital marketers that indulge in wholesale spamming, content plagiarization, keyword stuffing, link buying, and other such ‘black-hat’ promotional strategies. Such moves can lead to serious penalties being imposed, from which it is difficult, if not impossible, to recover. It takes time to build the reputation of a business on the web in a natural way. Have the necessary patience, and never settle for ‘black-hat’ tactics. They don’t pay.
  8. Separate departments for separate tasks – Let’s just say you need a complete overhaul of your existing website, or want to build a site from scratch. The services that you will need will include domain registration and hosting, website development and designing, content development, creation and promotion of social media pages, and overall optimization. The digital marketing agency you select should have separate teams of developers, web content developers, SEO and SMO specialists, apart from general data entry staff – who would be in charge of submissions (speaking of which, make sure that your site does not get submitted to blacklisted directories!). If the same person or group of individuals do all of these jobs, rest assured that their service quality will be below-par, at best.
  9. Awareness about the latest trends – The field of digital marketing is in a constant state of flux, new trends are evolving and being followed – and unless your digital marketing partner keeps track of such trends and techniques, it won’t be able to serve you in the best possible manner. For instance, mobile marketing has arrived in a big way over the last five years or so – and in addition to having a fully responsive, mobile friendly website, you might need a SMS marketing campaign, and even a dedicated mobile app for your business. Static marketing techniques that worked like a charm in 2005 are no longer sufficient now. The company you hire must be able to come up with solutions that follow the latest optimization techniques.
  10. Look for a creative bunch of people – Web designing and content development in particular, and overall internet marketing in general, require a lot of creativity. Go through some of the previous projects of the companies you have shortlisted, and find out how (and whether!) they have managed to add a creative touch in their works. Put informal questions regarding the previous success stories and failures (even the best digital marketing agency will have some!). The last thing you want is pay money to a firm for the creation of a ‘boring’ website. The attention-span of people online is short, and if a site does not capture their attention within the first few seconds – they’ll stay away from it.

Most online marketing companies offer multiple service packages. Go through each of them, and select one based on your exact requirements and, of course, your budget. You should request for a couple of initial free consultations as well. Keep in mind that digital marketing is a continuous process, and the firm you choose should be up to the challenge of meeting the evolving needs of your business. A strong online presence is vital for the success of any company – and a good web marketing firm can ensure just that.

 

 

Apple In 2016: Expected Products & Announcements

2015 is nearing its end, and it has been a buzzing year for Apple Inc. This was a ‘tock’ year (following the tick-tock development cycle that Apple follows for iPhone) – and in addition to iPhone 6S/6S Plus, the tech giant released a slew of other gadgets and software which have already become fairly popular. A new iPad (iPad Mini 4), a new Macbook (the much-hyped 12” Retina Macbook), a new stylus (Apple Pencil) would all feature among the highlights from Apple Inc. in 2015 – but the one that easily takes the cake is Apple Watch, which debuted in the markets in late-April. There’s a lot to look forward to from Tim Cook and his team in 2016, and here’s a roundup of what to expect from Apple next year:

 

  1. iPhone 7 – Things will be ‘ticking’ over in 2016, and after the successful iPhone 6S upgrade – a significantly revamped flagship model of iPhone will arrive. According to leading smart device analysts and Apple app developers, the iPhone 7 will have several new features – right from the removal of the ‘Home’ button to the side, to the (probable) replacement of the power-draining LCD screen with a full AMOLED display (like Apple Watch). There will be other subtle changes, like the addition of a few ‘soft keys’, to increase the overall screen real estate of the device. Hopefully, iPhone 7 will have a reliable fingerprint reader too – that one would be crucial for the use of Apple Pay. Oh, and it will also be the slimmest iPhone to date!
  2. iOS 10 – An extension of the first point. Every year, Apple brings out an iteration of its mobile platform – and in 2016, it will be the turn of iOS 10. Reports from iOS app development forums and groups suggest that the iOS 9 update (focusing on enhanced stability and reliability) has done a good job (the new iOS 9.2 update fixes most of the initial bugs). With iOS 10, which will debut on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus phablet (will there be one?), Apple can once again turn its attention to including new features and tweaks. For instance, there have already been telltale hints that users will get the option to hide the pre-installed applications that they don’t need. Another step towards greater customization, that.
  3. A new, smaller-screen iPhone – Rumours suggest that Apple has plans to revive its ‘budget smartphone’ iPhone xC line with iPhone 7 (iPhone 7C should release in 2017). However, the company can very well spring a surprise and launch an iPhone 6C handset early next year. The device will have a 4” screen, and should do better in terms of sales than what Apple achieved with its ill-advised and ill-conceived iPhone 5C. In fact, many mobile software and iOS app developers had expected iPhone 6C to make an appearance this year itself. Maybe, Apple has just postponed it to 2016.
  4. MacBook Air – The next World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) is slated for June 2016, and Apple would, in all likelihood, announce its long-overdue MacBook Air updates during the event. It is expected that the Cupertino company will pull the plug on the 11” MacBook Air, with a 13” model and a 15” inch model taking its place. The new MacBook Air-s will boast of several new, performance-enhancing features as well – like redesigned cooling modules, Type-C USB, and a fresh set of batteries. The all-new Skylake processors from Intel might also be present in the new MacBook Air models. Will they have Retina display too?
  5. iPad Air might receive an update – 2014’s iPad Air 2 did not receive any update this year, but things might change next year. For starters, the iPad Pro has arrested the dwindling interest of users about tablets. Also, Apple Pencil has been appreciated for its efficiency and functionality (something Steve Jobs probably had not foreseen) – and Apple would certainly want to make it more than an iPad Pro-only stylus. All of these point towards the likely launch of an iPad Air 3 model – with iPhone 6-esque 3D Touch. There is not much chance of an upgrade to the iPad Pro being announced though.
  6. OS X 10.12 Fuji – Oh well, we do not know whether the new Mac OS version will retain the name ‘Fuji’ – but OS X 10.12 will be out in 2016, that’s for certain. The update has already started showing up in server logs of systems, and early reports indicate that the new OS X version is in the final rounds of testing, on the in-house systems at the Apple campus. The adoption rate of this year’s OS X 10.11 El Capitan has been well and truly impressive, and ‘Fuji’, with better specs and greater stability, should be even more successful.
  7. Live streaming on Apple TV – The fourth-generation Apple TV finally arrived in 2015 along with the first-ever tvOS. Following its favourable reports, software and app developers fully expect live streaming features to be become available on TV (as an update, in all likelihood). BBC iPlayer has already landed on Apple TV, and by next year, the differences with Fox and CBS should get sorted out, and users will get the option to stream live content on Apple TV. Jobs had once referred to TV as a ‘hobby’, but Tim Cook considers it as a ‘game-changing opportunity’ to increase sales figures. Given the license agreements, the announcement should come within the second quarter of next year.
  8. News on Project Titan – No one expects the much-talked about Apple Car to be unveiled before 2019. but there should be some official news and announcements in 2016 regarding how the ambitious ‘Project Titan’ is shaping up. The self-driving Google Car is also eyeing a 2018-19 release, and Apple should have that extra bit of motivation to beat its arch-rival in the smart vehicle market. It would be interesting to note whether, and how, third-party apps could be integrated in the Apple Car.
  9. Apple Watch 2 – According to a recent Canalys report, well over 7.5 million units of Apple Watch has already been sold since its launch – and the upcoming holidays should bring in another spurt in the sales of the smartwatch. The arrival of watchOS 2 (v2.1 also released a few days back) has also made it possible for WatchKit app developers to create native applications directly for the smartwatch. In 2016, the gadget will complete a year of existence, and an upgrade is expected. Apple will probably make Watch 2 less reliant on paired iPhones (maybe, just maybe, it might be a fully standalone smartwatch) – something that both general users as well as app developers would like. The battery performance would be bolstered too, and the new model of Apple Watch is also likely to have several new sensors and built-in GPS features. The S1 processor (which is similar to the chip in iPhone 5S) will make way for the faster and more robust S2 processor. Do not expect Apple Watch 2 to be a slimmer smartwatch though.
  10. A new member in the MacBook line – Just like the early MacBook Air models, the MacBook laptops have also faced quite a bit of flak for not quite justifying their price tags. Now, no one (except for Apple insiders, of course) know how Apple plans to roll out the MacBook line of devices – but there is a slim chance of a new model arriving in 2016 (along with the new MacBook Air). Given that this is one of the less likely Apple announcements in 2016, not much is known about the specs that the new MacBook might have (except that it will probably be thinner). Let’s just wait and see how Apple brings forward its laptops.
  11. A10 processor – Reports of a rift between Samsung and TSMC – the manufacturing partners of Apple – over the A9 chip contract have started leaking in. Many iPhone app development experts feel that Intel might step in with its technology, in the A10 processor chip – which will also debut in next year’s iPhone 7. The new processor would have higher memory bandwidth support capacity, and will be based on the 10nm technology. Superior multi-threading is yet another thing that the A10 processor would focus on. There will be a rise in the core count too, compared to the A9 chip.
  12. Force Touch Keypad for MacBook Air – The recent patent filing by Apple is a fair indication that the company is working on a Force Touch KeyBoard, which will be usable in collaboration with the innovative Magic Trackpad 2. In addition to being able to discern the differences in force with which tabs are pressed (a helpful feature for music-creators), there is a buzz about the Force Touch Keypad also having strong haptic feedback support. Using the keypad will be a breeze even for visually challenged users.
  13. Exponential growth in China – In the fourth quarter of 2015, the revenue of Apple Inc. from the China market zoomed to $12.6 billion – a rise of nearly 100%. This trend is expected to gain further momentum next year, and by 2017, China will emerge as one of the biggest (if not the sole leader) revenue-generating markets for the Cupertino company. iPhones, in particular, will drive the growth of Apple in these regions.
  14. Apple Music on iPod – Those predicting the end of iPod Touch were proved wrong by the new update from Apple this year (incidentally, this was the first iPod update in more than three years). Mobile developers are confident that Apple will try to buoy the sales of iPod further, by bringing the Apple Music service on the device. The future, however, looks bleak for both iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano. In 2016 and beyond, iPod Touch seems to be the only music device from Apple that will have strong revenue-earning potential.

 

There has been hardly any news on the Mac Mini front, so the announcement of a new model in 2016 is extremely unlikely. Instead, Apple might very well go for a new Mac Pro update. iOS app and game developers are eagerly looking forward to Swift 3.0 – with the upcoming iteration of the programming language reported to have many new APIs and other generic features (the ‘NS’ prefixes will disappear too). 2016 promises to be an exciting year for Apple fans (much like the last couple of years) – and it remains to be seen how many of these announcements are actually made.

 

Which new Apple product are you looking forward to the most in 2016?