App Bundles of Joy

If you’ve been to the App Store lately, you may have noticed some new bells and whistles (iOS 8 app preview videos!) and some search enhancements that should contribute to improved app discovery. Perhaps the biggest visible change for developers is the introduction of an entirely new product category - the app bundle. App bundles allow us to construct app collections to sell at a discount. We just have to name the bundle, drag and drop apps to appear in the bundle, and write a description - the rest (screenshots, keywords, etc) is automated. We were one of a handful of lucky developers to get picked for an App Store bundle feature. Our Family Math Pack includes 6 of our apps and it appears in two splashy features, “Introducing App Bundles” and “Kids App Bundles,” in the U.S.

Obviously, app bundles have the potential to significantly increase revenue. Thanks to bundles, some of our developer friends have reported doubling sales overnight. That has not been the case for us. When bundles appeared in the App Store nearly two weeks ago, our featured Family Math Pack was priced at $12.99. But after analyzing the first week of lukewarm sales and taking a look at what others were charging for similar bundles, we adjusted our price down to $10.99 (nearly 40% savings). We also went back and revised our bundle descriptions to include terms like “award-winning” and “discounted.” In hindsight, I think it’s most likely that our customers need more space - as in, iPad hard drive space. The 6 apps in our Family Math Pack require over 1GB to install and if you don’t have the space, you don’t get the apps. It’s also possible that our kitchen sink app collection for a range of ages (3-12) is not specific enough to trigger the “got to have it” impulse.

This isn’t to say bundles have disappointed. We are selling enough bundles to equal sales of an average single app. The very existence of bundles raises the likelihood that your apps will be seen. Even if a customer doesn’t purchase your bundle they may discover an app they wouldn’t have seen otherwise and that could lead to a sale (I have a hunch that this is happening with our apps) - and that’s the point, isn’t it? And if they really like that single purchase, they can always come back later to “complete” the bundle, at a discount.

FREE Alien Buddies Tomorrow 6/20

Start your summer with a splash!

Download our award-winning Alien Buddies app for FREE tomorrow - Friday, June 20 (normally $1.99).

Tell your friends!

(and don't forget your bathing suit)

Making Kids Apps (And Setting a Launch Date) Is Hard Work

Kid testing can take your app in new and exciting directions

You may think that making “toddler” apps is easy. I mean, really how hard can it be to to whip up some shiny things to catch the eye and sprinkle some ABC’s and 123’s into the app so you can slap an educational label on it? And that’s exactly why the App Store Kids category is so crowded with apps for ages 5 and under. For some developers, the illusion of a low cost entry point to the educational market is a big draw. But quality is not something that is easily achieved and kids are smarter than you think. The competition for your toddlers attention is fierce and that is exactly why it is takes lots of effort to make an app that stands out from the pack.

We toil, we toss, we turn, we sweat, we fret, we struggle, we test, we test some more, we change things (important things that we love), we analyze and we test some more - in short, we work really, really hard on every app we make so that kids will get something they want to play and adults get something they don’t mind paying for. This takes lots of time.

We spent the last year developing Mystery Math Town and Mystery Math Museum (grades 1-3) and client apps like World’s Worst Pet and Door 24 (grades 4-8) but for our next app we wanted to get back to our Alien Buddies roots and create something for preschoolers. Jim and I both have little kids at home (3 and 4 years old) and we wanted to make something for them. We also wanted to develop an app that could be localized for play in different parts of the world... and we wanted kids to be able to play it on tablets and phones for iOS and Android. We settled on a driving game where the child can explore a variety of landscapes in different vehicles and encounter early learning math activities along their journey. We started making Drive About: Number Neighborhood in December 2013.

There were lots of Skype meetings with each of us working from home during our winter snow days to decide on the app specifications and Lis went to work on look and feel. We set a target launch date of late April.

Our testing process begins with a pretty close internal circle until we approve the concept and then we work on things until we feel it’s in a good position to share with family and friends. We observe play and  record feedback and we go back to the drawing board to make improvements before the next round of testing. When we feel the app is ready to share with folks on the “outside”, we distribute it to our wider network of parents, teachers and kids. This Beta app review is a big moment in the development process and the user feedback we collect can shape the app in ways we never might have guessed. From this point we formulate a revised development plan to add the finishing touches for a final round of development.

(Cough) Remember our original April target date?

We just finished our internal family testing and it turns out kids don’t think like we do, so we’ve got work to do to make the game right for them. Today we’re aiming for an early June Drive About launch but who knows what direction the Beta observations will take us...

The only sure thing I can tell you is we’ll keep working until we get it right.

App Store Kids Category Rankings

Photo was edited to show all featured apps without scrolling or tapping

Here's our quick scoop on the new App Store Kids category with a side dish of app sibling rivalry.

We have four apps currently featured in the Kids category: Marble Math and Marble Math Junior, Mystery Math Town, and Alien Buddies.

Needless to say, it's been quite a lift for us.
Sales are up 200-300% since the category launched last week.

Here's what Marble Math Junior looked like on the charts the day before iOS 7 dropped:

And here's what Junior's rankings look like today:

It's interesting to note our apps show nearly identical rankings in both the Education and Kids categories.

Of our four featured apps, Marble Math Junior is the only one to appear above the fold on the front page of the Kids category and that really helps. We know any amount of scrolling or tapping to find things will cost you sales.

Junior's older sibling, Marble Math, can actually be found on the front page of the App Store (all apps) but you have to scroll down and across to find it at the bottom of the page under Kids Apps & Games.

We're expecting to see the features rotate this week as they do in the Education category but who knows what Apple has up their sleeve?

Stay tuned...

A Summer Splash With Our Alien Buddies! (FREE APP INSIDE)

You’re invited to a summer app celebration! 

When: This Friday, August 2nd 

What: FREE award-winning Alien Buddies early learning iOS app (normally $1.99)

Bring your iPad, iPhones (and kids, ages 3-6)

Tell your friends!

Download Alien Buddies

WARNING - App Marketing Misstep

We've been feeling good about our educational app, Mystery Math Town, since we launched the game in April.

The app debuted as our best yet, easily eclipsing the previous successes of our Marble Math and Alien Buddies apps. Mystery Math Town was picked by Apple as a featured iPad Education New and Noteworthy selection and it even spent some time on the front page of the iPad App Store. We also received an outpouring of critical praise and user feedback, telling us how much people enjoy playing the game. But amongst the positive buzz and back-patting, there was a small but very vocal group of iPhone users who felt slighted - because we'd released Mystery Math Town for iPad only.

When we next gathered around our developers round table to plot our app updates, we quickly decided to fast track development of an iPhone version of Mystery Math Town. It seemed like a no-brainer to create a separate iPhone app for a number of reasons:

1. It would satisfy a clear market need - we knew users wanted the app for iPhone.
2. It would allow us to test the performance of an iPhone app in the App Store. To this point, our apps have all been universal (iPad and iPhone) or iPad-only. Apple only gives you combined sales in reports so there is no clear way to separate iPad and iPhone sales for universal apps.
3. We already had a successful marketing campaign in place for the iPad launch and we could repurpose some of those materials for iPhone.
4. People already love the iPad game!

It was an easy decision. We immediately defined the work we needed to do, which mainly required a re-thinking of the UI to take advantage of the phone screen real estate at different sizes. Once we settled on the adjustments to ensure a good user experience on the phone, it took about 70 hours in total design and programming time to make the changes.

We released Mystery Math Town for iPhone last week on Wednesday June 3rd for $1.99.

To date it has been downloaded 38 times, selling an average of 5 apps/day and earning a whopping $40.89 in total sales. That doesn't even cover a single hour of our development time.

Let me be clear, we never expected to repeat the success of releasing a brand new app. We also know that iPhone sales are significantly lower than iPad sales in the education space.

Sure, the timing isn't great. It's the end of the school year and there isn't exactly a frenzy of educational app purchases in June...or July for that matter.

We've worked hard to cultivate our Artgig Apps brand and we have a pretty loyal following of educators, parents and app reviewers who know we produce quality games. Our family of apps consistently rank in the Top 5% of all iPad apps in the App Store Education category.

I would think on the strength of the family alone, we'd be selling more than 5 apps a day.

But in order for the concept of App Store cross promotion to work, people have to see that your apps are related.

And, in the case of Mystery Math Town for iPhone, we've learned a very hard lesson.

Apple does NOT consider Mystery Math Town for iPhone to be related to any of our family of apps, because we have not produced any other iPhone-only apps. Actually, that's not entirely true. If you're looking at Mystery Math Town for iPhone in the App Store, and you search under "Related," you'll find exactly what you'd expect - more apps, like Marble Math, that you can play on your iPhone by the same developer (us!).

But our primary challenge with a new release isn't helping users to find other apps we've produced. The big challenge is helping users to find the new release (i.e. Mystery Math Town for iPhone).

In the App Store ecosystem not all family members are so sunny when speaking of their relatives. In fact, some of them flat out refuse to say a single word about the family.

If you're looking at the Marble Math App Store listing on your phone, and you say to yourself, "let me see what else these brilliant developers have produced" and you naturally select "Related" to peruse the other apps you might consider purchasing, Apple has apparently made the decision to exclude Mystery Math Town for iPhone, because it is an iPhone-only app, and you were looking at a universal app, so that must be all you are interested in.

Ouch.

That's where we stumbled and sprained our app marketing muscles.

It's pretty incredible to me that in the vast sea of the App Store, Apple is actively squashing the idea of cross promotion.

But there you have it.
The screenshots do not lie.

If you're considering developing an iPhone-only app - you might want to think twice.
Unless you're prepared to produce iPhone-only versions of your other apps, you'll miss out on one of the few opportunities available for app cross promotion.

This PSA is brought to you by Artgig Apps.

Making a Difference - One Educational App at a Time

I hope you had a nice Easter.

I went out yesterday with the family - my two kids (ages 7 and 2+), my wife, and my dad and stepmom, for a nice dinner.

And yes, we're one of those families who brings the iPads to the table when we dine out.

As we were finishing our meal, my stepmom, who is a PR specialist, asked me about our new Mystery Math Town app and in an instant my 7-year-old son was giving her a demo.

As he was playing the game, the restaurant manager wandered by and glanced over his shoulder - and stopped.

He stood there, watching my son play the game for a few seconds and looked up, nodding his head with a big smile, "very educational," he said.

At that point everyone at the table leapt into salesperson mode, explaining that my company made the game and that it would be available to the public on Wednesday.

When he told us that he had a 3-year-old at home and he was looking for good apps for her, my nearly three-year-old daughter whipped out another iPad to show him Alien Buddies.

He was duly impressed.

And when it came time to leave, he went out of his way to shake my hand and he thanked me for doing something that makes a difference.

It's hard work making apps and even harder work making successful apps, but it's important to remember success can be measured in many ways.

Making a difference means a lot.

Mystery Math Town Available April 3

Episode 8 (Finale) - Developer Diary: Locked Up For The Holidays

Well, I’ve finally received medical clearance to leave the infirmary, where I spent most of the Holidays, so I’m free to join you in the year 2013.

Funny thing happened on the way to the New Year, all that talk about the App Store lockdown - like the Mayan Apocalypse...it never happened.

Crazy, I know.

As iOS developers we’ve been trained to overreact and plan for the worst. So when Apple says iTunes Connect is shutting down for the Holidays, we assume that means a total freeze as in years past:

No new apps or updates, no price changes, no app description changes and no app rankings.

From what I saw from my sickbed, some new fish arrived during the lockdown, in the form of new apps and updates and there was virtually no change to app rankings data except for a small blip on December 29th. Otherwise, the charts showed regular app movement through the Holidays.

I never tried logging in to iTunes Connect to see if I could make any app description or price changes.

And I don’t think Apple updated the App Store lists on Thursday, December 27th.

So there may have been a partial closure but it certainly wasn’t the slamming door and throwing away of the the key we were expecting.

So how did our apps do over the Holidays?

Well, we’re a little surprised and very pleased to report that Marble Math Lite: Multiplication remains a New and Noteworthy selection today. Downloads spiked nearly 300% on Christmas day as people flocked to free apps for their shiny new iPads.

But our best paid sales days came on Dec 27th and 28th, driving our overall app sales profit up 45% in the period Dec 21 to December 28th.

Marble Math and Marble Math Junior both jumped into the Top 100 Paid Education iPad Apps in the same period.

Now it would be nice to draw a straight line between the release of Marble Math Multiplication and the success of our two paid Marble Math apps, and it’s clear the free Lite version has helped, but we also had a very favorable media splash right around Christmas that obviously gave us a boost.

Respected independent kids media nonprofit, Common Sense Media, featured both paid Marble Math apps in their “Essential Apps for Kids and Teens” buying guide.
It’s a quick, easy read and worth a look. And it’s the kind of thing you can’t plan for, just the result of good, hard work.

So, overall, Santa was pretty kind to us.

Now it’s time to start working on this year...

Episode 7 - Developer Diary: Locked Up For The Holidays

Today is the big day.

Or should I say the end of days, if you believe the Mayans. It certainly looked, felt, and sounded like the apocalypse when I stepped outside this morning, dodging fallen garbage cans and overturned recycling bins, in a relentless assault of howling wind and rain.

But I made it to work and what I really want to talk about is the other big day. Today, the App Store will officially go into lockdown and us developers will be locked out until December 28th.

If you’ve been following our story, you’ve seen a small indie development company strategically target high App Store visibility with a new app launch and an app promotion right before the expected holiday ranking freeze.

Our game plan paid off, and today our new Marble Math Lite: Multiplication app is a featured iPad Education New and Noteworthy selection for a second straight week, and our Alien Buddies sales are up over 30%.

Even more important than short term rankings and sales spikes, it does appear that our plan to drive up sales of Marble Math and Marble Math Junior by offering the Lite Multiplication version as a free test drive, is working.

One thing we’ve noticed about the iPad App Store featured window space, If you hold your iPad vertically and view the New and Noteworthy picks on the main category page you’ll see that the apps are presented in neat groups of 6 (8, if iPad is in landscape). You have to swipe to get to the next group, for a total display of 18 apps in 2 swipes. There are however 24 New and Noteworthy selections in all. The only way to see the entire collection is to tap “See All” at the top right of the list.

So what, you ask?

Well, every time you ask a user to do something, like swipe, you’re losing downloads because the act of swiping takes effort.

If the user has to swipe and tap - forget it.

Marble Math Multiplication landed on the New and Noteworthy features at position 8 last week which means you had to swipe once to see it, if you hold your iPad like a book, but you wouldn’t need to do a thing to see the app if your iPad was in landscape.

We’re thrilled to still be a New and Noteworthy pick and viewable on the Education category page going into the holidays, but now we’re at the back of the line. It takes 2 swipes to find the app and that means an instant drop in downloads and rankings. We went from #40 to #70 overnight which means a drop-off of something like 300 daily downloads from the previous week.

And if you end up somewhere in the last group of 6, and you can only be found by locating and tapping “See All”, you’ve probably only got a week in the New and Noteworthy holding pen before you're released back to general population with all of the other 70,000+ apps in the Education category that aren’t featured. And I’m pretty sure the holding pen is where you’ll find Marble Math Multiply next week when we return from the holiday break.

But we’re not complaining.

We’ve got a new app set to launch in 2013 and we’ve got lots of hope heading into the Holidays.

We’ll wrap up this diary in January with a full report of life on the inside during the lockdown.

Enjoy.

Episode 6 - Developer Diary: Locked Up For The Holidays

How was your weekend?

After a sudden turn of good fortune, we found ourselves strutting around the App Store with the big dogs in the Education category.

It’s exciting to see our marketing strategy and efforts to promote our new app, Marble Math Lite: Multiplication, pay off handsomely in a featured App Store Education window spot.
In an instant, Marble Math Multiply went from New and Not Possible to Find, to New and Noteworthy - and what a difference that visibility makes.

Before the New and Noteworthy feature, Marble Math Multiplication was struggling to stay above the Top 300 fold, averaging around 200 downloads/day, today it’s holding steady at around #40 in Top Free Education apps.

That’s about 1,000 downloads a day.

We also ran our free Alien Buddies promotion on App Friday.

App Friday is a weekly web event and Facebook party, featuring select family-friendly developers and their discounted apps, and it’s been a really good platform for us to mingle with folks who use our apps, as well as other developers.

The simple act of switching your paid app to free triggers the alarm for all of the app price change aggregators, but you also want to reach out individually to reviewers, bloggers and friends in your network ahead of your promotion, to make sure they are prepared to lend social media support.

With the full force of our social media network behind them and a generous push from AppAdvice Apps Gone Free, our little Buddies raced up the charts on App Friday, leaving even Marble Math Multiplication in their dust as they reached exalted Top 10 territory, settling at #7 with only the likes of Mickey Mouse and Toca Boca ahead of them. We waited until Saturday afternoon to manually switch Alien Buddies back to Paid to make sure everyone worldwide had a chance to download the app during the promotion.

Alien Buddies was downloaded over 11,000 times.

It’s always hard to pull the plug when you’re staring at your app in a Top 10 position, and when you do, your app ceases to exist on the charts at all - it falls into a black hole as the charts re-calibrate and that’s when the fear creeps in.

“Will I ever make it back?”

Before the promotion, our Alien Buddies were hanging around in the 250-300 chart range.

Today, they’ve jumped about 100 spots and look quite content around #150.

It remains to be seen whether they can hold their turf higher up the charts. Typically, sales and free promotions are good for a quick rankings injection and a short-lived status bounce, before things settle  back to their natural order.

But sometimes the bounce is just enough to get some extra attention.

With any luck, Alien Buddies will hang on to their new chart territory and Marble Math Multiplication will still be a New and Noteworthy app when the dust settles from the App Store changes this Thursday, before the holiday lockdown.

There it is again - hope.

Without it, we’d be working in a shoe repair shop or delivering pizzas or something.

* The author actually worked in a shoe repair shop and delivered pizzas once upon a time.

Alien Buddies Kids App - Updated & Free This Friday 12/14!

Stock the fridge with eggnog and put out your finest fruit cake, the Alien Buddies are coming to town!

This Holiday Season we’re pleased to offer our award winning Alien Buddies as a FREE download for your iPad/iPhone - 1 Day Only, Friday December 14th.

And thanks to the latest update, these adorable little critters will look their best on your iPhone 5.

Good looking and Free - it really doesn't get much better.

Please share with your friends and followers (human or other).

Download Alien Buddies (but wait until Friday)

Episode 3 - Developer Diary: Locked Up For The Holidays

“Your app status is In Review.”

When I saw the iTunes Store email last Sunday night I was shocked.

On any other day, the email subject “Your app status is In Review” would trigger a harmonious concert of promotional efforts: a press release would fire, app reviewers would receive the signal that something new and exciting had just happened, and our social media army would buzz our network, expertly stoking the fire of anticipation for an attractive upcoming offer designed to boost downloads and get the app on devices.

“In Review” is pretty important - that’s why they use capital letters.

It means your app will be likely be approved or rejected in a matter of hours.

If your app is approved, you’ll get two more emails in pretty quick succession after review, “Your app status is Processing for App Store” followed by the glorious “Your App Status is Ready for Sale.”

I was just finishing dinner with the family when I saw the status for Marble Math Lite: Multiplication change to Ready for Sale.

I didn’t even have a press release ready.

When we huddled a few months ago to map out our strategy aiming for prime App Store Holiday positioning, we decided to launch a new app, Marble Math Lite: Multiplication, and to update an existing app, Alien Buddies.

Marble Math Lite: Multiplication was approved after 5 days in the iTunes review queue.

Alien Buddies v.1.2.2 was also approved after 5 days and went live last night - on a Sunday, just like Marble Math.

This is unusual in more ways than one.

New apps and app updates normally take 7 days for approval, and I’ve never heard of Apple working the weekends for approvals until now.

So instead of longer review times it appears Apple is working overtime to speed things up.

As an app developer you need to learn to sleep with one eye open.

I just finished writing the Alien Buddies press release to go out Friday morning, and we’ll offer the app for free for the day as part of the weekly family-friendly App Friday festivities to boost downloads.

Don’t believe anyone who tells you free promos don’t work.

It’s like an instant shot of app sales adrenalin and can be extremely useful, especially for a quick lift, say the week before Apple locks down the App Store and freezes app rankings.

Just make sure to tip off your social media networks in advance, and make sure you have a solid press release ready to go.

Episode 2 - Developer Diary: Locked Up For The Holidays

Episode 2

Welcome to the second installment of our developer diary, chronicling our efforts to stand out in the App Store during the the Holiday rush and iTunes Connect lockdown.

We're indie app developers making educational games for kids and our apps are consistently ranked in the Top 5% of all Paid Educational Apps in the US.

That's pretty respectable considering there are more than 75,000 active apps in our space.

But we’re still saving for our private island and we still rely on client work to make a living. Our little patch of App Store turf is under constant threat as big brands move in and each day is a fight to hold our rank in the Top 300.

If you’re not in the Top 300, you’re a needle in a haystack and you better be working on your next app.

The Top 100 - these are the big dogs, the Disneys, the Nickelodeons, and the Toca Bocas.

The Top 200 to 300 - this is our turf. We usually have 2 or 3 apps hanging around 200.

And then you have the Editor’s creme de la creme - the collections, the New and Noteworthies, and flavors of the week.

Getting picked can make you an instant big dog.

And guess what.
 
Apple just made their picks for the week.

And we didn’t get picked.

And we’re okay with that because getting picked by Apple for a featured spot is not a marketing strategy. A marketing strategy works on multiple fronts and takes time to cultivate. First and foremost, a marketing strategy needs an excellent product.

Which brings me to our latest app, Marble Math Lite: Multiplication.
 
It’s new and free and we think it’s pretty excellent.

Now pay attention:

People (and Apple) like things that are shiny and new.

People (and Apple) like things that are free.

People (and Apple) like things that are excellent.

Marble Math Multiplication is a free app but it’s also a gateway to our two established paid apps, Marble Math and Marble Math Junior, which we also think are pretty excellent.

We know the Marble Math apps are popular in classrooms, but schools and teachers are often reluctant to pay for apps, even with their educational discount.

Of course we have a demo video on the Marble Math website and we’ve got tons of great reviews from reputable sources like Wired.com and Common Sense Media, and we regularly share news and reviews across our social networks, but some folks really want that test drive.
 
And we want them to play the game.

And we especially want them to play the game over the holidays on their shiny new iPads.

App Store Developer Diary: Locked Up For The Holidays

We’re Artgig Apps, developers of educational apps for kids, and this is our experience marketing and promoting our apps in the App Store leading up to, and during, the holiday break.

The App Store developer portal, iTunes Connect, is closed from Dec 21 to Dec 28th, so expect a mad rush as developers scramble to get new apps approved and rank positions locked up before the Store is locked down.

And when I say locked down, I'm talking Alcatraz.

No new apps, no price changes, and no updates are allowed in this period.

So yeah, you better not pout and you better not cry, but more importantly, you better plan your promotions and maximize your exposure now to plan for extended review periods and possible delays before the freeze.

And remember, your App Store rank on December 28th will be exactly the same rank it is on Dec 21.

So you’ll want to look your best when Apple takes your snapshot before the freeze.

Our holiday marketing strategy features 2 primary promotions:

1 - Launch a new free app
2 - Make an existing app free for a day

We just launched our new free app, Marble Math Lite: Multiplication.

And we’ve got another app scheduled for a free Dec 14th promotion.

Stay tuned as we share the highs and lows of our holiday journey, ending with a January recap.

It’s like reality TV without the TV.

Artgig Apps - Halloween Treats!

Monsters, aliens and ghosts...oh my!
Don’t look now, but Halloween is sneaking up on you.
So in addition to updating our apps this October for the new iPhone 5 screen size, we’ll be sprinkling some Halloween treats about.

One of our most popular classroom apps, Shake-a-Phrase, offers a Monsters theme to shake up some spooky language learning fun. Last year, we teamed with a class in Westchester, NY for a Halloween-inspired creative writing activity and they enjoyed it so much, they requested that we do it again this year.  And we’ll be posting some of our favorite scary sentences on our Facebook page as Halloween draws near.

Meanwhile, our Alien Buddies were featured in this New York Times Gadgetwise post, sparking some pretty loud shrieks and howls in the comments section over screen time for babies (for the record, we don’t make apps for babies and we enjoy playing outside with our kids!)

If you’re looking for a fun activity for your early learner that doesn’t involve your phone or iPad, why not download a free Alien Buddies coloring book featuring your favorite martians.

Rolling right along, Marble Math recently made news in Australia’s The Sunday Mail paper. There’s nothing scary about this impressive list of kids educational apps from the iMums, but you may bump into a ghost while playing Marble Math if you don’t watch where you’re going.

Speaking of Marble Math, we’ve got a special update brewing in the lab. Soon you’ll be able to customize your currency to practice counting with Australian, Canadian, Euro, or British coins and notes for Marble Math and Marble Math Junior.

I told you we had some treats for you.

Stay tuned for more goodies from Artgig Apps!

Pirate Buddies! A Special Treat From Our Game Artist

One of the best things about my job is the people I get to work with every day.

If I have a crazy idea like "wouldn't it be cool to dress our Alien Buddies up as buccaneers for Talk Like a Pirate Day," I can just wait until the last minute to spring it on Lis (in Australia) and when I come back to work in the morning - there they are, in my Inbox.

Of course, it may take almost another full day for me to get to actually writing this blog post but that's life in th' fast lane 'o app development, matey.

Now onto investigatin' 'tis iOS 6 I be hearin' much 'bout.

Enjoy talking like an alien pirate today...

Back to School App Sale This Friday!

We know it can be tough, dragging the kids back to school after a fun-filled summer.

My suggestion to minimize kicking and screaming?

Trick them.

That's right, give them some educational apps that are actually fun to play.

They'll be too busy earning cool rewards and high-fiving over high scores to realize they're skilling and drilling.

And stuff.

See you this App Friday, with our friends at Moms With Apps.

Artgig Apps - Making Back to School Fun Sale!

Managing Post New and Noteworthy Stress Disorder (PNNSD)

See that furry little guy?
Yes, he’s as soft as he looks.
He even smells cute.
His name is Rocky and he’s the newest member of my family.

I got Rocky to help manage the debilitating effects of Post New and Noteworthy Stress Disorder, or PNNSD.
And if you’re going to do business as a developer in the App Store, you better go out and get your puppy now - because you’re going to need it.
As the saying goes, what goes up must come down and I can tell you a soft furry pillow helps to cushion the fall.

The last six weeks have been an app roller coaster ride for us.

Two of our apps, Alien Buddies and Marble Math, were featured by Apple as Education New and Noteworthy selections.
Alien Buddies got picked first and Marble Math followed a week later, after Apple rushed it through review.

Being featured by Apple in the Education category is like being rousted from bed by a team of personal assistants who dress you, throw you in a limo and rush you to a black tie party where you rub elbows with Dora the Explorer and Cookie Monster - oh, and those Toca Boca guys (maybe you’ve heard of them).

It’s quite exhilarating.

And then you’re getting featured by the likes of The Washington Post and wired.com and people just can’t seem to get enough of you.

And the sales.

They go up.

Considerably.

Over 1,000 %.

(Alien Buddies profit graph New and Noteworthy period May 31 - June 28) 

And because you’re featured, and because your sales go up, your apps shoot right up the Top Charts.

At their peak, Alien Buddies was a Top 10 Paid App and Marble Math reached Top 20 - out of 68,000 Education apps.

That’s week one.

Each app was featured for a full four weeks in the US iPad App Store which is where our primary market shops.
That’s another thing, exactly where you appear in the App Store and on what device, is really important.

Marble Math is still featured in the App Store at this very moment.
Apple even gave it a special small banner.
Try and find it.
Go ahead - I’ll wait...

There it is, the orange banner in the bottom right corner.
Nobody will ever see that banner unless they are looking for iPhone apps on a desktop machine.
In other words, you, me and Apple are the only people who will ever know that banner ever existed.

On an iPad, there are 24 Featured New and Noteworthy apps at a time, with six on a page. When you’re first featured, you get the prime page one real estate at the top of the list.
But with each passing week, our apps moved a page in, requiring a swipe to get discovered.
And not surprisingly, each swipe a user has to make to find you puts a dent in sales.
Apple updates the App Store every Thursday around 4pm EST, so that’s when you either get your big break - or get broken.

And that’s the magic phrase of the day, “App Discovery.”
And the only sure way for an indie developer to get discovered is for Apple to give you a lift.

So, you ask, what is life like since our apps fell off the charts?

Well, we’re doing the same things we always do.

We’re monitoring the App Store trends.

We’re establishing and maintaining relationships with app reviewers, teachers, and parents.

We’re improving and updating our apps.

And we’re developing a new app.

We’re doing all of these things in the hope that Apple will throw us another bone when we launch our Back to School promotions next month.

And if they don’t - well, I’ve got a little furry guy waiting at home who could care less what happens in the App Store.

Marble Math Junior Launches and Alien Buddies at Toca's House

So, what did you do this weekend?

I hope all you dads got the Father's Day free pass to celebrate being such a great dad.

I sat down with my Brother-in-Law and some chips and beer to watch Portugal roll over the Netherlands in the Euro Cup.

Good times.

And speaking of rolling, Apple extended our New and Noteworthy run for another week so Marble Math and our Alien Buddies are hanging with some pretty impressive company on the Education Top 20 charts.

Ever hear of Toca Boca?

If you have an iPad and a child under the age of five, I think you know what I'm talking about.

Our Alien Buddies are over at Toca's House with Dora right now - probably in the Kitchen, playing Bingo (sorry, could not find a good way to get Solar Walk in there).

And that's not all.

Have you seen Marble Math Junior?

That's right, we just launched another Marble Math app – specifically for younger kids (ages 5-8).

We think they'll actually enjoy solving math problems while dodging obstacles like sticky green slime and boxing gloves that spring out of maze walls when you least expect it.

And they'll probably get a kick out of earning cool new marbles as they gain points.

And you can totally customize the problem types to make a perfect educational app fit for your young learners!

Who knew math could be this much fun?

Marble Math Junior Available Now on the App Store

Marble Math Rolls Into The App Store!

Must.

Remember.

To.

Breathe.

So much happening on the other side of my desk at Artgig Apps.

First, our Alien Buddies got picked as an Apple Featured Education New and Noteworthy App, which sent them rocketing up the charts.

Then, Apple surprised us with an expedited review of Marble Math this week, approving our new Educational app in record time – one day after submitting the app for review!

And yesterday, when Apple updated their charts, I happened to be watching as Marble Math joined Alien Buddies as a New and Noteworthy pick!

To say we're thrilled is an understatement.

But we're thrilled.

And we still have Marble Math Junior to release next week!

Exhale.

Download Marble Math