Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of marketing, said in the unveiling of the iPad Mini that it’s viewing size is 49% larger in portrait and 67% larger in landscape compared to those tablets offered by Amazon and Google.

At $329 for 16 GB Wi-Fi version, 7.9 inch screen size, 308 grams and the same A5 chip Apple used in the iPad 2 it definitely is a great competitor.

So what does this mean for app developers?

The biggest impact in the immediate future is going to be the upcoming holiday season. While the economy is struggling and parents receive hints of their child’s wishes of unveiling an apple product under the tree, the iPad mini just became one of the most affordable Apple products.

So make your version updates to include the iPad mini because more and more Apple users are coming to find your apps!

In the coming months, we will be rolling out a new payment service.  The goal is to enhance the distribution experience, make it easier for you to administer payment acceptance and provide a greater ability to comply with the tax requirements of many countries into which Vendors sell through BlackBerry App World.  At launch, Research In Motion E-Commerce will become the Merchant of Record for some App World transactions. 

For those on Blackberry App Marketplace….enjoy!

In 2011, Apple’s App Store and Google Play achieved 20 billion app downloads. While the US was the largest iPhone and Android market, 8 out of 10 top countries were not English-speaking. Marketing internationally is referred to as “LOCALIZING” your app or making your app better targeted and understood by locals. Here are three marketing tips that are important to make it big internationally:

First, translate your name, keywords, and description into Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Russian, Portuguese and Hindi. I use fiverr.com to find and hire translators. This is the easiest step and takes no time to integrate into your app.

Note: You don’t have to go onto step two until you see some interest in these markets.

Second, translate screens inside your app: More, Info, Nag, Videos etc. You will also want to translate Facebook pages, LinkedIn, YouTube, and any other supporting sites.

Third, hire a local team. This step is largely missed but it critical to growing local markets. Improving customer service in the foreign markets can only be done if you understand customer feedback, cultural differences, and additional market trends. Have your localized team track app feedback, local news that will effect your app, and any new trends with the major cell phone carriers.

These three steps will bring your app company to the next level of performance.

Good Luck,

Jonathan Tanner

While overall concept and coding are both very important aspects of app creation, the ARTWORK will be the first thing that catches the consumer’s eye.

Great artwork will have an impulsive, gut level impact on consumers scrolling through the app store looking for the next great product

As an app artist your goal is to create impactful, relatable, original, high quality artwork.  We have had several questions posed as to what should be considered in regards to artwork for apps.

So here are a few points to consider:

Great Graphics!

This may be a very vague instruction but polished, quality artwork goes a long way!

First and foremost, you must execute concept and art at a quality level!  You are not only selling work to the consumer but you are also selling yourself, building a reputation.  By giving quality work, mediocre concept could be perceived as greater than it is due to the art!

Who is Your Target Audience?

Always take a step back and think about ‘WHOM is this app being created for?’

Knowing who your target demographic is will help you tailor your artwork specifically to them without them even knowing it!

Any misstep in this area could lead to your app being overlooked by the people who should be utilizing it most!

The artwork for a 10-year-old girl’s app will be very different than that for a 29-year-old man.  Work smart and be sensitive to the targeted consumer

Remember the Final Format!

In furnishing artwork for a mobile device always be aware of the final size at which the consumer will be viewing it.

This will affect how you build portions of artwork, how you lay in text, etc.

You don’t want someone on their iPhone having a very hard time reading text on a book or news app, or a gamer having a hard time enjoying a new game because the layout was ill-conceived and buttons are too small or laid over important gameplay.

Older mobile devices generally have smaller screens than newer models.

The current standard is around 176 x 220 pixels, with about 10 pixels of that height used for phone-centric utility items (e.g., battery, signal).  This leaves you with 176 x 210 to use for your app.  Newer generation mobile devices (e.g. tablets, iOS and android –based phones have a larger screen size to utilize, from 320 x 240 up to 1024 x 768. This entire space is available regardless of phone utility items.

Style, Style, Style!

For me, this is a very important one!

You should also be confident to sell yourself and your particular style.

Original, fresh looking artwork will ultimately be a big selling point to the consumer for the app and to the client in considering you for future work.

Be original, be yourself, be knowledgeable of artistic trends and popular styles.

It’s always good to stay current and research what types of art are out there.

Take the time to understand your competition.  Look at other apps that are trending, look at the different art styles being showcased, download apps and just test them out for yourself.

There are so many things to keep in mind when creating artwork for apps for both a technical and artistic aspect, but most important of all, always go into it with Passion and Purpose!

Where To Begin:

I have been a strong supporter of oDesk.com and elance.com, both have great programmers, designers, and virtual assistants that can help shape and mold your app business. There are several key points that I always use when hiring through these sites that will be useful as you build your production team:

1. Come prepared- Before you can properly explain your project you need to know your project. It will be very frustrating for you and your production team if you have not defined your product with an APP SPECS sheet. I start by drawing each screen, button and function. There are always some minor changes but you need to show your team that you are the boss and are properly prepared.
2. Always think long term- No app is simply built and finished…especially those for other companies. Your interview, negotiation, and ongoing relationship with your outsourcers need to be a topic of discussion.
3. Interview process- Never hire until you have reviewed their portfolio, found similar work, and have spoken to them on the phone (I recommend Skype). If you have miscommunication problems in the beginning that is red flag…RUN AWAY! Politely put: “I thank you but you and I are not a correct fit. I appreciate your time, goodbye.”
4. Don’t settle for less- There are 2,222 app programmers currently on oDesk. If you put out a job and don’t find someone that meets your criteria then go find them. Invite them to apply for your job. The largest app team I have assembled was found personally. The best programmers and designers are normally busy and have working thresholds. They normally don’t apply for every job and will be honored that you found them…especially if in your invite you show you have seen their portfolio and recognize they have done similar work. REMEMBER: Just because you invite them doesn’t mean you hired them, it just means you want to take this to the next level of conversation.
5. Patients is the key to finding the right team, don’t rush it. In one of my first mastermind groups they always said: Hire slow and fire fast. I have found this to be right on.

Have Fun building relationships with people all over the world!

Your Friend,

Jonathan

Flurry recently quantified China’s meteoric adoption of iOS and Android applications.  While China ranked 10th in application sessions at the beginning of 2011, it finished the year in 2nd place, only behind the United States.  With its large population and rapidly emerging middle class, adoption of apps vaulted China into the position of world’s 2nd largest app economy.  In additional analysis, Flurry also determined that China has the most market upside, based on calculating those in China who can afford smartphones versus the current installed base.

This report reveals that, for the first time ever, China now leads in new smart device adoption (iOS and Android smart-phones and tablets).  We also update app usage velocity trends for China and the rest of the world, since first studying this late last year.  For this report, Flurry used its entire data set, tracking more than 1 billion anonymous, aggregated application sessions per day.  More than 60,000 companies use Flurry Analytics across more than 160,000 applications.

Read the full report here: http://blog.flurry.com/bid/83261/China-Now-Leads-the-World-in-New-iOS-and-Android-Device-Activations

“It is difficult to imagine a harder challenge than following the legendary Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple. Yet Tim Cook, a soft-spoken, genuinely humble and quietly intense son of an Alabama shipyard worker and a homemaker, hasn’t missed a single beat.

Fiercely protective of Jobs’ legacy and deeply immersed in Apple’s culture, Cook, 51, has already led the world’s most valuable and innovative company to new heights while implementing major policy changes smoothly and brilliantly.

He has indelibly imprinted his leadership on all areas of Apple — from managing its complex inner workings to identifying and shepherding new “insanely great” technology and design breakthroughs into the product pipeline.

Cook’s personal discipline, physical regimen and work hours reflect a philosophy summarized in his 2010 Auburn University commencement speech, in which he quoted President Lincoln: “I will prepare, and someday my chance will come.”

Highly ethical and always thoughtful, he projects calmness but can be tough as nails when necessary. Like the great conductor George Szell, Cook knows that his commitment to excellence is inseparable from the incredible ensemble he leads at Apple. Szell was noted for saying, “We begin where others leave off.”

Cook’s chance has come. What a beginning!”

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2111975_2111976_2112101,00.html #ixzz1sPuvVrng

There are three main components of user loyalty that typically drive app downloads:

1. Retention Loyalty- how long will your customers that download your app remain users and/or do not use competitors apps.
2. Advocacy Loyalty- how likely are customers that download your app willing to share your app to friends and family.
3. Expansion Loyalty-how many other apps or products do they download from your company.

The main components of loyalty take on very different meanings with each category of app. With games for example retention loyalty will strongly depend on your app’s level of difficulty, number of upgrades or achievements, and how addicted your users are to playing. For a utility app…retention loyalty depends on the frequency of use, the amount of time your app stays downloaded and the popularity of other similar apps that could take from your customer base.

The great news is app platforms give you all the answers you need to maintain at least 4 stars through customer feedback. You will want to listen to your users by monitoring daily the feedback received. Constantly evaluate your app against the three loyalty standards. I recommend putting together a focus group while you build your app and then maintain that group to evaluate the validity of your customer’s feedback (at least 15-20 people…each person must be a part of your niche).

Developing and maintaining a quality app will be very important as you build your brand and establish your company as a reliable app resource.

Here are a few general tips to aid your loyalty standards:

Retention

• During development think long term. Make your app relevant 6-12 months from now by answering the questions: How do you think your market will be different? What direction is technology going and is my app going to be on the cutting edge when launched? What am I building into my app that allows for updates and expansion of functionality?

Advocacy

• Always include social networking links so customers can quickly LIKE or SHARE your app with their friends and family.
• Use a nag screen to ask customers to rate your app.

Expansion

• Use more screens to showcase your other apps that would be interesting to your customers. Offering other apps that would be useful to your customers is another way to make money and keep your customers loyal to you.
• Introducing a splash screen at startup or during use is another effective way to gather additional downloads among your app network.
• Set links to your website/blog where you can build a relationship with your followers…don’t ever forget the famous internet marketing saying: “The Money Is In The List”

Increasing and maintaining loyalty among your followers is vital to app success and ultimately reaching the top charts.

Enjoy your laptop lifestyles,

Jonathan Tanner

P.S. There are few things better in this industry then seeing people rave about your invention.