Craig Hockenberry, a fellow Orange County resident, is one of the premier Mac and iOS programmers. Twitterific, the first Twitter client, was Craig’s brainchild. (He even played a role in coining the term “tweet”.) Anyway, Craig tells us how he works in a company with its employees all over the nation (and world), his creative process, and his recommendations to get started in programming.
Macworld Transformation
I’m writing this from my desk back at MacSparky headquarters having returned from another Macworld/iWorld conference and exposition. It seems to me the post-Apple transformation is complete.
When I first attended Macworld, it took up multiple halls and was a frantic, glorious, nerd-zoo. It took several days to walk all of the show floors and finding the gems between the iPod case manufacturers (Yes, I said iPod.) was like a geeky treasure hunt. (That is how I originally found 1Password when they had a very tiny stand hidden behind Apple’s omni-presence.)
Then Apple left.
For the first few years after that, the show organizers had their work cut out for them convincing other large companies to stick with the show in light of Apple’s departure and getting people to attend against a perception that the show was finished. I think they did a remarkable job in those first few years in just keeping the show going.
Over a period of time, however, Macworld didn’t just survive. Macworld/iWorld found its groove.
Rather than focussing on Apple and its latest whizzy announcement, Macworld/iWorld has turned on itself focussing on attendees and users instead. There were numerous exhibits throughout Moscone showing off artwork created using Apple technologies.There was a constant stream of people playing music and creating. People stopped me in the hallway to ask about creating children’s books. Users were playing drums and dancing. Macworld became a celebration of creative iFans.
The show is definitely more intimate. The exhibitors fill one hall now instead of two but there is even an upside to that . The exhibitor signal to noise ration has improved. Where you used to have to wade through 7 plastic case manufacturers to find one interesting product, that is no longer (excuse the pun) the case. Moreover, a lot of the case manufacturers that were present had interesting cases. (One included a bottle opener and had an app to keep track of exactly how many Heinekens you’d opened. I was so tempted to buy one of those and mail it off to Jim Dalrymple.) Another benefit of the intimacy of the show floor is that it is even easier for users to get through to decision makers and the programmers that make the products they love. When it comes to expositions, certainly bigger is better. However, as an attendee, I really enjoyed myself on the show floor.
The Macworld/iWorld organizers also lowered the price of the iFan pass making it easier to get into the conferences. It is now much more reasonable to take classes from some really smart people and a few goofy ones. I couldn’t believe I filled the room for my iBooks Author session. Moreover, the room had this kumbaya feel that made talking about iBooks Author an absolute joy.
And then there was the social piece. Making friends with complete strangers that share a love of all things Apple and catching up with old friends is an absolute joy. To all my friends (new and old) that I met with at Macworld, thank you for giving me an amazing experience.
I am thrilled with this new Macworld and hope it continues many years into the future. Speaking as someone who has a day job, I find my yearly pilgrimage to Moscone Center absolutely necessary for my sanity. My thanks and gratitude go to Paul Kent, Kathy Moran, and everyone else at IDG for making it happen.
Below are several more pictures from Day 3 at Macworld.
OmniFocus 2
Macworld: Day 2
Yesterday was a lot of fun at Macworld. Katie and I did a live episode on the show floor and I later gave my iBooks Author session, which was well attended by several budding authors. In the evening I attended the Cirque du Mac show and the Macworld AllStars were in great, as always. Too much fun.
Today I’ll be at the Transporter booth at 10am, then I’ll be talking about self publishing with Serenity Caldwell, Scott Simpson, and Adam Engst at 2pm on the second floor on the Macworld Magazine stage, and at the Smile booth at 3pm to close the show out. If you are at Macworld today, stop by and say hello.
Macworld: Day 1
Yesterday I got to explore some of the exhibit hall. I found several interesting vendors including one who is making a bow attachment for the iPhone. That ‘s right. A bow. As in nerdy Hunger Games.
I also did a session on workflows with Katie Floyd, Brett Terpstra, and Jeff Taekman that was well attended.
Then I went over to the Cartoon Art Museum where we did the OmniFocus Setup and the Debut. I had so much fun there, meeting some of my favorite bloggers and several very nice people who read MacSparky.com or listen the Mac Power Users. It never ceases to amaze me smart our audience is. It is humbling.
OmniFocus 2 is really great. The new version makes a lot of OmniFocus’s power features much more accessible on the Mac withouth removing the applications upper end power tools. I know first hand how hard they’ve been working on this and it shows. The Omni Group is going to post video of the event and a lot more information soon so I’m going to wait for them before linking it but if you are an OmniFocus user you are in for a treat.
Today, Katie and I are doing a live podcast on the show floor and I’m talking about iBooks Author at 5. If you’re at Macworld, make sure to stop by and say hello. Here are some pictures from yesterday.
Macworld: Day 0
Yesterday I travelled to San Francisco and got settled in for Macworld. I was really fantastic connecting up with all the friends I only see once a year. Moscone Center looks great and I’m looking forward to speaking and exploring today. Here are a few pictures I took yesterday as preparation were under way.
MPU 122: Another Look at iTunes
Katie and I returned to iTunes for episode 122. We’ve got some real interesting guests coming up in the next month plus the live show on the Macworld floor on Friday at 1 p.m. If you are at Macworld. Come by and say hello.
Macworld 2013
We are just a few days shy of Macworld and I can hardly wait. This year I feel more than ever that I need to get away and be among my MacSparky friends for a few days. I am really looking forward to this trip. I’m also going to be pretty busy. Here’s my schedule:
Thursday
12am – Mac Workflows with Macworld Magazine
This is at the Macworld Magazine booth on the second floor with Katie Floyd, Brett Terpstra, and Jeff Taekman. This will be a dense session with lots of great information.
2pm – The OmniFocus Setup
I’ll be over at the Cartoon Art Museum talking with a bunch of other smart people about OmniFocus
7pm – The OmniFocus 2 Debut
Join me, Merlin Mann, Ken Case, and some of the people from Omni as we look at the OmniFocus 2.
Friday
1pm – Mac Power Users Live Show
Katie and I will be on the main show floor doing a live Mac Power Users show. We’ll be doing lots of audience interaction and it will be fun.
5pm – iBooks Author Survival Guide Session
I’m going to give a presentation on how I use iBooks Author and my experience with the iBookstore.
Saturday
10am – Transporter Booth
I’m going to be at the Transporter booth talking about their great new product.
2pm – Self-Publishing Talk with Macworld Magazine
This is at the Macworld Magazine booth on the second floor with Adam Engst, Serenity Caldwell, and Marco Arment.
3pm – Meet the Podcasters with Smile
Katie and I will be at the Smile booth talking about how we use Smile apps and otherwise just having fun. This will be just a few hours before the show floor closes and I can think of no better place to close the show out.
To learn about the activities of some of my favorite writers and podcasters listen to this week’s Mac Roundtable.
If you’re at Macworld, please stop by and say hello. I love meeting readers and listeners. That is my primary reason for going to Macworld.
Also, if you’re an introvert (I certainly fit in that category), I’m telling you right now that MacWorld is the place for you to burst out of that shell. Make yourself uncomfortable and introduce yourself to people and make some new friends. You’re among family at Macworld and you won’t regret it. I’ll see you in San Francisco.
Home screen: David Chartier
As I prance through the Internet, I keep noticing that articles I particularly enjoy have David Chartier in the byline. David (Web) (Twitter) is a freelance writer who frequently contributes to some of the best tech sites, like Macworld and Ars Technica. David also does work with AgileBits, publishers of my beloved 1Password. David, I believe, is also the first guest to share his iPad mini home screen (though I suspect he won’t be the last). So David, show us your home screen.
What are some of favorite apps?
How much time do we have? Let’s see, Evernote, Flipboard, Tumblr, Drafts, Day One, TextExpander, and Writing Kit off the top of my home screen. If I can diverge from the iPad for just a second, I also have to mention KitCam for iPhone. It feels like the epitome of everything we’ve learned about and want from a mobile camera for photos and videos.
Which app is your guilty pleasure?
Right now I’d have to say Angry Birds: Star Wars. I know we’re all probably sick to death of them, but adding the Star Wars characters created some fun new game mechanics that I am fully prepared to admit have convinced me to in-app purchase all the levels.
What is the app you are still missing?
A to-do app for things and places. I have Things, I might switch back to OmniFocus, but I want an app for collecting books, movies, music, places, and other types of things that I want to try. This app needs to understand and display metadata about the thing I want to try. I want album art, movie ratings, Foursquare-like photos of the European city to which I want to travel with my wife… not just a list of names and checkboxes. Good idea David.
Springpad is a kitchen-sink Evernote competitor that works some metadata magic. It’s close, and its iOS apps are great and getting better so I might try it again for what I’m talking about. But I would prefer an app tuned for this specific purpose, and ideally not supported by advertising (or likely to be). Recall for iPhone is getting there, and Done Not Done adds some light, social smartness to that whole thing. But I still feel like my Moby App is out there… eluding me. Taunting me.
How many times a day do you use your iPhone/iPad?
Is this a trick question? Ok, I should probably break it down. My iPhone? Constantly. I keep it with me as a scratchpad for ideas (Drafts, Evernote, and Things), or to limit my social media usage when I really need to hunker down. Or simply as a flashlight to get around the house at night and to take the dogs out since I am often a night owl, my wife is a light sleeper.
When it comes to my iPad, it’s different. I’ve grown to love the portability and simplicity of iOS for many of the tasks for which it suits me, like reading, writing, outlining, basic sketching, researching (thanks to Writing Kit’s built-in browser), and more. That said, I’ll admit my Mac is still better for some tasks and situations, so I’d say my general work day is split about 80/20 Mac and iPad, maybe 85/15. But when it comes to after hours or anything that doesn’t absolutely require a Mac, I reach for my iPad more and more these days. Walking out of the house with nothing but a small, incredibly light satchel containing an iPad and maybe my Logitech Tablet Keyboard is incredibly liberating.
What is your favorite feature of the iPhone/iPad?
That it can become any feature. The iPad and iPhone are designed to be blank canvases, from the first line of code to the final line drawn by Jonathan Ive. Whether I want to write, or tinker with my music and singing hobby, or dust off the drawing skills of my multimedia design degree, my iOS device becomes entirely devoted to that purpose with a single tap. It’s been five years and I’m still impressed by this aspect of the experience and platform that Apple built, and the immense creativity developers show in harnessing it.
If you were in charge at Apple, what would you add or change?
I would iterate iOS faster and add a layer for power users. As much as I love iOS, parts of it really do feel like they’ve stalled or fallen behind. iOS releases have become one major X.0 release per year, a couple of security fixes to follow, and then nothing until the preview of the next big X.0, then the release of said next X.0.
I really do think there is room for some kind of a “pro user” layer to iOS. Maybe it could be a giant red button, buried deep within Settings.app, which warns the user that they forfeit all software support for the remainder of their device’s warranty (but total hardware failure could still be covered if you have AppleCare+). The details are negotiable.
But utilities like TextExpander, Pastebot, and everything else handicapped by sandboxing and other iOS rules are incredibly useful. There has to be a way iOS can be safe and secure for the vast majority of users, yet offer the extra power for users that can knowingly harness it.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Thanks a ton for inviting me to this series. Be excellent to each other.
Thanks David
Drafts 2.5. Whoa.
There is a reason Drafts is in my iPhone dock.
The newest version of drafts just got really nerdy:
- unlimited URL actions
- Dropbox actions
- action sharing
- URL callbacks and workflow automation
So what does this pile of words mean? You can now add a level of automation to the iPhone that almost seems dirty. Go here and watch the video. If I wasn’t so busy right now, I’d drop everything and fiddle with this for hours.