Boy, Was I Wrong: My Initial Impressions of the iPad Mini

Well, I have to admit, I've never been so wrong about a device.

I usually have a pretty good feel for these things, and I've spent a lot of mental clock cycles thinking about how a device like this can't possibly work. Devices like the Samsung Note look inane and deeply flawed. I have played with the software that passes for applications on them. Awful stuff. Software on those devices always seemed to try to straddle the line between being a blown up phone app and a half-baked afterthought of a tablet app. Comparing "workhorse" apps like OmniPlan and OmniFocus on the iPad to those found on Android devices just seem... well.. terrible.

So I assumed that apps that were designed for a specific scale and use case on the iPad would scale down poorly with small tap targets and a non-retina display which would compromise the very detail you'd need to run those apps. Again, I was wrong.

I was thinking that the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard I bought for the iPad 3 I had been using was going to be wasted or useless. Wrong.

I'm typing this on my new iPad Mini (32GB with LTE) using my Ultrathin keyboard. The screen is small but not overly so. I can carry this light, slim device easily (it even fits snugly into the back pocket of my jeans) and I find it is always a first choice when reaching for something to browse the internet with, catch up on ADN or skim through Reeder or Instapaper.

The worry that apps like Comixology would suffer due to the lack of a larger screen or lack of retina resolution was unfounded. I was reading comics on the Mini yesterday and they looked pretty damn good and the fact that they're more portable makes up for it.

Other reading apps fare pretty well too but admittedly in this area I do miss the retina resolution. iBooks, Kindle, Reeder, Instagram, Goodreader, the Magazine are all front and center on this thing though. While it used to lay all around the house ready to go at a moment's notice, lately the Kindle Paperwhite is relegated to my nightstand. I still prefer the Paperwhite's low-light reading capabilities and I'm sure it will fare much better when reading outside in the summer but for now, the iPad Mini is going to be my go-to for reading. Strange but true.

Thanks to the miscreants on ADN who pushed me over the edge. I am not regretting the decision. In fact, for once I'm pretty damn happy about being wrong.

Building a Better iPad Outliner (with Nebulous Notes)

I own OmniOutliner. It's a fantastic app when you've got a job to do on your Mac. However, I've written before about how frustrating the sync options are -- the Omni method of going back and forth between the Mac and iPad versions of OmniOutliner just doesn't work for me. It's awkward and assumes I have a decent data connection. Sadly this is often not the case in conference rooms that sometimes do a passable impersonation of a lead-lined coffin.

What I'm left to do is create a new outline for my meeting on the iPad and then find a way to merge it back into my larger weekly meeting outline file on the Mac. It basically makes my iPad useless for taking meeting notes in OmniOutliner because the steps necessary to go back and forth are too much to bother with.

Up until yesterday, I was hauling my 13" Macbook Air around from room to room, keeping a large outline of the week's meetings in nvALT. Since my machine was doing a backup yesterday, I cracked out the iPad and decided to figure out a way to solve my outlining problems once and for all.

My workflow relies heavily on two things -- Dropbox and text files. Dropbox is the hub for all documents and does a great job syncing things back and forth between devices as well as home and work. The key to working with these files on the iPad is having an app that works well with Dropbox (and there are many) but also has the capacity to create a clear, easy-to-read, well-indented meeting outline.

There's no clear winner on the latter part of that requirement so I enlisted the help of Nebulous Notes, a universal app which I've been using on my iOS devices for some time. It makes use of TextExpander, markdown and has a great macro feature which I thought might take advantage of to replace my iPad's OmniOutliner for good (or until they make sync work the way I need it to).

My meeting notes consist of a header which contains the meeting name and a time-date stamp. I have had a TextExpander macro made for this for years and the naming consistency has helped me find many a meeting entry over that time. I just type "newmeeting" and it fires a macro that puts the cursor right where I need it.

- **%| %m%d%Y %H%M%p**

Once the meeting header is set up, I need a new line a tab and a hyphen so that markdown formatting can take over, creating nice, easy-to-read indentation. While there are some ways that Nebulous helps out of the box, such as providing a "Tab" button, it was still a lot of taps to enter the new line, hit the Tab toolbar button, hit the keyboard alternate button, find the hyphen, tap that, enter a space, etc.

Nebulous also supports custom macros in addition to the canned (albeit helpful) ones already on the toolbar. Custom macros can be put on the toolbar for quick access as well. All of a sudden this ad hoc, plain text outlining tool starting looking much easier...

nebulous macro palette

The first macro is one that creates a new line, single tab and a hyphen as described above.

[return]$tab- 

Seems easy enough but it saves a ton of keystrokes and tapping. Now, when I'm on the end of a topic line, a simple button tap sends me into the details. But what if I want to create two levels of detail? Simple, another macro with two tabs. The last piece was to create another macro to add a hyphen when needed instead of the three-tap method I was current dealing with. (I realize the "slide the finger to quickly access the alternative keyboard" trick works on the iPad but it takes far longer than hitting one of Nebulous' macro buttons.)

Just by setting up those few macros, I have create a fully-realized meeting outline tool in markdown using Nebulous Notes. The outline in the same format I've been using for years and is searchable, extensible and ubiquitous thanks to Dropbox. The beauty of this is, after the meeting is over, the notes I've just taken are ready back at my desk -- they can be inserted into an email to the team with a simple copy/paste.

markdown version of the outline

nebulous' html rendering of the outline

It's always worth taking a look at old processes and see what you can improve. If you have to do something more than a few times, it might be time to see if you can automate it, or least take some of the pain out of it. By removing friction, you're not only making yourself more productive but you're also taking away some of the frustration that keeps you from doing things in the first place.

Which Apps I Use (and When)

One of the big focus areas for iOS developers lately is the creation of task and reminder apps. Being a heavy OmniFocus user, the thought of splitting my focus isn't one that I look forward to. Sure, I like checking out new apps now and then, but putting tasks in the iOS Reminders app, OmniFocus and yet another app seems like I'll end up missing something.

Enter Checkmark by builtbysnowman, a new app that helps you remember things you need to do, but focusing more on where you are doing things rather than just having good ways of managing your lists.

After buying the app, and testing it out briefly, it is clear the app is slick and has merit but it is causing me, yet again, to rethink my tool selection to find the best combination of tools for the jobs at hand.

I have the following apps on my phone being used for some very specific functions:

Task and List Management

• OmniFocus - Main task/project repository. Useful for everything. Does location-awareness and integrates with Siri (sort of).
• Checkmark - Location-based reminders only(?)
• Due - Useful for pulling recurring, reminder-type tasks out of my Calendar ("take out trash", etc)
• Reminders - Stock Apple app. Useful but hardly idea. Just used to shuttle things from Siri to OmniFocus.
• Ita - Gorgeous but never used.

Writing and Note Management

• Drafts - Useful for quick, "reminder-like" notes.
• Scratch - Another quick text entry tool, like Drafts. Testing it out.
• Writing Kit - This is the best app for writing on the iPad. By far. Hands down.
• Nebulous Notes - Still my favorite Dropbox text file editor.
• Byword - I generally use the Mac version (writing in it right now)
• Notesy - I want to like this but had stability issues. Waiting...
• Elements - Some great parts, but rarely used.

How Do I Decide Which App To Use?

Having this many tools makes it critical for me to be targeted with how each app should be used. Like lots of people who post about this stuff, I feel like each tool is not quite up to the task. I keep downloading each new thing, expecting it to be the final piece of the puzzle only to find it is ever-so-slightly imperfect.

The current task-tracking tool breakdown, for today anyway, is to use OmniFocus for capturing tasks that are related to projects. If it is something related to a project or a person I have a context for, OmniFocus is also a natural choice.

For single tasks or tasks that are tied to a specific place, I've started using the fairly-amazing Checkmark. So far the app has been performing really well in all of my tests and the interface is slick as hell. As I've never really used the location-based reminders in OmniFocus, this is scratching the itch for ephemeral needs. I will continue to put it to work and expect I'll follow up with some sort of tech note on this site at some point.

Checkmark also does time-based tasks, which I have started using as well. Previous to that, I was using a mix of OmniFocus or my calendar, both of which aren't really the best tool for the job. Due was in the mix for a while, and it was well-suited to the task, but having things spread out over so many tools is disorienting and just doesn't sit well with my somewhat-well-ordered-and-organized mind. I generally want the best tool for the job, but I want to use the least amount of tools possible. Adding more tools just adds more friction.

For recurring events, since Checkmark doesn't have support for them, I continue to use Due. As mentioned above, Fantastical works for this but it always felt like pushing a boulder up a hill. I'll still use Fantastical to set up things like birthdays and actual events, but recurring reminders are now much better served using Due.

The Apple Reminders app only really comes into play via OmniFocus, making use of the makeshift Siri integration. Using Siri, I can integrate iCloud and Siri's insertion of tasks into OmniFocus, which has saved me a ton of time over the last few months.

When I need to write something down that isn't task-related and anywhere between a few words to a sentence or two, the two apps I turn to are Drafts and Scratch. Given how easy it is to make nice Markdown changes in Scratch, I've been using that more. I'd say Scratch is still in a beta state for me. It's an impressive app so far, however. If I could get Scratch's "append to Dropbox file" to work in the iOS6 beta I'm sure I could find some interesting uses as well...

Writing Kit is an amazing iPad editor (in fact I've written this post using it). I feel dumb not having used it sooner and I can't recommend it enough. I have the notes for an upcoming review/recommendation post to explain exactly what makes it so great but, in the meantime, just go buy it.

Nebulous Notes is still a staple for editing Markdown notes for work. It works well for a lot of things and does a decent job of avoiding Dropbox conflicts, although they still happen occasionally if I'm swapping back and forth between my Mac and iPad.

~~~

For me, keeping things as simple as possible in a very hectic work (and home) environment is paramount. Cluttering up my devices with a bunch of apps that are half-solutions doesn't really help me much because adding any level of friction just means that I won't record something or remember something or be reminded of something important. Friction can be anything from not being able to find an app you need when you need it to having to think for a half-second about what the best way to record something is.

Do I use Due or Checkmark to set a reminder? Do I use OmniFocus? Wait, is there a project for that? Does it make sense to put it in a particular context? Will I need to transfer this task to my main OmniFocus database at some point? Let's look at how I make some of these calls...

I will generally follow the decision tree outlined below to determine which reminder app to use:

1. Is it a simple recurring task? If yes, use Due. If no, go to 2.
2. Is it a complicated recurring task? If yes, go to 4, if no, go to 3.
3. Is this a simple, one-step task? If yes, use Checkmark If no, go to 4.
4. Use OmniFocus.

How should I set a timer?

Due has timers, but Siri is so dead simple I prefer using it. I guess if I have to be sneaky and silent when I need to time something one day, I'll use Due but how often does something like that come up? I'd guess nearly never. At least I have alternatives..?

I need to write something. How do I choose which tool to use?

1. Is it really short? Like noting where I parked or someone's phone number? Use Scratch or Drafts (Scratch is currently on the Home Page for this purpose).
2. Is it a piece for the website? Use Byword on my Mac, or Writing Kit on my iPad. I don't use my iPhone for writing posts.
3. Is it longer than a few lines but not for the website? Then I almost always use nvALT on my Mac and Nebulous Notes on my iOS devices. Whatever it is gets synced to Dropbox.
4. Is it really long? Use Scrivener or Byword (although I recently wrote a very long work document in nvALT -- I didn't know it would grow to the length it did and nvALT worked pretty damn well. It looked gorgeous with my output from Marked too.)*

So there you have it. My streamlined decision trees for which tool I use and when. I try to keep it as simple as possible but still use the best tool for the job. I consider myself lucky that there are so many great tools out there to make me more effective wherever I happen to be.

7" iPad Rumors

Out of all of the articles and rumor-mongering going around over the last few days, I think Ben Brooks hits closest to what I agree with but I'll take it a step further. I don't think the 7" iPad is a good fit for the stable of Apple products.

It doesn't make sense from a portfolio fit, from a usability fit or from a developer buy-in fit. Apple doesn't shoot for the lowest common denominator, it innovates. It's more likely that they are coming up with something no one has thought of yet, rather than chase the low-end and play in the same pool as the Amazon Kindle or Nexus7.

Here are some practical considerations from a design and development perspective.

• The controls for current iPad apps will be too small to use in a lot of cases (think OmniFocus or OmniPlan for iPad). Do you really think this will look good on a screen that is THIRTY percent smaller?

  

• How would ebooks created through iBooks Author work on a 7" screen (besides "badly")? Books like Paperless would be cramped and terrible or the fonts would be extremely small. iBooks might display OK in a "paperback" format (vs the current, larger "hardcover" format). If you have something with diagrams or specific design constraints, you'd be out of luck.

• Is text going to automatically scale for all apps? Will that be developer controlled via different device targets?

• What about Newstand magazines? Smaller text won't do New Yorker any favors. I think you'd need a retina screen to do it justice, but then you're raising the price of this supposed "bargain" device...

• Pretty much all games will have to be redeveloped, from a control/interface perspective, to work well on this size device.

• How usable is this device for typing? Is it a huge-ass iPhone keyboard or a shrunken iPad keyboard? They both sound terrible. If this cues the "but this will be for content consumption" then go read the statements above about how terrible it will be to consume content.

I'm not saying Apple definitely won't build a 7" iPad-like device. If they do, it will be something new and different rather than a simple downscaled, lowest common denominator, "me too" device. Can you imagine what kind of industry we'd have right now if Apple decided to make netbooks just because HP was making money on them?

Me neither.

App Store Woes: A Perspective

Over the past couple of days, iOS developers have been citing complaints from users that their apps are crashing and causing waves of 1-star reviews. What's worse is the hit to the user's faith in the developer to deliver a consistent, stable experience.

For years, the sides of the argument that make the case for why the "walled garden" approach of the App Store has a detrimental affect for users have largely been proven wrong. You need only look at the state of malware on Google Play to see how advocates of Google's approach have to live with their choices. It doesn't look like a lot of fun to me.

For the vast majority of users, the approach Apple has taken with their App Store (curated, sandboxed applications) delivers a good user experience overall. Knowing that an app you bought has been vetted by some authority goes a long way for some people. That's not to say that this method is totally perfect.

The problems arise when the trusted system goes bad. The app corruption problem that's being brought to light is a huge issue for people who base their whole livelihood on the App Store.

When something like this is beyond your control as an application developer, it is a terrible feeling. It highlights the fragility of the ecosphere and underlines the reliance on a system that you have no input to, no authority over and no autonomy from if you want to continue to distribute your apps this way. Indeed, for iOS developers, this is the only way to distribute apps legitimately. As long as there is no workaround, or acknowlegement from Apple that there is even a problem, as a developer, you are left in a limbo state with no recourse whatsoever.

As frustrated as the developer community is right now with this issue, (rightfully so), I try to temper my reaction somewhat with the fact that what we do isn't possible without Apple's infrastructure.

Over the last 4 years, we have enjoyed an unprecedented ability to reach new users, clients and respondents. We have reaped the benefits of Apple's distribution system, audience reach and smartphone technology. We have gained a whole new platform since this whole process started in the iPad and we have seen our businesses grow because of Apple's success.

While this may be frustrating now, keeping the above things in mind will help us keep perspective on this bump in the road. Once things settle back into the status quo of solid up-time and the reliable mechanisms of software distribution we've enjoyed since 2007 but it may be smart to examine our reliance and find ways to mitigate the risks inherent in a system so beyond our control.