A possible AppleVis app?

By Ivan Cardenas, 4 March, 2014

Forum
Other Apple Chat
Hi all, I know that AppleVis is a comunity driven sight, but I think it'll be pretty cool to see an AppleVis app. I know that developing an app takes money and all, but I think that as a comunity, we can all pitch in to help, be it with a small donation, any developing expirience, or anythin else that AppleVis may need. I want to know what you guys think about this, I think it could be successful.

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Comments

By Siobhan on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - 21:17

Hi. I had thought there was already discussionand it was decided the site editors and things didn't feel the need for an ap. I could be wrong, but that's what I remember.

By Michael Hansen on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - 21:17

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team
Hello Ivan, We (members of the AppleVis Editorial Team) have discussed having an AppleVis app developed, but for now the idea has been shelved. For an AppleVis app to be truly successful, it would need to bring most, if not all, of the features that are available from the AppleVis website. Developing and maintaining such a complex app would take a lot of time--and more importantly, a lot of money. Believe me, an AppleVis app would be great to have. It just is not practical at this point. Michael Hansen AppleVis Editorial Team

What about an app similar to viA by Braille Institute that shows all the enteries in the AppleVis Apps Directory and lets you make submissions, comments, and changes. It could also show when apps drop in price or go free.

By mehgcap on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - 21:17

Hello, As Michael said, an app isn't likely to be coming anytime soon. I'm curious, though, what people see as the advantage? Aside from being permanently logged in, and being able to open an app instead of a Safari favorite, what would the advantage of an app like this be over the site? It would have the same features and content, and Applevis already works well on mobile browsers. Please understand that I am not denigrating the idea in the slightest, I'm honestly curious to see what people are thinking on this topic. One upshot of an app I can see is push notifications for subscribed content. What else are people thinking?

As an aside, the app is not the only piece. Apps that pull data from websites need to access that data in some way, so Applevis would need to develop the means of access. In technical terms, the two components would be the iOS app itself, and the API that lets the app pull data from Applevis to be presented.

By David Goodwin on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - 21:17

Ivan, In an ideal world this is clearly something that we would love to do, and you're certainly not the first to ask However, as Michael and Alex have already said, it is unlikely to be feasible for the foreseeable future. The complexity of developing an app that provided the desired level of integration and interaction with the existing site is beyond the skills that we have available to us. Knowing how the site works, I am under no illusion that it would be a major task for an experienced app developer and would require them to have specific knowledge and expertise of the scripts that power the site. And, that all adds up to a significant cost … both for the initial development and the ongoing work needed to maintain compatibility with iOS and the growing number of iOS devices. With AppleVis receiving no external funding or sponsorship, this is not something that we could even begin to consider. Another factor is that right now we can make changes to the site as we need to - for example, update scripts to add functionality, fix bugs or security vulnerabilities, etc. This wouldn’t be so straightforward if there was always the risk that a necessary change to the site could break the app. So, for now, an AppleVis app will have to stay on the wishlist.

By mehgcap on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - 21:17

Hello all, I wanted to make one thing clear: donating will not make this happen. Apps can easily run into the thousands to create and maintain, not to mention the extra work for the site admin to get things configured. I would hate for people to donate money specifically to help an Applevis app be made, and then never have their hopes realized. By all means, donate to Applevis, but please understand that doing so will not increase the chances of an app ever coming along.