Developing a Mobile Application for Enterprise; Things to Consider

Developing a Mobile Application for Enterprise; Things to Consider from Copper Mobile, Inc.

iPad Mini; The Monetary Performance So Far

There were various price presumptions before the launch of iPad Mini. While some thought new tablet to compete with Amazon Kindle Fire HD, thus to be priced at $199, others guessed the device to be available for $299. When the device was finally introduced, Apple Inc. priced it at $329.

Research firm IHS carried the teardown analysis of the iPad Mini and made a cost estimation of all the components used in the tablet. It reveals that chip and battery, display, and other parts of the base model of iPad Mini cost around $188 to Apple.

 

If we calculate the cost of the components, it is 57 percent of the retail price, which means that Apple is getting a gross margin of 43 percent on the iPad Mini.

 

What is Taking up the Margin Part?

 

The iPad Mini is coming with GF2 technology, which reduces the thickness of the display. Since, the technology is in early stage, there might be some glitches. There are chances of Apple getting higher margins once it overcomes problem areas.

 

What Adds Up to the Margin?

 

It is the iPad Mini models with higher memory, which are generating higher profits for Apple. The company is selling Wi-Fi only 32GB and 64GB models at price of $429 and $529 respectively. The price of flash memory is significantly low. Adding flash memory of 32GB and 64GB is costing Apple $8 to $24, but it is making profit of $90 and $162 per unit. So, higher the sales of 32GB and 64GB versions of iPad Mini, better the profit margins of Apple.

 

What are Other Tablet Makers Getting?

 

IHS has also looked at the Surface tablet priced at $499 for the base model. As per the estimation, the cost of components in the 32GB model is $271. Microsoft is also selling Touch Cover at $120, which might be costing $16 to the company and is adding significantly to profit share.

 

Amazon is however focusing more on increasing its customer base instead of profit percent. The base model of Kindle Fire HD is priced at $199 however, the total cost of the components is said to be $165.

 

Apple iPad Mini is a recent launch but its aggressive cannibalization might add 3 million tablets to Apple's kitty at the end of the last quarter of 2012. Price is one of the major criteria for people preferring iPad Mini over the iPad. Another research firm IDC in its just-released 2013 predictions has revealed that devices with 8 inch or smaller screens will capture 60 percent of the tablet market, which indicates higher profit margin for Apple iPad Mini.

 

This post comes to you from Copper Mobile, one of the top iPhone developers and iPad application development companies providing enterprise app development solutions.

Deliver the Best of Android Experience; Here are 5 Design Tips

When the Linux-based operating system, Android was launched, it had to compete with some of the already popular platforms namely iOS, Symbian, and RIM. The open source mobile OS lacked consistency in early years. The mobile market was so fragmented that Android had to offer something unique to stand out amongst competitors.

Android development was considered to be a mobile platform with little appeal. But, things have considerably changed after the launch of Ice Cream Sandwich. Android had 75% worldwide market share in the third quarter of 2012, which is a great growth for an OS launched couple of years ago.

 

One of the major factors where Android lacked in was an appealing interface. ICS and Jelly Bean however have a beautiful interface.

 

Developers love to work on Android because of the immense popularity of the mobile platform. And when you are creating something for the new Android phones, here are design tips to help you.

 

Deliver User-centric Experience with Simplified Designs

 

When the navigational structure will go hand-in-hand with the presentation, users wouldn't find it difficult to move between the content.

 

How you can achieve a simple design?

• Use animations
• Rely more on images instead of text
• Simplify the UI pattern

Gestures & Transitions are Important

 

Google's "Project Butter" has resolved the issues of choppy performance in Android devices. The improved speed of 60 frames per second have resulted in smoother transitions and enhanced animations. Designers can leverage on the recent transformations to deliver more fluidic and gesture based engaging experience to users.

 

Utilizing Intents

 

Applications like Facebook or Twitter require you to hard code the communication for iOS. In case of Android, two apps can share the information if they have the ability to utilize the intents. Designers can use this positive aspect of Android to create a shared network between apps.

 

Understand the Difference Between iOS and Android

 

Designers have to keep this in mind that UI and navigation patterns for users are different in iOS and Android. Try to move the unnecessary actions to the action bar.

 

Also:

• Use gesture based navigation instead of tab-like buckets.
• Do not mix up the visual paradigms of iOS with Android such as heavily designed UI elements or button arrays.

 

Design for Flexibility

 

The best part of new Android platforms is that they are able to run on all the devices. Therefore, try to consider the layout of phone and tablet in your application designing.

 

What else to do?

• Use 9patching, the technique of Android for creating stretchable bitmap images.
• The naming conventions of Android are ideal to manage assets on the basis of screen size and density.

 

Follow the design guidelines to deliver a refined and beautiful Android experience to users.

 

This article has been posted by Copper Mobile, an eminent Android & iPhone developer providing enterprise app development solutions.

 

 

 

Identifying the Right Mobile Application Developer

Why Would Apple Bring Maps & Siri to OS X?

The recent report of 9to5Mac on Apple developers testing OS X 10.9 has left everyone guessing about the newest inclusions in the next version of OSX. It has not been long since Mountain Lion was released and Apple is again testing OS X10.9, which has features like Siri and Apple's own Maps app.

Predictions are around and the tech world is presuming things. 9to5Mac writes, "With this MapKit framework, as developers refer to it for iOS, in OS X 10.9, it is also possible that Apple will extend its own work on mapping on the Mac besides integration for developers. It is possible that Apple will want its own full-fledged Maps app on the Mac, but we have not been able to confirm that as of yet".

 

Speculations are in the air that Siri would be an upgrade from the Dictation application, currently running on Macs. Apple is planning to release the updated version next summer and there are chances of a major overhaul during this time period.

 

The 2011 OS X upgrade consisted of many features of iOS including Reminders, Notes, iMessage, Game Center, AirPlay mirroring etc, therefore, chances are high that new version will come with Siri & Maps.

 

Cloud computing is the latest buzz in the tech arena. Be it Microsoft, Google, or Apple, everybody is trying to offer a secure & reliable central storage repository to customers. The recent growth trend of Apple is not too enthusiastic, so Apple might be using iCloud as a strategy to hold its customers. If all the Apple devices come with similar features, it will get easier for users to access content from anywhere & this could be the reason behind Apple developers investing time introducing some massive enhancements in the OS X10.9.

Switzerland Federal Railways Compensated by Apple

Switzerland’s Federal Railways was compensated with $21 million, winning a case of licensed intellectual property against Apple. It was sometime during the middle of September this year that Apple was accused by the Swiss Federal Railways of copying the design of a clock the former used in its iOS 6 update. The clock icon used by Apple is reportedly an auspicious symbol for Switzerland and its Federal Railways since it was designed during the 1940s by Hans Hilfiker.

 

The report published in the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper of Switzerland says that Apple used the famous clock design without permission from the Swiss Federal Railways authorities. The latter held trademark & copyright over the clock and therefore Apple had to pay a price for its act of appropriation. The licensed agreement between the two parties allows Apple to continue using the design in its clock app coming with the updated version of iPad tablet.

 

Market analysts have put forward their views that a sum of $21 million is inconsequential for a cash rich company like Apple. But it clearly shows that technology giant Apple makes an effort to work quickly when matters of license & intellectual property are involved. Daniele Pallechi, a spokesperson for the Swiss Federal Railways had earlier made it clear in his statement to the media that the owners of the clock design were rather unhappy with the unprofessional attitude shown by Apple. He said in a statement to the media that though the Swiss felt proud to see the iconic clock being used by Apple, shock as to why permission had not been duly taken was clearly there. The fact that the Swiss Federal Railways authorities did not sue Apple on infringement issues has left the latter’s reputation & revenue unharmed.

 

Looking for professional iPhone developers or iPad app development solutions? Contact Copper Mobile for all your app development needs.

Windows RT Falls Short of Expectations

Reports claim that the latest Window based OS platform Windows RT has failed to impress. Windows RT was Microsoft’s attempt to come up with an operating system for tablets. The Windows legacy in the world of desktop devices is undeniable; but with Windows RT, Microsoft tried to explore the world of tablets & ARM based devices too.  If the initial reports are to be taken into consideration, Windows RT has failed in the highly competitive mobile market.

 

Opposed to slim & power efficient hardware used by Microsoft’s competitors Google and Apple, the former has consistently used its x86 hardware. One positive aspect of Windows RT that has been highlighted by analysts is its embracement of the ARM system on chips and removal of the previous hardware. The Microsoft Office app comprising Student 2013 & Microsoft Home that comes with Windows RT has introduced touch optimized versions of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote in order to address the productivity & consumption needs of a user. However, it is the very same attempt made by Microsoft to span both needs that has failed to please individual customers who are inclined either towards productivity or towards consumption. The fact that apps such as iTunes, Adobe Photoshop, & Google Chrome are not running on Windows RT, has discouraged most users to avoid using this operating system. The biggest challenge that Windows RT has had to face is attracting the attention of the business class in the society, which has completely refrained from deploying this operating system.

 

The verdict is out; Windows RT is definitely not a well integrated OS platform for modern mobile devices.

 

This news comes from Copper Mobile, an enterise app development company offering windows apps development services.