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Q & Answers: The Year in Review Of App Design Software

What was your favorite app design software? What was your favorite app of the year?

Right now, I’m leaning toward Skala for best app design software of the year, but I’m not sure if it really came out this year. If not Skala, then I’d definitely say The Room, which is an awesome Myst style game for the iPad and iPhone. It’s a little too short — I beat it in about two hours — but those two hours were really intense and fun. But Skala sends whatever you’re working on in Photoshop directly to your device, which is extremely helpful.

“Get your perfct design with Rocksauce studios”

Favorite app design software of the year

My favorite device of the year is a toss-up between my iPhone 5 and my iPad Mini. The iPhone 5 ultimately wins out because of its screen, but if the iPad Mini had a retina display, it would win this hands down. It’s pretty fantastic. I’ve played with all kinds of tablets, but few are as good as this one. I just wish the resolution was a little deeper.

The biggest surprise of the year? The biggest letdown?

The biggest surprise of the year was also the biggest letdown! Apple chose to make a huge mistake and move forward with their maps system before it was ready, which was a huge letdown because it’s really hurt their company. It’s made them second guess what Apple has been doing. Part of that could also be Tim Cook himself, who has been a little bit of a letdown as CEO. He hasn’t been able to crack the whip on his team to get them to get stuff done on time. They’ve been consistent with delays on both software and hardware.

Why we Couldn’t get the Imacs?

We wanted to get the new iMacs for the office but we weren’t able to because the 27″ model won’t be available until “sometime” in January…even though they were supposed to be ready in November. Maybe it’s Tim Cook’s growing pains. Maybe he isn’t as tough to work with than Steve Jobs and is more of a nice guy. Who knows? But it all comes back to Apple Maps. I strongly believe that this debacle wouldn’t have happened on Jobs’ watch.

What tools/programs helped you get through the year?

Once again: Skala. It’s been a huge, massive benefit to every designer out there. It helps you get the job done and ensures that you’re looking at an accurate image when you preview art on your device. It’s nice to preview your app’s art on an iPhone and not a massive monitor!