Archive for September, 2009

A Logo Worth a Thousand Clicks

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Where’s one of the first places you should look when trying to beef up your iPhone app marketing? Your little iPhone app logo.

Sometimes I review the logos for iPhone apps of my students and the first test I put the logo through is “does the app tell me the story?” If the logo jumps out at me and defines what the app does, you have a winner. If I have to spend a few minutes looking at the logo, trying to figure it out then chances are your prospective customer will be doing the same. This is not good for business.

Think of you app on the App Store like a product on the aisle of a grocery store. Products placed at eye level with attractive packaging tend to draw the shopper in. You only give most products a quick glance. If the product looks interesting, you’ll pick it up for closer inspection.

Your app logo is the same. As people browse through the AppStore they are scanning hundreds of logos, looking for ones that grab their attention. Then they click on it to take a close look. You’ve only got a split second to get their attention and your logo must shine!

If your logo is tired and old, think about replacing it with a snappier, new logo. Users scanning the App Store subdirectory with your app will see a new logo (your old logo replaced) and be more inclined to click on your link.

Your logo is worth a thousand clicks…and more. Spend some time developing a sizzling logo and it will pay dividends down the road.

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Major free updates to iWorks 9.0

Monday, September 28th, 2009

The update is free at Apple | Software Update

Includes:

Addresses general compatibility issues

  • Updates the help
  • Adds a link to online resources in the Help menu
  • Improves image handling when reducing the file size of images with Instant Alpha applied
  • Improves file size management when inserting some movies

Keynote 5.0.3

  • Improves the reliability of guides by changing the display frequency and relevance
  • Resolves an issue with GarageBand exports
  • Fixes an issue when working with Move actions in chart builds
  • Addresses an issue with the preview of some charts in the Build inspector
  • Resolves an issue when pasting a Numbers table that has cells with wrap turned on
  • Resolves an issue where pasting multiple cells containing duration or date/time values into the Chart Data Editor would only paste zeros
  • Fixes an issue with Sleep when the computer’s battery has completely discharged while playing a presentation
  • Resolves an issue with updating thumbnail previews in Navigator view after sending a presentation via Mail as PDF or PowerPoint
  • Improves reliability when dragging and dropping text in Outline view
  • Adds a presentation preference for showing the slide switcher when scrolling

Pages 4.0.3

  • Resolves an issue where copying and pasting multiple cells containing duration or date/time values in the Chart Data Editor would only paste zeros
  • Improves reliability when working with objects in Full-Screen mode
  • Fixes an issue with saving documents with EndNote citations containing multi-byte characters when using Mac OS X 10.6
  • Resolves an issue with EndNote citations when using Mail Merge

Numbers 2.0.3

  • Fixes an issue with columns and categorized checkboxes
  • Addresses an issue with categories and CSV export
  • Improves reliability of import and export of some Microsoft Excel files
  • Addresses an issue that could cause formulas to stop working after formatting a cell
  • Fixes an issue with hiding or deleting rows in categorized tables
  • Improves reliability when reverting a document to the saved version
  • Addresses an issue caused by quitting without saving after editing some templates
  • Fixes an issue with deleting table columns containing chart data
  • Resolves an issue that prevented dropping an audio file into a media placeholder

iWork.com Beta

  • Enhances security with 128-bit SSL encryption and document password protection
  • Improves document reviewing capabilities with Comment notification features
  • E-mail invitations are now sent via iWork.com instead of using Mac OS X Mail

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China readies to embrace iPhone Apps

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Scottsdale, AZ – September 29, 2009 – xcelMe, the worldwide leader in live online iPhone development and marketing training, will be presenting iPhone Development and iPhone Game Programming keynote and workshops in Beijing China October 22-24, 2009 at CSDN.net. CSDN.net is one of the largest development conferences for mobile software development in China.

Gary Bennett, xcelMe President says, “The iPhone becomes available on October 1, 2009 to the largest population of developers and consumers on the planet. We are extremely excited to be able to discuss iPhone software development to one of the world’s largest mobile software development communities. Additionally, we are looking forward to showing iPhone owners in China some of the 83,000 apps already available on their iPhone and iPhone Touch.”

xcelMe.com offers seven courses in their series, given worldwide, from 2-4 weeks in duration. Classes are taught live, twice a week, and are recorded for later viewing by any student. The cost of each course is only $97 and can also be purchased in discounted bundles.

The live online courses are:

  • Intro to Object Oriented Programming and Logic
  • Objective-C 2.0 for iPhone Developers
  • Cocoa & xCode for iPhone Developers
  • iPhone SDK Programming – Getting it Done!
  • iPhone SDK Programming – Advanced
  • Beginning iPhone Game Development **New**
  • Introduction to Marketing iPhone Apps

Additional information about xcelMe.com or the iPhone online development courses can be found by visiting www.xcelMe.com or by calling at (480) 776-9111.

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iPhone App Developers Can No Longer Ignore Marketing

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Back in the good old days, about 9 months ago, developers of iPhone apps might have been able to get away with not doing much marketing to sell their iphone apps.

But, that has all changed with over 80,000 apps on the App Store and so much competition to get noticed, you have think about marketing as soon as you start development of your app.

There are really four areas that you must focus on from a marketing perspective:

1. Create a marketing message for your app.
2. Deliver your message to the right audience.
3. Price your app appropriately and define meaningful promotions to gain attention and sales for your app.
4. Create a marketing plan that will help you to follow specific steps to consistently keep customers coming in to buy your app.

The days are gone when you can throw your app over the wall of the App Store and hope for the best.

You must think like a marketer, plan like a marketing, and act like a marketer if you want to achieve sales success! Start your marketing efforts by attending Xcelme’s marketing training course to jump start your success.

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Online Training Company Brings Live iPhone Development and Game Courses to the Masses

Monday, September 21st, 2009

xcelMe a leader in live online iPhone development and marketing training, has recently added the iPhone Game Programming Course to its all-star roster. This course, exclusively focusing on iPhone game development, will begin in November, 2009.

Experienced programmers and non-programmers alike are looking for skills to develop and market iPhone and iPod applications, especially games. Since xcelMe.com launched its first online iPhone development and marketing courses in Febuary 2009, all courses have sold out in a matter of weeks.

Gary Bennett, xcelMe President says, “People have great ideas for iPhone apps and many are looking for ways to add to their skills and make themselves more marketable in this economy. They don’t have the time or resources to travel across the country to sit in a classroom for several days. Our live online university addresses a critical need for these people.”

xcelMe instructor-led courses address the needs for someone who has never programmed before, as well as those with years of experience, who desire to learn to develop and market iPhone applications.

xcelMe offers seven courses in the series, from 2-4 weeks in duration. The courses are taught live, in the evening, twice a week, and are recorded for later viewing by any student. The cost of each course is only $97 and can also be purchased in discounted bundles. The live online courses are:

Intro to Object Oriented Programming and Logic

Objective-C 2.0 for iPhone Developers

Cocoa & xCode for iPhone Developers

iPhone SDK Programming – Getting it Done!

iPhone SDK Programming – Advanced

Beginning iPhone Game Development **New**

Introduction to Marketing iPhone Apps

“People are looking for instructors who have been there done that,” Bennett said. “They want to learn from developers that have written, published and marketed iPhone apps on the iTunes App Store”.

Some xcelMe students have realized their dream of having their apps in the Top 100 Paid Applications and have even reached the Top Paid App on the App Store! Check the App Store for Camera Genius and News Addict.

Additional information on xcelMe.com and/or the iPhone online development courses can be obtained by visiting www.xcelMe.com or by calling at (480) 776-9111.

Posted in iPhone Development | No Comments »