Dear Apple: I WILL use CS5 to build an iPad app
11 April 2010Why?
Because I think the iPad is a pretty cool device.
Because I can definitely picture myself (and others) sketching out processes, workflows, structures… in my couch on an iPad.
Because I think it would benefit Lovely Charts’ users.
When Adobe announced Flash CS5 would feature an iPhone/iPad packager, capable of taking existing code and transforming it into a native iApp, I was happy. To be fair, I was also a bit sceptical, but hell, why not afterall?
When I saw the first CS5 exported apps running, I was definitely very happy: performance was fine, user experience was great, that’s all I was asking for.
So I decided I’d use it to make an iPad app…
See, as an independent developer, there’s only so many things I can do with the time I have.
See, I don’t know C++ nor Objective C.
See, I’m not against learning those languages per se, but to be honest, I’d rather spend my time on answering support emails, improving the app’s performances, adding and tweaking functionality…
See, I’d much rather work on all those things that ultimately result in better user experiences.
I already have a pretty robust code base to work from.
I don’t know Objective-C, but I know ActionScript and rich front-end development challenges and optimization techniques like the back of my hand.
I’d like to think that as aTHE User-centered company, Apple would recognize that users don’t care about programming languages, cross compilers or translation layers, as long as the resulting UX is good.
Your recent SDK terms change concerns me, because it implies my app, no matter how good it could be, might never be approved just because of what, “byte code issues”?
Ouch.
That would definitely hurt.
Not Adobe, not Google, but me, and users of my app.
I’ve been thinking quite a bit about to best react to his… Anger, disgust, resignation… OR, rather, just stand up for my beliefs in a constructive, peaceful attitude: taking my chances, and use CS5 to build the best possible Lovely Charts companion app for the iPad.
I’ll design it according to your guidelines, and will do my best to make it run in the best possible way on the iPad.
If I fail to produce a high quality result, I’ll just stop and move on with the other platforms, the world is big enough.
If I manage to produce something nice, running smoothly and offering a good user experience, I’ll submit it to the App Store.
If you then decide not to accept it just because of the programing language it’s been originally written with, fair enough, it’s your platform, your rules.
Just know I will be VERY disappointed, and I’ll be vocal about it.

