The topic on our first (successful) episode of Invalid Argument was Apple’s App Store. The prompt was my RWW op-ed, “The App Store Is A Republic”, in which I argued that iOS users still count as nerds; they just elect the best and brightest amongst them to build the apps they want instead of doing it all themselves.
The republic is a tricky metaphor, though, because Apple is a fickle president, and the App Store of today is threatened by a growing din of fraudulent apps. Does Apple listen to its users’ demands, or does it merely pay lip service? I brought in an illustrious panel of app-makers to discuss.
Links we talked about:
- ReadWriteWeb: The App Store Is A Republic
- Impending: 2012: The Year Scam Apps Killed The App Store
- Marco Arment: Right Versus Pragmatic
The guests today were:
Caleb Elston (@calebelston)
Caleb Elston is the co-founder and CEO of Yobongo. Lover of beautiful things. Interior design nut. Aaron Sorkin devotee.
App Store: Yobongo for iPhone
ReadWriteWeb: Yobongo Opens Global Chat & Private Rooms, “iPhone Is Just The Start”
David Barnard (@drbarnard)
David Barnard is the owner of App Cubby, an iOS app company. Prior to founding App Cubby, David spent most of his time as a freelance recording engineer in the Austin, Texas area. Shorter and more frequent ramblings can be found on Twitter: @drbarnard
App Store: Gas Cubby for iPhone, Tweet Speaker for iPhone, Launch Center for iPhone
ReadWriteWeb: Launch Center’s Curious Quest to Fix the iPhone
Matthew Bischoff (@mb)
Matthew Bischoff is the co-founder of Lickability, makers of Quotebook. He also works on the NY Times iOS apps. Merlin Mann once called him a “gentleman from the Internet.”
Brian Capps (@brianhax)
Brian Capps is the co-founder of Lickability and developer of Quotebook. He’s also a NY Times mobile software engineer. Music lover. Political junkie.
App Store: Quotebook for iPhone
Michael Simmons (@macguitar)
Michael Simmons is the co-founder of Flexibits. UI/UX obsessor. Mac + iOS instigator. Nitpixeler. Available for weddings and Bar Mitzvahs.
App Store: Fantastical for Mac
An acknowledgement: This week’s show is all white dudes. It’s not a function of who was invited, only of who happened to say “yes” this week. We at ReadWriteWeb know better than to portray an inaccurate image of a developer community lacking in diversity. It just worked out that way. We think you’ll agree that this week’s panel was pretty awesome regardless.
If you or anyone you know would like to be a future guest on Invalid Argument, apply here: http://j.mp/RWWia
