Apple bug bombs the app store
I’ve spent the better part of a week immersing myself in iOS7. Last week, I rolled the dice and installed the beta of Apple’s new mobile operating system on my carry phone and haven’t looked back since.
iOS 7 is “polarizing”. It’s a radical rethinking of a mobile OS to organize the experience in a completely new manner along multiple planes. A mobile interface has depth for the first time.
Moving past the silly hangups on the icon design, transparency and rainbow tinted color palettes (all of which are pretty superficial to begin with), iOS 7 is a very big deal. So big in fact, that many startups in Silicon Valley are abandoning their Android development efforts this summer to double-down on the iPhone.
That’s why I’m with iOS developer Marco Arment on this one: iOS 7 is fertile ground. Arment writes:
The App Store is crowded: almost every common app type is well-served by at least one or two dominant players. They’ve been able to keep their leads by evolving alongside iOS: when the OS would add a new API or icon size, developers could just add them incrementally and be done with it. Established players only became more established.
iOS 7 is different. It isn’t just a new skin: it introduces entirely new navigational and structural standards far beyond the extent of any previous UI changes. Existing apps can support iOS 7 fairly easily without looking broken, but they’ll look and feel ancient.
Apple has completely reshaped its OS and in doing so, will be clearing out the app store. The net result is an entirely new landscape of opportunity for apps and app developers.
If you have an established real estate app in the App Store you should be hard at work ahead of iOS 7’s Fall launch. But more importantly, if you’ve ever had an inkling you want to get into the game, there’s never been a better time.
Real estate adds a third dimension
My head’s still spinning from our trip out to Realogy’s FWD summit last week and especially a demo put on by the eventual Grand Prize winner, Floored.
Their software lets you create detailed 3D renderings of any physical space, but the magic really happens when you pair their software with Oculus Rift virtual reality goggles and are quite literally transported into another space.
The experience was a little disorientating, somewhat surreal and totally transformative.
I’ve been skeptical of attempts to bring 3D into real estate before. Floored has changed the game.
It’s time to Connect
Finally, it’s that time of year again when thoughts start to turn towards summer in San Francisco and an annual pilgrimage to Inman’s Real Estate Connect. I enjoyed reading this look back at the very first Real Estate Connect gathering in 1996 this week. If you haven’t bought your ticket to the conference yet, don’t delay.
More importantly, if you’re working on something cool (see above) and are coming to Connect, I’d love to meet up with you. Shoot me an email at joel [at] 1000watt.net and let’s get something on the calendar.
See you there.
