The Online Magazine Focused on App Design, Branding & Marketing

It’s a simple truth: mobile advertising is annoying. But there’s another, less-talked-about simple truth: it doesn’t have to be!

I love my apps and I’ll always savor the option to download a free, ad-supported version of an app rather than drop a buck or two. Why argue with free, especially when it’s an app I may not overly excited about? So I know when I’m buying an ad-supported app and I know how important ads are to the bottom-line revenue of many mobile apps, but I’m still going to complain about them. Talk about first world problems, huh?

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Today in “More Apple News? Okay.”

Apple presentations are excellent theater. They are announced with short notice, require an invitation to attend and are not streamed to the world, meaning that fans anxious to learn about the latest iOS products have to rely on the breathless live blogs and tweets of tech journalists to learn what’s happening. Half of Apple’s success comes from them being great showmen who know how to wow an audience. With the presentation in the rear view mirror and all eyes on the actual release date of the iPhone 5 (September 21st!), Apple have put video of the the entire thing online.

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(This article represents the thoughts of its author and does necessarily reflect the opinions of Rocksauce Studios.)

The modern smartphone is a wonderful thing. It’s a convenience when you need a phone, camera, and computer but don’t really feel like lugging 20 pounds of gear around with you. They can connect us with a video feed to someone on the other side of the globe in real-time or let us quickly message someone in another room of our office if we are too busy to move from our desk. But these efficiencies come at a price to the consumer who still must deal with not being able to load what they want onto a device, along with archaic, absurdly expensive and inconvenient data plans.

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The truth is that smartphones aren’t good for everyone. Younger kids and older folks may not have any need for numerous apps and games…they just want to make phone calls. Enter OwnFone, a phone that can only store a handful of numbers but is custom-printed for each user, with each button representing a contact. Although only available in the UK at this time, it’s being prepped for the international stage, with a braille version on the way.

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Do you want more proof that another iPhone is on the way? Apple itself is offering $345 in Apple credit if you recycle your iPhone 4S. Naturally, they fully expect you to put that credit toward the iPhone 5. Which you will, of course.

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(Every week, Kyle St. Romain will talk about the business and legal side of the app world. While his opinions don’t always reflect those of Rocksauce Studios, you should hear him out…the guy knows his stuff!)

Last week, the jury gave its verdict on the Apple v. Samsung case. To recap, Apple sued Samsung over various patent infringements related to its popular iPhone and iPad devices, claiming that Samsung copied various design aspects from these devices and used them its own Galaxy line of mobile devices. During the trial, Apple had to reveal closely help secrets about its marketing strategy and design process. If you want to read more about the case including the secrets Apple had to reveal, check out my post titled Patent Lawsuit Reveals the Inner Machinations of Apple.

Back to last week’s news: the jury found Samsung guilty of willfully infringing a number of Apple’s patents, and awarded Apple damages in the amount of $1 billion dollars – half of the $2 billion Apple initially set out for. If the award stands, it will be one of the largest verdicts in patent history. Willful patent infringement can also be subject to treble damages (3xs) at the discretion of Judge Koh.

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Today in “Apple Defeating Samsung in a Court of Law”:

After months of litigation, Apple has defeated Samsung in their epic patent trial. As part of the verdict, Samsung now owes the Empire That Jobs Built $1.05 billion, which is, uh, a lot of money. A lot. Like, nine zeroes worth of a lot. For the most part, the trial was a landslide victory for Apple, with the jury siding stating that Samsung “slavishly” copied the design innovations of the iPhone and the iPad, including screen shape and functions like “double tapping.” The Apple victory came swiftly, proving that Apple’s inherent popularity extends beyond the tech world and into the court room.

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Booyah! Here’s a handy-dandy guide to knowing the difference between popular Kickstarter project Ouya, and its high-proifle competition.

(Every week, Rocksauce Studios CEO Q Manning will answer your questions about app design, app development and the mobile industry.)

Can you describe a healthy customer relationship? An unhealthy one? 

A healthy customer relationship at Rocksauce Studios is one where we’re both mutually beneficial, both respectful of each other’s ideas and one where we are deferred to as the expert in what we’re good at, which is app design and mobile development. The customer is looked at as the owner and master in regards to their own industry (which the app is built to work with and for, of course). A good client will give us the feedback we need right away and let us know any specific details that we need to know about the project. For example, if we were designing an app for pilots, they’d supply us with information about FAA regulations, where to find certain documentation and what rules there are and what rules there aren’t.

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(Talksauce is the Friday editorial where Tapsauce editor-in-chief Jacob Hall talks about something that’s on his mind. His brutally honest opinions don’t represent the views of Rocksauce Studios, but hopefully they’ll give you some food for thought!)

“Nowhere” is an exaggeration, but it feels dramatically apt. Does technology have to be good looking? No. Does it need to be good looking it you want to actually sell it? Of course!

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