Ondrej Holzman Recently, among the Czech and Czechoslovakian developers, Fr CrazyApps. They managed to ride the wave of iOS 7, for which they prepared an application TeeVee 2 and reaped success. We therefore asked the developer Tomáš Perzlo how it all went, what he thinks about iOS 7 and how he sees the future of CrazyApps.
With the arrival of iOS 7, users are looking for applications that have been able to adapt to the new environment as best as possible. TeeVee 2 is one of them. However, if I remember correctly, you came out with the revamped interface before iOS 7 was released. Was that just a coincidence?
iOS 7 is just the culmination of what has been happening in the field of design lately. Flat design was used long before iOS 7 saw the light of day. So it was more or less expected to fit into the system, but we still made some design changes.
What did iOS 7 mean to you as a developer? You turned TeeVee 2 into an iOS 7-only app, practically throwing the previous work behind you. Leaving aside all the changes that even "ordinary mortals" can see, does iOS 7 also mean a significant shift or change from a developer's point of view?
We decided to drop iOS 6 support for a few simple reasons. Ever since TeeVee 2 came out, it has been branded as an 'iOS 7 app' and we've supported this brand by being iOS 7 only since release. I have to say that iOS 7 is nice, but… There are still quite a few things that don't work as the developer would expect. Still many bugs that the end user won't even feel because the developer has to work around them.
Since you were among the first to have your app ready for iOS 7, TeeVee 2 became very popular. You have appeared on many renowned foreign servers as well as on the leading charts in the App Store. Is this what the developer is after? Or do you want somewhere higher?
We definitely want higher. It's a great feeling to see that the application is doing well and people like it, but this feeling will pass with time and you need to move on. Can't fall asleep. We learn from mistakes and move on - better.
Does this mean that users can look forward to more news in TeeVee 2, or is it too much of an application that just watches the aired series in quotes, can't be moved?
Sure, TeeVee 2 has already received 8 updates in a relatively short period of time. I'm glad we manage to keep the app up to date. There is nothing better than when a user sees that a developer cares about them. The next major update is already under approval and we are working on support for the iPad. With that, we will probably move to version TeeVee 3. Anyway, it will definitely not be a new application, we are not going that way.
So the main attraction of TeeVee 3 will be support for iPad?
We think the move to iPad deserves this upgrade. For some users, the iPad version makes a lot more sense than the iPhone version. We conceived the entire UI of the iPad version a little differently - so that it is not just a stretched iPhone version. That's boring, you need to use the entire area of the device. Along with what we've already done with the iPhone version so far, this is the reason for the move to TeeVee 3.
Although you are Czechoslovak developers, no one would probably recognize it purely from TeeVee 2. Why do you target foreign markets in particular - for earnings, more users? And what are your future plans in this regard?
There are simple reasons for this. We have already been criticized in some Czech reviews of TeeVee 2 that, as domestic developers, we do not support Czech television in TeeVee 2. We never made any order. We risk making money with our own idea and application. The Czech App Store is very small, not to mention the Slovak one, which is even smaller. These stores could never sustain us. But I am very happy that the application was liked even here in the Czech Republic. We had around 250 downloads here on the first day of sale, which is very good by our standards and we are grateful for that.
Just for interest: when you say 250 downloads, do you mean just a few hundred downloads attacking the first ranks in the Czech App Store?
Paradoxically, around 10 downloads are enough for the TOP 20 in the Czech Republic.
Compared to other countries, especially the United States, this is probably an incomparable difference. On the one hand, the US market offers potentially higher earnings, on the other hand, there is huge competition. But you dealt with it by immediately offering the iOS 7 version, unlike the competition, is that right?
It is so. The US accounts for 50 percent of our earnings and downloads. We chose a relatively difficult category Entertainment, which is full of all kinds of crap from emoticons to talking monkeys. So, in general, this category is packed with apps. However, we came up with something different to offer.
The competition coughs up updates, coughs up modifications, improvements, and they even coughed up iOS 7. It can't work like that. We came up with something that looks nice, works well, and we take care of it. It's the same with Twitter clients - there are many, but each one is different. According to the feedback of new users, we have dragged a lot of users to dominant applications that have been in the market for years. We still got a lot of them after implementing the important function "management of missed parts". Their loss, our win.
So, do you think that iOS 7 is a kind of green field for developers, and now even those who didn't have a chance can make it?
Surely those developers can't say that they will just release an application on iOS 7 and make money from it. It is always important to have at least contacts in some media and push the application into awareness. Nothing happens. It is necessary not to underestimate the launch of the application itself and to pay attention to the details. As Steve said, "Details matter, it's worth waiting to get it right."
You have successfully launched TeeVee 2. From the point of view of major updates, it is not possible to do too much for TeeVee 2. Are you planning another big project at CrazyApps?
To be honest, it didn't go quite as well as we would have imagined. There were problems. Many users have failed the application. At one point we even had to download the app from the App Store. So yes, testing in larger quantities is also important, but it was resolved as quickly as possible. We would like to release one more app before the end of the year, but I can't say more yet. Our habit was one application per year. It won't go on like this. We want to include more speed and applications from us will be included. Maybe it's just a wish, but we'll do everything for it.
You said you don't do custom work. Does it mean that you have such a creative team that can come up with several ideas worth implementing during the year?
Ideas are a problem that our team unfortunately struggles with, but coming up with a unique idea today when there are already so many apps in the App Store is almost impossible. We have quite a creative team who can give their own take on already established things. In other words, there are still options to submit e.g. To-Do or Twitter applications. It is not necessary to have your own unique idea.
Therefore, all that remains is to wish you much success in the future, we will look forward to more applications from your workshop. Thanks for the interview.
I would like to thank Jablíčkář for deciding to interview us. It's good to feel that someone cares and supports local developers.
Currently the most beautiful APP on iPhones
I agree that this is one of the most beautiful apps on iOS 7. But what really bothers me is that after starting it after a long time, the application is stuck for more than half a minute updating all my series.