266: The Middle Path

FromUnder the Radar

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266: The Middle Path

FromUnder the Radar

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Length:

29 minutes

Released:

Apr 12, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

We talk ourselves into, and then back out of, hiring more people.

Released:

Apr 12, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

From development and design to marketing and support, Under the Radar is all about independent app development. It's never longer than 30 minutes. Hosted by Marco Arment and David Smith.

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Under the Radar 6: How to Become a Programmer: Our origin stories and tips for beginners to get started. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 7: Building New Features: How we design, build, and ship new features in our apps. by Under the Radar
28 min listen
Under the Radar 13: External Dependencies: Weighing the costs of external dependencies in the wake of the Parse shutdown announcement. by Under the Radar
30 min listen
Under the Radar 1: Adapting to the Market: How independent iOS app developers can find ways to thrive in a highly competitive, commoditized App Store. by Under the Radar
27 min listen
Under the Radar 2: Time for Swift: Why we haven't adopted Swift yet, when we might, and whether we should expand into additional platforms instead. by Under the Radar
28 min listen
Under the Radar 9: State of the Apple Watch: Where Apple Watch development stands today, and what could improve it in the future. by Under the Radar
30 min listen
Under the Radar 24: Should You Register for a WWDC Ticket?: The value of a WWDC ticket — or going to San Francisco without one. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 18: Choosing a Pricing Model: Considering paid-up-front, freemium, ad-supported, and completely free business models for David's newest app. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 8: Vacation: Avoiding burnout, minimizing self-imposed stress, and taking vacations. by Under the Radar
26 min listen
Under the Radar 33: iOS 10: Following on from last week's discussion of the newly announced changes to watchOS 3, this week we dive into iOS 10. We discuss what changes are especially relevant and how we think we might adopt them. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 14: Linux Servers for App Developers: An introduction to running your own Linux servers. by Under the Radar
30 min listen
Under the Radar 3: Ergonomics: Ensuring your work setup is as comfortable as possible for long-term use and reducing the risks of developing RSI. by Under the Radar
28 min listen
Under the Radar 39: Lightning Round 1: Quick takes on eight topics submitted by listeners. by Under the Radar
30 min listen
Under the Radar 5: Managing Feedback: Considering feedback and feature requests from beta testers and customers. by Under the Radar
26 min listen
Under the Radar 16: Designing for Misuse: Accommodating unexpectedly heavy usage, basic web security, and avoiding user-generated spam. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 19: Improving the App Store, Part 1: In the first of a two-part series, we discuss whether the App Store needs improvement for our benefit, or whether it's working well enough for Apple and customers already. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 12: Apps With Personality: Apps with personality vs. neutral voices, and whether independent developers should project a corporate image. by Under the Radar
30 min listen
Under the Radar 29: Numbers and Analytics: Using data, market research, and analytics to improve your apps and better allocate your time. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 21: App Store Rejection: Tips on avoiding rejections by Apple's app-review staff and what to do when your app get rejected. by Under the Radar
30 min listen
Under the Radar 25: The Calm Before the Storm: What to do (and not do) in the few months before WWDC. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 4: Unexpected Complexity: Handling unexpected complexities, and deciding whether to tackle complex problems. by Under the Radar
28 min listen
Under the Radar 37: Code Reuse: Creating and managing shared code, using Git submodules effectively, and whether to open-source your libraries. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 10: Designed by a Programmer: Getting by without a designer, and programmatic drawing of image assets. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 42: Getting Next Year's Customers: Lessons from Vesper's shutdown and strategies to navigate the difficult environment for paid apps today. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 20: Improving the App Store, Part 2: In the second of a two-part series, we discuss some specific ideas on how the App Store could realistically be improved. by Under the Radar
30 min listen
Under the Radar 22: Version Control: The immense value of version control for very small teams — even teams of one. by Under the Radar
28 min listen
Under the Radar 36: Should You Release Every App?: Pros and cons of releasing your personal utility apps, focusing mostly on Mac apps. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
Under the Radar 15: Marketing at Launch: Marketing, promotion, and celebration of successful launches and major updates. by Under the Radar
30 min listen
Under the Radar 11: Ad-Funded Apps: Real-world experience with ad-funded apps, and what the iAd shutdown announcement may mean. by Under the Radar
28 min listen
Under the Radar 35: Ideas: The value of app ideas, evaluating their feasibility, and considering the business you want to be in. by Under the Radar
30 min listen

More Episodes from Under the Radar

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290: Pillar III: Retention: We conclude a three-part series with the third pillar of a successful app: customer-retention methods and techniques. by Under the Radar
30 min listen
289: Vision Pro Numbers: How the Apple Vision Pro is fitting into our lives so far, the usage of our apps on visionOS, and considering how to allocate our attention and resources to the platform. by Under the Radar
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288: Feelings & Opportunities: Thoughts on the new app-distribution options from the EU DMA and the implications for app developers. by Under the Radar
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287: Pillar II: Monetization: In the second of a three-part series, we look at the second pillar of a successful app: choosing a monetization model that fits the app's target market. by Under the Radar
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286: First Hire: Thoughts and motivations behind David's hiring of an employee and what it means to be an indie developer. by Under the Radar
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285: Recreational Computing: Final considerations for the imminent Apple Vision Pro launch, and our expectations for visionOS apps. by Under the Radar
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284: Pillar I: Acquisition: In the first of a three-part series, we look at the first pillar of a successful app: customer acquisition, including paid advertising, word-of-mouth marketing, and editorial promotion. by Under the Radar
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283: Fifty Roles: The many roles we need to juggle as independent developers, and considering which roles we can take off our plates. by Under the Radar
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282: Revert to Defaults: When to ignore or revert our custom-design instincts and follow the system defaults instead. by Under the Radar
30 min listen
281: The Weirdest Parties: What happens when you break 50 million home screens? by Under the Radar
30 min listen
280: Upstream Decisions: Early decisions and implementation choices that have large impacts down the road — good and bad. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
279: Rest and Recovery: Taking time off when you realize — or don't yet — that you really need it. by Under the Radar
29 min listen
278: Unforeseeable Issues: Encountering bugs and feedback that our development and beta testing didn't or couldn't uncover. by Under the Radar
30 min listen
277: Go Time: The rush to submit our iOS 17 apps for its general release, and the last window of opportunity to prepare our test devices for last year's OSes. by Under the Radar
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276: Preparing for iOS 17: Our final plans and preparation for iOS 17's launch, now that we can confidently predict its timing. by Under the Radar
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275: What's New In This Version: How to communicate new features to new and existing customers — and which features are worth communicating. by Under the Radar
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274: Does It Work, and How Does It Feel?: Splitting your time between iOS 17 and visionOS development, and tips for attending a visionOS lab. by Under the Radar
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273: Backpack-Driven Development: The value of exploration and experimentation. by Under the Radar
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272: Feeling Behind: Examining the constant anxiety of feeling like you're falling "behind" in your app's development. by Under the Radar
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271: Developer Prospects for visionOS: Our expectations for the visionOS app market when Apple Vision Pro launches next year. by Under the Radar
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270: WWDC 2023: An interview with Josh Shaffer and Chris Thielen about Swift macros, SwiftData, interactive widgets, and more, recorded at Apple Park during WWDC 2023. by Under the Radar
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269: Preparing for WWDC 2023: Our annual pre-WWDC episode: practical advice for those attending the event, and how everyone — virtual or in-person — can make the most of the week. by Under the Radar
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268: Fancy Work: Controlling the urge to over-invest in details that won't proportionally benefit our customers. by Under the Radar
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267: Don't Run Servers: Modern Apple devices offer incredible power — use it! by Under the Radar
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265: Old App, New Subscription: Updating a decade-old app to a new subscription business model, and how the change has performed so far and been received by the existing users. by Under the Radar
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264: Scaling Support: Strategies for self-help channels in your app to minimize support email. by Under the Radar
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263: Pedometer++ 5.0: A huge update to Pedometer++ including a complete UI rewrite and significant new features. by Under the Radar
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262: Managing Change: Taking risks to move an old app forward. by Under the Radar
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261: A Vacation to the Basement: The benefits of a work-"vacation" and the discipline of shipping. by Under the Radar
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260: Subscription School: Understanding subscription metrics and the inherent limits they impose. by Under the Radar
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266: The Middle Path

266: The Middle Path

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Under the Radar