Maintaining Kids' Finances is Difficult

Rebecca, over at Zenerdgy:

In the past, we had lots of money mishaps. Sometimes, they handed the money to a "responsible" parent. I usually placed the money in an envelope, which we never had handy when the child found the perfect toy at the store. Since Ben and I never remembered the amounts in the envelope, we relied on the child's memory. They always swore that they had enough money, but that often was not the case (funny, how they forget money spent but not money owed).

The rest of the post is a good, quick read on the trials and tribulations of tracking children's allowances. By the way, their app Family Bank is available on the App Store. Check it out.

iOS Easily Won the Black Friday Wars

Jay Yarow, over at Business Insider, regarding IBM's analysis of Black Friday sales:

It broke out an analysis of iOS and Android: On average, iOS users spent $127.92 per order on Black Friday compared to $105.20 per order for Android users. iOS traffic reached 28.2 percent of all online traffic, compared to 11.4 percent for Android. iOS sales reached 18.1 percent of all online sales, compared to 3.5 percent for Android.

On a market share basis and an installed user base basis, Android is the number one operating system in the world. However, if the user base doesn't make use of their devices in ways that make it worth developers' and retailers' time, then Android will continue to be an afterthought. iOS users spend more time on their devices and spend a disproportionate amount of money when compared to Android users. I would wager that Windows Phone users would be treated better than they currently are if they spent money and time disproportionate to their installed user base too.

Folks, if you want to be treated as first-class netizens, then you must spend like first-class netizens. Developers and retailers aren't running charities.

More Hullabaloo About Nike's Lack of an Android App for the FuelBand

From a recent article by Roger Cheng over at CNet:

Nike is only shooting itself in the foot with its stubborn reluctance to work with Android. The athletic apparel company on Tuesday introduced its second-generation fitness tracker, the FuelBand SE, which worked beautifully on Apple's iOS devices and computers. Missing from the presentation, however, was any mention of Android.

Earlier this year, I wrote about the possible reasons why Nike's FuelBand won't have an Android app. Funny enough, those reasons that I analyzed are still as true today as they were eight months ago.

By the way, John Gruber (of Daring Fireball fame) wrote a short but excellent post on why Cheng's premise is flawed.

Japan Increases Its Lead in Virtual Girlfriend Technology with Hatsune Miku App for iOS

From the folks at Japanator:

Miku will dance with your music, communicate with you, play dress up, and give you presents to collect.

It won't be long before someone marries this virtual girlfriend, folks.

Usain Bolt Has Gone Temple Running

Tom Phillips, over at Eurogamer:

12 months have passed since the glory of London 2012. Jessica Ennis is now appearing in skin care ads. Olympic Park is being dismantled, and gold medallist Usain Bolt is now available to purchase as a playable character in endless runner Temple Run 2.

If you've ever had the desire to play as an Olympic gold medalist in Temple Run 2, then now's your chance. As for me, I remember having a lot of fun playing World Class Track Meet for the NES with my cousins.

'Home' is a Good Horror Game for iOS

'Home' is one of those games that sneaks up on you, no pun intended. At first glance, it doesn't seem like much but as you progress through the game you find that there is so much more to be found. Without going too far into spoiler territory, the story revolves around a character who wakes up with a damaged leg and then has to unravel a mystery surrounding his amnesia.

This is a game that follows the traditional 'point-and-click' adventure style. The graphics have a retro feel to them, and the use of the flashlight provides an appropriately creepy feeling. Likewise, the audio effects are excellent in the way they emphasize the tension being felt by the character (and by extension, the player).

Tension and anticipation are the main draw of this game. Transitions between different rooms use a door animation that is reminiscent of the transitions between rooms in Resident Evil. You never know what to expect next around every corner or every item you pick up (or don't pick up), and the choices you make throughout the game impact the ending of the game.

Folks, give this one a try. I recommend playing late at night in a dark, quiet room. The experience is so much better that way.

'Zombiegal Kawaii' is an Odd Yet Fun Game for iOS

Zombiegal Kawaii is a side-scrolling game for iOS (iPhone/iPad) that pits players against hordes of zombies that have taken over your hometown. There are other games that follow this same basic plot, but where Zombiegal Kawaii separates itself from the pack is through its unique character design and character audio.

The main character is a gun-toting schoolgirl that is drawn chibi style. As the player plays the game, the girl will make some sort of context sensitive utterance (in a stereotypically syrupy sweet voice). If you pick up ammo, she will say 'yokatta wa (good)' . Picking up a health kit will elicit a 'daijoubu (I'm ok/not hurt)' . If you go on a bit of a rampage and get multiple kills in a row, she will exclaim 'shinde! shinde! (die! die!)'. These character quips, coupled with the fact that you are fighting chibi-zombie girls, make for fun and fast-paced gameplay.

Zombiegal Kawaii is $0.99 in the App Store, but plays like a freemium game. I've previously written about how certain games have really missed the mark and others have done really well with integrating freemium aspects into the gameplay, and this game leans towards the latter. There is a 'energy meter' that limits how many levels you can play in any one sitting. This energy meter, of course, is intended to encourage you to pay for an in-app purchase that gives you more energy (and thus more play time). This game is best played in relatively short bursts, so this energy meter never really bothered me much (though I can see how it might bother folks who want to play more).

As you progress through the game, your character gains experience and picks up money from fallen zombies. These can be spent in the 'store' screen where you can buy new guns or other kinds of weapons such as a baseball bat or katana. You can also purchase 'attribute enhancements' that impact character stats such as speed, accuracy, or counter-moves.

Additionally, you can purchase outfits for your character. This brings up what is perhaps the biggest downside to the game--the somewhat sleazy way that the character is presented in some of the loading screens and the in-app store. Tapping an item that you don't have enough in-app currency to afford brings up a prompt to go to the shop to buy coins, which is punctuated with a picture of the main character in her underwear and in a suggestive pose (drawn in a much more realistic style than normally seen through gameplay). The juxtaposition of the cute, chibi-style and the sexualized versions of the character is odd, to say the least.

Folks, Zombiegal Kawaii is a game that is worth a look. The touch controls work well, and the visual design and audio work is appealing. The art style may not appeal to everyone, but fans of anime and manga will find the style familiar and inviting.

Not Going to Violate Apple's NDA

Some folks have asked me to write about my impressions on iOS 7. Unfortunately, as an iOS developer I am bound by the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) regarding software and features that are not yet released. In essence, if Apple did not show the information at their WWDC Keynote, it can't be discussed with the general public. While Apple did show a lot of good stuff in the keynote, the things that I found most interesting were not shown/described in the keynote and therefore under NDA.

I currently have the iOS 7 beta installed on an old phone and I have been trying out its various features and getting a better idea of how its new design language works. Folks, rest assured that I will write about iOS 7 when it becomes publicly available sometime this autumn with the release of this year's new iPhone.

The Rise of Micropublishing Via Mobile Apps and the Web

In October 2012, Marco Arment, of Instapaper fame, launched an iOS Newsstand app named The Magazine. This month, Jim Dalrymple, renowned reporter on all things related to Apple, launched an iOS Newsstand app named The Loop. Folks, we officially have a trend.

What is that trend? Quite simply, it is the trend of creating 'magazine-like' experiences that are accessible via mobile apps and/or the web and are targeted at comparatively small (yet loyal) audiences. Why is this a successful model? Remember, News Corp had to shut down its iPad-delivered magazine called The Daily because its business model was not sustainable. Marco Arment, in his blog post announcing The Magazine, describes how this model works:

There’s room for another category between individuals and major publishers, and that’s where The Magazine sits. It’s a multi-author, truly modern digital magazine that can appeal to an audience bigger than a niche but smaller than the readership of The New York Times. This is what a modern magazine can be, not a 300 MB stack of static page images laid out manually by 100 people.

From a business model perspective, magazines such as The Magazine and The Loop can provide an experience that meets the needs of its readers with a much lower cost base than is typical for traditional magazines. The implication of a lower cost base is that the 'break even' or profitability point for these magazines is also lower. The Magazine and The Loop don't need to have millions of subscribers to be profitable; they can probably be nicely profitable with a subscriber base that numbers in the tens of thousands.

It's worth noting that an incentive for subscribers to continue subscribing is the fact that The Magazine and The Loop deliver excellently curated articles in an attractive package (in the case of the iOS Newsstand apps). The content curation is a large selling point. People subscribe to these magazines, at least initially, because they trust the opinions of Arment and Dalrymple. Of course, subscribers continue to subscribe based on their continued interest in the content. The monthly payment nature of these magazines acts as an incentive for their publishers to continue to deliver excellent content.

Will micropublications such as The Magazine and The Loop prove to be the future of magazine publication? Time will tell, folks.

Which Mobile Operating Systems Will Survive?

The mobile operating system market for smartphones has changed very much over the past several years. In particular, we have seen the rise of two dominant competitors (Android and iOS) and the demise of an upstart (webOS). The past few months have seen new challengers enter the fray or announce plans to do so. The following is an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor as well as a rough determination of market viability.

It should be noted that this should not be construed as investment advice.

1) Android

Strengths

Android, the operating system backed by Google, is by far the world leader in market share with almost 70% of the market as measured by shipments. Accounting for some margin of error due to the way various manufacturers report shipments vis-a-vis sales, Android has roughly 60-70% of the global installed user base. Android's open source nature and flexibility has allowed it to dominate overall market share, with particular strength in the mid- to low-end smartphone market. Android can be tweaked by users (e.g. via widgets) or manufacturers (e.g. Samsung's TouchWiz or HTC's Sense). Its connection to various app stores (e.g. Google Play and the Amazon App Store for Android), along with the ability for users to 'side-load' apps from non-app store sources has increased the amount of software available for the operating system. Google Play, in particular, has over 700,000 apps available for users to download.

Weaknesses

A major weakness of Android is the fragmentation due to various OS implementations and device integration. In the case of custom skins (such as the aforementioned TouchWiz and Sense examples), the combination of customization and wireless carrier interference has drastically limited the rate at which newer versions of Android proliferate throughout the installed user base. The two year-old Gingerbread was only recently eclipsed in market share by the combined share of the Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean releases. This fact, along with device hardware variability, makes it more burdensome for developers to target the Android market. As such, it is often the case that so-called 'premier' apps launch first on iOS and later on will release a version for Android (if at all). It should be noted that Android user web usage hints at the idea that Android users buy Android phones to be, well, 'phones' and not 'mobile computers'. Android is also heavily dependent on the success of a single manufacturer, in the form of Samsung. A danger exists in the form of 'forking' such as what Amazon did to produce its Kindle Fire.

Viability: Excellent

The strengths (and installed user base) of Android make its chances of remaining viable in the foreseeable future excellent. Assuming that non-compatible forked versions do not proliferate, Android's open source nature and large user base will protect its place in the market.

2) iOS

Strengths

iOS, the operating system created by Apple, has roughly 20% of the market (see the aforementioned report in the Android section for details). Despite trailing Android in market share, Apple has been able to use iOS to achieve roughly 70-75% profit share. iOS is known for being popular with users for its tight integration with the apps, video, music, and books available via Apple's App Store and iTunes Store. The App Store, in particular, has roughly the same number of apps (700,000) as Google Play yet has a staggering lead in terms of revenue generation with a much smaller installed user base. iOS tends to receive the lion's share of so-called 'premier' apps that launch first on the platform. Examples of this include Instagram, Angry Birds, and Instapaper. There have also been cases where app makers (such as Facebook) have focused their attention on upgrading the iOS version of the app months before upgrading the Android version of the app. iOS is exclusive to hardware from a single manufacturer (Apple), and as such it benefits greatly by being optimized for a significantly reduced hardware set. In addition, developers can more quickly make use of features available in newer versions of iOS since users are able to upgrade the operating system at a much faster pace than is seen with Android.

Weaknesses

iOS, being completely produced by a single company, suffers somewhat from not being able to quickly iterate on various new design ideas or feature innovations. iOS, as is often noted by more technically inclined users, does not offer powerful widgets that quickly provide information to the user (as is done in Android). In fact, in some cases where iOS has relative parity in features such as the Notification Center (which appeared earlier in Android), iOS has much more limited interaction available for the same feature. Likewise, iOS is hampered by a rather limited interapp communication scheme that does not provide the same flexibility offered in competing platforms. This makes it more difficult for developers to integrate with third party apps beyond the ones officially sanctioned by Apple (e.g. Facebook and Twitter). iOS also suffers somewhat in terms of services maturity exemplified by the new Maps app and iCloud Core Data syncing, though this somewhat mitigated by the availability of alternative services. iOS is, by and large, only available in the high-end phone market and is thus not within the reach of users with limited budgets such as those in India and China.

Viability: Good

Apple must overcome its shortcomings in terms of services maturity as well as rapidly innovate in offering developers and users newer (and better) features. If it does so, the profit-driven war chest combined with current large installed base of users willing to pay for a premium product will protect its place in the market.

3) Windows Phone

Strengths

Windows Phone, produced by Microsoft, has roughly 3% market share. This number is due, in part, to Windows Phone being released three years 'late to the party'. Windows Phone's strengths are in its integration with the Microsoft ecosystem (e.g. with the Xbox 360 via Smart Glass) and some third party providers (e.g. Facebook and Twitter integration in the People Hub). The 'Metro' design language works well to provide users with more information and less 'chrome', and is stylistically unique when compared to its competitors.

Weaknesses

Windows Phone suffers from a much smaller app store. This is exemplified by the absence of ports of notable applications such as Instagram. Major app announcements focus on apps that have been available on other platforms for years.

Viability: Fair

Windows Phone maintains some measure of safety due to the sheer size of Microsoft. However, it'll need to take better advantage of the Microsoft ecosystem (e.g. Office and Xbox) if it is to stand a chance in the long term.

4) BlackBerry 10

Strengths

BlackBerry 10, created by BlackBerry (formerly Research in Motion), is a renewed entry into the market. Its Android app compatibility has helped to create a larger app store than would be expected at this early stage after launch. BlackBerry 10 offers innovations in the area of communication integration, multi-tasking, and the separation of work versus personal data. BlackBerry 10 also continues BlackBerry's emphasis on security and messaging.

Weaknesses

The larger than expected app store is inflated by the inclusion of Android ports. While this helps to get the platform off the ground, it is also could turn out to be a crutch used by developers to avoid having to create a BlackBerry 10 port of an app that would take advantage of features unique to the platform. BlackBerry's market share has dwindled and faces pressure in the government and enterprise spaces from Windows Phone.

Viability: Fair

BlackBerry 10 must not only recapture the BlackBerry faithful (while fending off encroachment from Microsoft), but must also find a way to carve out a significant portion of users from Android and iOS.

5) Tizen

Strengths

Tizen, produced by a consortium led by Samsung and Intel, is a new entrant into the market. It is an open source, HTML5-based platform similar in many respects to webOS. The HTML5 foundation provides developers with an opportunity to more easily create apps that work across many kinds of devices. It is backed by Samsung, who leads the world in phone sales (all sales, not just smartphones). Samsung's interest in reducing its dependence on Google ensures it will maintain some level of interest in the platform.

Weaknesses

Tizen suffers from many of the same issues that plague platforms not named 'Android' and 'iOS': limited number of apps in general, especially in the area of premier apps. While being based on HTML5 confers some ease of transferring of skills for mobile app developers (especially if they have a web development background), the past failure of webOS, the pace of innovation in the native platform space, and the concern around the look-and-feel issues surrounding HTML5 apps deflate much of the advantages of going the HTML5 route.

Viability: Poor

Despite being backed by a market leader like Samsung, the issues surrounding HTML5 as a mobile operating system remain outstanding. As well, it is entirely possible that Samsung may decide to 'pull an Amazon' and fork Android in order to reduce its dependence on Google. This would relegate Tizen to a second-class citizen in the Samsung ecosystem.

6) Firefox OS

Strengths

Firefox OS, created by the Mozilla Foundation, is an open source, HTML5-based platform. It is targeted at devices at the low-end of the market, where it will have less competition from the likes of Apple or the mid- to high-end Android devices manufactured by Samsung. As well, the emphasis on low-end (and thus less expensive) phones allows Firefox OS an opportunity to catch some of the growing market in the developing world.

Weaknesses

Firefox OS shares all of the weaknesses of the aforementioned Tizen operating system. As well, it suffers from not being backed by a market behemoth like Samsung.

Viability: Poor

Entering a market with two established, entrenched platforms and two clear market manufacturers (one of which has its own hat in the budget OS ring) creates a poor outlook for Firefox OS.

7) Ubuntu (for phones)

Strengths

Ubuntu, backed by Canonical, is a smartphone interface for the Ubuntu operating system. It provides for native apps as well as HTML5-based apps. It has a user interface design that emphasizes the use of gestures. It provides a 'full PC experience' when docked.

Weaknesses

Ubuntu's strengths are arguably weaknesses as well. The extensive use of gestures to drive the UI may equally as innovative as it is daunting to use for new users. Trumpeting the ability to turn the phone into a 'full PC' would make more sense as an advantage for Microsoft (the desktop OS leader) than it does for an OS with a tiny desktop market share.

Viability: Poor

Ubuntu for phones, unfortunately, makes the least amount of sense as a platform compared to its competitors. Outside of some UI innovation, there is very little evidence that it stands a chance of surviving in a very crowded market.

Summary

The mobile operating system market has grown and matured at a fantastic pace. As the market matures, we will likely see a relative few competitors remaining in the space once the dust settles.