Most App Store developers that I have talked to are very surprised how a simple game like Temple Run can garner so many downloads and profit. I have studied the game and the reactions of users very closely and have discovered quite a few secrets that will help other game developers copy the success of Temple Run. You will be able to model your current projects or future projects to take advantage of the lessons learned from the Temple Runs success.

Secret #1 - Keep the Game Play Simple

Temple Run is a very simple game and has only a few moves that the user needs to master. These moves include swiping right or left, swiping up or down, and tilting the iPhone from side to side. That is it. There are no complicated controls to learn or complex moves to master. You simply swipe up to jump or swipe right to go right.

Secret #2 - Keep the Free Game Free

Releasing a game for free is very difficult for most developers who have spent a lot of time and money in developing a game, but as Temple Run has shown, if done right, it can pay off more than if the game was released paid. Temple Run was actually released as paid in August of 2011, but didn't garner enough sales so it was given away for free and then its sale took off.

The best way to make money off of a free game is to STAY AWAY FROM ADS and monetize In-App Sales. Not everyone is going to make in-app purchases but there are enough people that will so you can make a hefty profit. The most important part of in-app purchases is don't make them a requirement to do well in the game. Too many games almost require in-app purchases in order to beat a game or make any real progress. Most people will feel like the game is really just a paid game but instead of paying to download, you have to pay to play. Temple Run mastered this by allowing the purchased of coins to get power-ups and other extras, but it also allows the free users to obtain a reasonable amount of coins through normal game play. You don't feel like you are missing anything by not buy coins, but also buying coins doesn't give you a tremendous advantage in the game. You will still need to practice like everyone else.

Secret #3 - Competition with oneself and others

Secret #4 - Make it different everytime

Secret #5 - Don't make it hard, but don't make it easy

Secret #6 - Have multiple goals to achieve

Secret #7 - Everything has to work perfectly

Secret #8 - Make it fun to play

• Apple iPad 2 User Guide for iOS 4.3

For the 3G iPad 2's, Apple has released separate product information documentation.

• iPad 2 3G + WiFi Important Product Information Guide for Verizon
• iPad 2 3G + WiFi Important Product Information Guide for AT&T

If you like to download the User Guide of Apple iPad for iOS 4.2 and for iOS 3.2 Software you can download from the following links below.

• User Guide of iPad for iOS 4.2 Software
• User Guide of iPad for iOS 3.2 Software

As expected, Apple announced the next generation of its popular tablet device at a media event today. The iPad 2 will have the same 9.7-inch display but will be 33% thinner than the previous model. It will have front-facing and rear-facing cameras and Apple's new 1GHz dual-core A5 processor.

With the addition of cameras, the next-generation iPad will be capable of making FaceTime calls with other FaceTime-capable devices. The rear-facing camera can capture 720p HD video. Despite its thinner casing, the iPad 2 will have the same battery life as the first generation of 10 hours and 30 days of stand-by time.

The 3G models of the iPad 2 will be compatible with the GSM networks of AT&T and other carriers as well as Verizon's CDMA network. The versions compatible with Verizon's network will be sold in the U.S. only.

The iPad 2 will run iOS 4.3 which will be released for other iOS devices on March 11.

The iPad 2 will be available starting March 11 in the U.S. and will come in two colors: white and black. Pricing and capacities have not changed from the first generation of the iPad with the Wi-Fi models coming in at $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will cost $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB.

via MacRumors

As you can see from the screenshot, there are a few different parts to the springboard. First, there is the dock. It is at the bottom of the screen and can hold anywhere from 0 to 4 icons.

Second there is the pages that hold all the icons. Each page holds up to 16 icons and one can have at most 11 pages:

Finally at the top is the status bar which shows the time, battery, and signal strength among other items.

The New iPod Touch with a camera has made an appearance. The website that has brought leaks from the new iPhone to the new Macbook has done it again with the new iPod Touch. A first glance it looks identical to the iPod Touch and the 3rd generation iPod Touch that has the same camera had been posted for sale on eBay. This iPod has the specifications listed on the back, the 64G perhaps means a 64GB capacity. It is currently running iPhone OS 3.1 and when it is connected to the computer, it is reported as running iPhone OS 3.1. They don’t know if Apple will introduce this at the coming WWDC 2010 or not, but we will see soon. Enjoy the pictures and video below.

This iPod Touch features a 2-megapixel camera with a light sensor or something and it was manufactured by Foxconn and The "DVT-1" stamp on the back makes it clear that this is an early design verification test unit in the evolution of product testing.

via Tinhte
via iPod touch with 2 megapixel camera leaked in Vietnam - Engadget
via New iPod Touch With A Camera Caught On “Camera” In Vietnam - Soft Sailor

The default home screen has been changed. Apple has now placed the apps: Clock, Calculator, Compass, and Voice Memos in a folder called "Utilities". The reasoning for this isn't really clear since it would take two clicks to start these apps now. I figure that Apple doesn't think these apps are used very often so they can be placed in a folder. I would have also placed Settings and Contacts into the Utilities folder, but then it might need to called something else.

There is also some new wallpapers that aren't busy or distracting and could actually serve as decent home screen wallpapers. I don't see the new wallpapers are being very significant since you can use any picture or photo on the iPhone and you are restricted to just the wallpapers provided by Apple.

Aside from those new wallpapers and an option to toggle off the ability to send group messages, there don't appear to be any major differences in the settings for this beta except for tethering! It is still yet to be seen if AT&T will actually allow tethering since it was introduced by Apple last year. Their network probably still isn't able to handle the current traffic, so I doubt we will see tethering any time soon.

There's a tiny change to the Photo app in that you can finally view your Photo Roll in a different orientation unless you have Orientation Lock turned on. I always thought this was always possible, but I guess it was an oversight by Apple.

There are some very bug fixes too since the last beta: There isn't an odd silent pause when you pick up a phone call now and the Maps app seems snappier and more precise than ever. I had the Maps crash pretty consistently under beta 3 so the bug fixes are welcome. Overall, all the apps somehow feel faster and more responsive, but we always say that when there is a new update.

If there are any other changes, l will update as I find any others and I invite you to leave a comment with screenshots and descriptions of what you find.

via Here's What's New In iPhone OS 4.0 Beta 4 - Gizmodo.
via Apple Releases iPhone OS 4 Beta 4 and SDK to Developers - MacRumors.
via iPhone OS 4 beta 4 drops in - Engadget.

1. Saves you time. Even if you really love programming in Javascript, you will save a bunch of time doing your work with one these frameworks.

2. Has much of your work already done. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Don’t waste time in doing something it has already been done and tested and re-tested by thousands of users.

3. Makes you use less code. With less code you get a smaller file size, better maintenance and less development time.

4. Makes your code more readable. Which also aids in better maintenance and less development time.

5. Makes your web application execute faster. These frameworks are really fast in performing their tasks and most of them have been optimized for really fast execution.

6. Makes your web application run in most modern browsers. If you dealt with Javascript a bit, you’ll have realized how different browsers have different ways of the doing the same exact stuff. Handcrafted cross-browser development can get annoying and irritating. These frameworks have already taken care of that and will just work in most browsers.

via Undisciplined Bytes

Fortunately, there are many JavaScript libraries available to streamline the coding process. There is a comparison list that I used to try and decide which framework would be best. I started to use Yahoo! UI Library but I quickly found the code to be cumbersome and not intuitive. So I went back and looked at a few others. In the end, I decided to go with jQuery for the reason mentioned on their website:

jQuery is a fast and concise JavaScript Library that simplifies HTML document traversing, event handling, animating, and Ajax interactions for rapid web development. jQuery is designed to change the way that you write JavaScript.

via jQuery

The new device will adopt IPS in-plane switching panels with FFS fringe-field switching technology and a 960×640 resolution, Kuo said, noting that LG Display and Prime View International are the panel suppliers.

via Foxconn to ship 24 million iPhone 4G in 2010.

Compare the new iPhone's 960 by 640 resolution to the iPad's 1024 by 768 resolution.

9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology

1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)

via Apple - iPad - Technical Specifications

Why Apple didn't maintain the same aspect ratio between the devices is beyond my understanding.  Both the iPhone & iPad will be running the same apps so I think it would be much easier if the resolutions scaled properly.  Of course, that is not the case. So it looks like we will still have some incompatibilities between the two devices for the foreseeable future. Take a look for yourself:

In late February, Apple purged 6,000 apps it deemed "too sexy." Late last month, Jobs posted a scathing 1,700-word essay on Apple's Web site about why he hates Adobe Flash.

More recently, the company made Ellen Degeneres apologize on national TV for airing a spoof commercial that suggested the iPhone was difficult to use. And Apple threw an epic hissy fit when a Gizmodo blogger leaked photos of a new iPhone prototype.

via What's the bug up Apple's @$$?.

I must say that David Goldman's arguments are off base. 

1. Apple is well within its right to limit the apps that it carries based on content.  This no different than Netflix not carrying any mature titles, and no one complains about Netflix.  There is plenty of mature content that can be found on the internet with the iPhone.  If Apple makes a business decision not to carry it in their App Store, then they have the right to do so.
2. I think Apple did over react about the Ellen Degeneres ad by requesting an apology, but also the commercial spoof was pretty stupid and it did fasely represent how an iPhone operates.

 

3. As for the Gizmodo blogger, it has become clear that he knowingly paid for stolen goods.  The guy who stole the iPhone in the first place knew he broke then law and tried to dispose of the evidence.  Just read the iPhone Affidavit and you will see the truth.  The police were well in their right to search Chen's house.

I would think if Steve Jobs was reply to David Goldman, he would say something like this:

By the way, what have you done that's so great? Do you create anything, or just criticize others work and belittle their motivations?

via Gawker

Forget that right now, it's not going to happen.
No one is going to write an app with you if all you have to contribute is an idea!

Pretend for a moment that you have a great idea for a book, not an app. How would you go about getting it written and published? Would you go to a forum and advertise looking for an author to write it for you? No, you would have to get off your butt and write it yourself. I have heard that a friend of Frank Herbert (author of Dune) asked Herbert to author the friend's idea and split the profits 50/50. Herbert refused, even though the guy was a good friend -- Herbert's reply was basically that ideas are easy; the writing is the hard part. Think about it for a minute -- would YOU want to have a friend come up to you, tell you a few sentences, then have you spend months hunched over a keyboard turning his few sentences into the Great American Novel? I doubt it. If you /did/ spend months writing that book, would you want to give half of the money to that guy? I don't think so.

Now pretend for a moment that you have a great idea for a movie, not a game. How would you go about getting it made into a movie? You would have to begin by becoming a movie industry professional, get several movies under your belt, become a producer or studio executive, and off you go! That's the "Do It From The Inside". There's also the "Do It Yourself" route: spend a lot of money (tens of thousands at the cheapest), write and direct it yourself, with the help of actors and technicians you hire. The end result may never get into theaters everywhere but could well prove your worth to a real studio. Either way, by the time you're done, you're in the movie biz. And you earned it by hard work, not by waving your arms for a few minutes in front of a cigar smoker who then throws wads of cash at you -- it doesn't work that way.

Okay, enough pretending. Your idea is not for a novel or a movie -- it's for a app. How do you go about getting it made?
First step: write the app design yourself.
Second Step: Develop the app yourself or pay someone else to develop the app for you.
That is all it takes!

[sloperama]