The changes in Lion are impressive; I consider it the most significant update since OS X was first released 10 years ago. Developers will want to rev their desktop apps to take advantage of the many new features, like Autosave, Resume, Versions, and Fullscreen. Some of the features we’ve long had on iOS are coming to the desktop in a big way, and this really does fulfill the “Back to the Mac” promise. If you don’t have a trackpad yet, you’ll want one for Lion. Lion’s on the immediate horizon with a scheduled July release.

Similar in scope is the iOS 5 update. Even if you don’t appreciate each of the 200 listed new features, you are going to be impressed with the new Notification Center, Reminders, and, hold the applause, wireless syncing. Billed as PC Free, Apple doesn’t even call this syncing, but it’s supposed to allow for wireless activation, backup, and updating. Although they’ve had some of this functionality on Android for a while, Apple’s superior user experience really shines here.

The game-changer of the three is of course iCloud, long speculated as Apple’s sync service “in the cloud.” But it’s much much more than that. By seamlessly storing data in a central wireless repository and automatically syncing it to all your devices (desktop & mobile), the problem of syncing multiple devices should be eliminated. Like many, I’ve suffered though the pain of MobileMe duplicating and removing contacts, calendar entries, and email settings. With six iOS devices and three Macs sitting in front of me right now, this solution can’t come soon enough. I expect some new breeds of apps designed to take collaboration (with self & others) to the next level. In addition, even for casual games like reMovem it will be easy to save game state so you can start it on your iPod touch and finish the same game later on your iPad.

If iCloud is the glue that holds apps together, then Xcode 4 is the all-in-one tool needed to build them. In order to work with any of the newer SDKs you should already be using a version of Xcode 4. I hesitated for quite some time, mostly because my experience with the early pre-release versions was less than satisfactory. Around the time of the VTM Seattle conference (early April) I made a conscious effort to switch from Xcode 3.2.6 to Xcode 4. Honestly I haven’t regretted it one bit. I know there are some things that don’t work right, but luckily I’m not using the Core Data modeling which is broken. If you do, then I can understand the hesitation.

I’ve been using Xcode 4 exclusively now for 3 months and it’s really a nice improvement in many ways over the previous versions. I’ve used it for a couple of client projects and submitted three of my own apps with it during that time. Once you get over the learning curve, and it is steep, you’ll be happy you made the switch. We’re often asked by new developers, “Where do I start?” Although all of the beginning iPhone development books reference Xcode 3, you’d be better suited to dive into Xcode 4 right away and avoid any uncomfortable transition.

After seeing some of the presentations at WWDC when the Apple folks made Xcode do the almost-unthinkable, it’s clear that its capabilities (now, and planned for the near future) were carefully thought out. Yes it’s a beast, but one you can customize to fit your workflow if that’s your preference. If you’re still on the fence about Xcode 4, I recommend you give it a try soon so you can get on with the new shiny bits. Lion is nearly upon us, and iOS 5 awaits your exploration!

This post is part of iDevBlogADay, a group of indie iOS development blogs featuring two new posts per day. You can keep up with iDevBlogADay through the web site,RSS feed, or Twitter.

Yes the conference has grown a great deal since the 1990′s in San Jose. I think there were barely 1,000 attendees that year. But it’s still easy to find people in the crowds or in the streets around the conference center. Most will have iPhones or iPads and Twitter at the ready, and the proliferation of third-party events means you’ll likely run into someone more than once without even trying.

There are an awful lot of To Be Announced sessions at the time I am writing this. I’m not sure what to make of it except that we’re sure to see a few surprises this morning. No, we won’t be getting free iPhones, but around noontime today I guarantee we’ll all be maneuvering to plug in ethernet cables and download the pre-release of [REDACTED].

If you’re not here I’m sure you’re watching a live stream of the day’s events. Hang in there, all will soon be revealed. If you are here and you see me, please say hi!

This post is part of iDevBlogADay, a group of indie iOS development blogs featuring two new posts per day. You can keep up with iDevBlogADay through the web site, RSS feed, or Twitter.

Soon we’ll be heading to Seattle for the biannual VTM iPhone conference. This two day event will be held the weekend April 9-10, with an optional third day of seminars the day before. This will be my third Voices That Matter conference, and I’m looking forward to some great sessions and seeing old friends again. I’m also very interested in the hands-on cocos2d seminar with Rod Strougo and Ray Wenderlich on Friday. For those new to Cocoa and Objective-C there’s also a full-day session with the Big Nerd Ranch guys Aaron Hillegass and Joe Conway.

Most of the presenters at VTM are authors and experts on iOS development, which leads to the motto of “learn from those who wrote the book.” There’s a fun vibe at VTM, although I wish it were longer than 2 days, and Seattle is great in April, so this is a great opportunity to meet and hang out with other iOS developers. Since we’re driving up from Colorado this also offers the opportunity of a road trip across a part of the US that we’ve never seen.

It’s not too late to register, and discounts are still available, so, hope to see you there!

Last weekend I had the privilege to be able to attend the inaugural 360MacDev conference in Denver. While many readers may only be beginning to think about deploying apps on OS X, there are many developers out there who’ve been happily making a living doing so for years. The overlap, or synergy, if you will, of the iOS and OS X communities was clearly evident at the conference.

Since this was the first 360MacDev it was small and everybody sat in on the same sessions. There was a great mix of in-depth technical talks, design talks, app store talks, and a few of Mike Lee‘s dirty jokes to kick things off. If you couldn’t attend be sure to look for the next one in 2011. We got to spend some time with old friends and make a few new ones, and it was nice to see the young crowd (12 year olds Charlie and Santiago) again in attendance. Hate to think what I was doing at that age. It’s hard to pick, but one of my favorite sessions was John Pannell‘s Get Connected! talk about the various network capabilities on OS X.

Yes, there was a lot of speculation and trepidation about the upcoming Mac App Store. Fact is, we don’t have many real answers yet, but in a few short months all will become clear. Michael Simmons covered what we know from previous experience on the iTunes App Store and existing Mac sales channels. According to Jay Freeman there will be a Cydia Mac Store for those that aren’t interested or able to get their Mac apps past the Apple approval process. It’s not hard to imagine that he’ll be just as successful in an environment where the devices have never been incarcerated in the first place.

Putting together such an event is slightly more complicated that renting hotel rooms and selling tickets. That’s where credit is due to John and Nicole Wilker, creators of the 360 Conferences empire. They’re able to consistently attract top speakers and keynoters, which makes attending a no-brainer for me. Sure, I live in Colorado, which means I didn’t have to fly to Denver. But I know it was well worth it, even for my friends that had to fly there. Because their focus is the community itself, these smaller 360 conferences are much more personal, and have no “corporate” feel.

That’s why it’s nice to see John get recognized as an influential young Coloradan. The work he and Nicole do is much appreciated by the Mac and iPhone developer community. John’s pretty low-key, he’d probably rather be sitting in attendance with the rest of us than running around attending to details. Glad they are up to the task. Job well done!

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The Good

The 360iDev conference was good, even better than expected. Kudos to John and Nicole for pulling off a great event without a hitch. We we so happy to see many old friends and make a few new ones along the way. Each session was indeed awesome, though I wish I could clone myself to attend more than one sometimes. So many good presenters, interesting lunchtime conversations, and after-hours discussions, that it boggles the mind. There were a few notable absences, but hopefully next time we’ll all be back together again.

The Bad

Hotel wifi is a tricky thing, and this week we had to suffer through some of the worst of it. Even after assurances that the Marriott could handle this group, it’s obvious they were not able to. Insert numerous keynote speaker’s references to the lousy setup and performance of our network, and even the neighboring facilities’ networks. Luckily the AT&T signal was excellent for most 3G devices this week. In addition, this part of Austin felt like no-mans-land, and we weren’t near anything but a freeway. A loud one. A busy one with bumper-to-bumper traffic most of the time. What a shame that we couldn’t have been closer to downtown.

The Ugly

Driving here from Colorado brought us through some of the most boring parts of the United States. Consider the fact that a medium-sized city like Lubbock had no hotel vacancies (due to, yup, football) last Friday, we had to stay in a hellacious town called Post, TX which smelled exactly like an oil refinery. Or a leaky gas tank. Or burning rubber. You decide. How the locals stand it, I don’t know. I think Texas is a state of mind, where if you say things like ‘lone star’ enough, people stop asking what the heck that means. Gas up the truck and throw a cooler in the back, we’ve got another hundred miles to go.

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You have probably already heard about how great the 360|iDev conferences are. You may have even attended one or two of them. In that case I’m sure you’re planning to attend the upcoming one (November 7-10, Austin TX). But if you haven’t, or are on the fence about attending, don’t delay! There is still time to book inexpensive flights and hotels, and you can still get discounts on the conference registration page.

I’ve been to many conferences in the last year or so, and 360|iDev is, in my opinion, the one to choose if you can only attend one. I’ve never been to Austin, but this should be a great time of year to venture to Texas. Wherever you are in the US, it’s much easier to travel across half the country than to attend an event on the opposite coast. I’m in Colorado so we’re planning to drive down this time. I’m looking forward to the road trip!

Special

What makes 360|iDev special? First of all, it’s an event by developers and for developers. There is no corporate agenda, but it’s still what I’d call an “immersive” experience. The three or four days you’ll spend there are going to be non-stop fun, learning, networking, and possibly coding. You’ve got a list of top-notch developers and industry experts delivering a full schedule of presentations for three days, and there’s a full day of additional workshops on Sunday if you want even more.

You’ll leave inspired to start (or finish) that app you been thinking about. But even better, you’ll have at least half a dozen new friends or contacts to encourage you toward that goal. Many, many folks report 360|iDev as the turning point in their iPhone careers, leading to new gigs or partnerships or a dream job at the mothership. Whatever you come for, you’ll probably get that times two before you leave.

Fun

Did I mention that you’ll have a good time? If you are up for the all-night GameJam, you can work alone or in teams to come up with a game in about 12 hours. There’s no winners or losers, but you’ll get a chance to show off your new killer idea if you want to. Each day there’s a reception or party to unwind after the conference sessions, and you’ll almost always find some activity (Rock Band/Sumo Wrestling???) taking place. Of course we’ll probably want to sample some of the legendary Austin nightlife too.

Best Investment

So if you haven’t decided yet, how about a discount? Just use the code martelRocks on the registration page to get a sweet 15% discount. This conference is small enough that you won’t get lost in the crowd. There are real people running the show because they love doing this. It’s not just a job to them. We appreciate what John and Nicole are doing for the community, and want to make sure they continue doing this for us.

Don’t believe me? See what other past attendees have to say about 360|iDev:

• Noel Llopis of Snappy Touch: 360iDev: The Conference You Can’t Miss
• Mike Berg of We Heart Games: In the Months Since 360iDev (and why you should go)
• Kirby Turner of White Peak Software: Speaking at VTM and 360iDev This Fall
• Rod Strougo of Prop Group: 360iDev – The Conference To Attend
• Owen Goss of Streaming Colour: 360iDev: 3.5 Days of Awesomeness

Hope you can make it! By the way, I’ll be giving a talk about ad mediation services on Wednesday morning. If you are curious about AdWhirl or Mobclix or things like that, you may want to attend. Be sure to say hi if you see me there.

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If you are a solo developer it’s important to keep in touch with colleagues on the outside. Maybe you could call it a corollary to Retro Dreamer’s Indie Life Tip #7 – Exercise, but routine contact with other developers outside your coding cave is also important. Mailing lists, blogs, chat, and forums are great for the day-to-day needs, but you should seriously consider getting involved with other local devs on a regular basis. Maybe you already meet with a few friends or former co-workers on an informal basis – great! If not, or you are new to an area (like me), you might want to start something up.

If You Schedule It, They Will Come

When I still worked for that large Finnish phone manufacturer (desktop software, cough) in the Boston area, there were a couple of new iPhone meetups already going. I “inherited” a meetup that was abandoned, but after switching jobs I wanted to move the meeting from Burlington MA to a location closer to my home. I thought, “what the hell, let’s move it and see if anyone shows up.” So I set something up in my town, a quiet suburb in the middle of nowhere, and soon we had 20-40 people showing up for regular meetings. Because the other Boston meetup had more or less gone dark at that time we were even getting people from the city to come out. Plus we met a few other lone wolf devs who were literally in the next town working in anonymity, happy to have a meeting to attend occasionally.

It’s a bit of a hassle to get speakers and schedule meetings, but often a “roundtable” discussion is perfectly suitable for those willing to show up. Don’t be afraid to enlist your friends to talk, or put yourself on the schedule to talk about something you’re interested in. Keep a list of suggested topics, and actively seek volunteers at every opportunity. We’ve found people are most grateful to have a chance to get together and discuss what they’re working on, even if the most popular part of the night (usually) is the adjournment to a nearby pub.

Just Do It

I typically don’t enjoy getting up in front of people to give a presentation. Just doesn’t come naturally to me. As my friend Daniel Jalkut has advised, though, I’m trying the Say Yes policy to overcome the scared nerd-brain response. Results are mixed so far, but it’s easiest if you start small and stick to what you know. If you are not already blogging about your experiences, you should start. This iDevBlogADay post is part of a series that encourages devs to write about something once a week, but there’s no reason not to do so independently and/or more often. Writing about something often helps to clarify your thoughts in a way that may inspire you to give a talk or make a presentation.

Conference Up

If at all possible you should try to attend one or more of the relevant conferences. Here’s where you meet in person the folks you’ve exchanged emails with, or some twitter followers, or just someone whose work you admire. I can’t say enough for the smaller conferences. If you’re an iPhone developer, go to 360iDev (Austin, TX, Nov. 7-10) or VoicesThatMatter (Phila, PA, Oct 16-17). These conferences are affordable for all budgets, and they have several locations throughout the year, so you often don’t have to travel that far. The sessions are usually great, but the networking is exceptional. If you are working for a company which can send you, or already making a decent living, go to the Apple WWDC, typically in June in San Francisco. This is a once-a-year opportunity to meet and talk to the folks that make and sell the devices and systems we all love. I think there were over 1,000 Apple engineers participating this year, so that’s a good Apple employee-to-attendee ratio!

Whatever outlet you choose: speaking, organizing, attending, instigating, it’s good to get out!

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This post is part of iDevBlogADay, a group of indie iOS development blogs featuring two posts per day. You can keep up with iDevBlogADay through the web site, RSS feed, or Twitter.

• Download the Session Details Doc. It’s got all the information you’ll need to select the sessions you want to see.

• Over 40 sessions ranging from beginner to advanced covering topics like “Live streaming with Core Audio”, “The Fundamentals of iPad Programming” and “Game Center, Beyond Games”
• 5 Hands-on sessions including Saul Mora’s Unit Testing That Doesn’t Suck workshop, InMobi’s The Economics of Your Ad Supported Application Business, Adv. Debugging, and Xcode Customization.
• We’ve got a full line up of Parties! TapLynx on Sunday, Disney/Tapulous on Monday and Push.io on Tuesday!
• Every attendee gets an iPad sketchbook from Apress

• Tuesday night we’ll have another Game Jam. All night game creating awesomeness!
• We’ve announced the Community App Awards! (Explained here: http://bit.ly/360iDevCAA)

• The speaker page is packed with awesome names. Check it out!
• The sponsors page is a who’s who of the best companies in the iOS space, but there’s room for more!

Second, and by many accounts more important, is the opportunity to meet and make new friends in the iPhone community. The size of 360iDev is just right so you don’t get overwhelmed by crowds and lines. This will be my third time at 360iDev and I can’t wait to hang out with the folks I met last time.

If you’re on a budget and have to pick just one conference, this is the one! It has the right mix of technical, business, marketing, and design sessions, and you won’t be disappointed. See you there!

Update You can still get a 15% discount if you use the promo code ‘martelRocks’ and no I didn’t make this up. What are you waiting for?

WWDC is the big event of the year for Apple developers. This year’s gathering was no exception. I’ve been going on and off for twenty years; my first was in 1990 at the San Jose Convention Center. Much has changed in two decades. I was there for the System 7 rollout, and yes I met Sculley. That was during the interregnum while Steve planned his comeback. Old stuff.

This year’s WWDC was awesome by all accounts, even if there was no free phone from Apple. It’s probably hard to seriously modify the juggernaut that is WWDC, but there are signs that things are getting better. Without naming names, Apple has hired many fine indie developers and empowered others from within the organizations. In addition, several popular sessions were offered a second time in their entirety (not recorded/replayed). One unexpected treat was the opportunity to meet with App Store review team personnel, a shift from last year’s no-questions-allowed talk on the same subject.

As I’ve gone over to iPhone and iPad development full-time, I did not miss the Mac sessions too much, but one wonders what’s in store for the future. It was odd that the keynote did not touch any non-iPhone topic at all. I’m not worried about the viability of the Mac platform, but I’m concerned about the division of the developer communities. Will there be specialized developer conferences in the future?

In any case, this year’s event was a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet many new ones. Although I don’t drink nearly as much as my compatriots, I did attend my fair share of the parties. This is the true advantage of WWDC: your chance to hang out with most (not all) of the best and brightest in the Mac and iPhone worlds. In addition to demoing my app to hundreds(?) at the Mobclix/Chomp/SGN Mashup,  I was lucky enough to get a write-up in TUAW, and an unscheduled consultation with John Geleynse. All in all, a great week indeed.

Can’t wait for next year!