HN Theater @HNTheaterMonth

Do you realize that "legacy apps" are much more important to people who use them than the hardware that it runs on?

Apple is a hardware company, and its need reason to push it. But what I do with hardware is run applications, and the applications matter more to me than the shiny (or not) box they run on, insofar as the box has the hardware to provide the UX that makes the software usable.

I am not talking in abstract; when Everyday Looper goes, iOS will lose about half its value to me.

(See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzQLRPwZjIo for usage example).

⬐ npunt

Looks like everyday looper added 64 bit support in an update last week, fyi.

⬐ romwell

Good news for me, thank you!

⬐ scarface74

Do you realize that "legacy apps" are much more important to people who use them than the hardware that it runs on

Seeing that Apple is the most valuable company in the world and they have a long history of abandoning legacy software (Apple //e, 68K, PPC, and soon 32 bit x86) and moving customers with them, that statement doesn't jibe with the reality on the ground.

What are the chances that people won't upgrade their iOS devices because they want to run an abandoned 32 bit app?

⬐ 0x0

All the other transitions could be handled by virtualization and emulation, and the software and the corresponding data files could be copied between file systems and drives, so if you have built a workflow around a legacy app, you could still access it on new hardware.

But iOS being such a locked down and closed platform means there is currently no way to preserve legacy apps or the data stored within installations. This is why dropping 32bit legacy app support is such a big deal.

⬐ derefr

This is the way I assumed making music worked when I was four. Glad to see it realized :)

⬐ stcredzero

Before digital technology, you just got 4 pickers in the living room. If you wanted to record, you had them huddled around a mic. Sound balance? You just told the louder ones to move away.

⬐ chacha102

I think I will go get the app just because that video was awesome.

If every iPhone app did something along those lines, showing someone actually doing really cool stuff with the App, they would probably sell more apps. Then again, if you could do really cool stuff with most Apps on the iPhone, that might also sell more apps....

⬐ dasil003

If I'm not mistaken he spits 8 bars of perfect English gibberish. So that's what we sound like to foreigners.

⬐ phillaf

Hahaha, french canadian here. 1- your not mistaken 2- I still can't stop laughing. that was laaame!

Even in french, this guy seems to be making words up. He's talking about how much he loves Ramen Noodles.

⬐ dazzawazza

Just sounds like every song in the charts to me and I am a native English speaker.

⬐ None

None

⬐ aoeuid

If you want to hear what English sounds like to foreigners, take a look at http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-english-sounds-like-to-foreig...

⬐ theblackbox

haha:

Viewed 126526 times Favorited 4 times

hmmm, pretty high attrition rate there! It reminded me of a cross between Kings of Leon and Talking Heads, thankyou for bringing this absurdity to my attention!

⬐ jrockway

That does sound like English.

⬐ pedalpete

neat app. Here's the link in itunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/everyday-looper/id333298831?m...

⬐ None

None

⬐ jrockway

Why would you do this on your phone and not on your computer? He's already sitting in front of a computer with a video camera, mic, and audio output, after all.

⬐ DougBTX

He is using touch, that would give him an advantage over using a mouse. You can buy graphics tablets for the PC/Mac which also support touch gestures, basically a graphics tablet which allows you to finger paint. The same things with touch and a screen are not cheap, the cheapest one I can think of is the iPod touch actually, and if the guy already has a smart phone which can do it, why not reuse it?

⬐ DaniFong

It's a lot easier to do multichannel mixing, like he does, if you can tune up many channels at once. This is way easier with multitouch.

⬐ dazzawazza

Creativity can strike when a computer isn't near you? Not everyone has a computer? It's just s toy? There are lots of reasons to do this on a mobile device.

⬐ stcredzero

By doing it with a Touch, he has a much better chance of getting chicks in a bar.

⬐ sofal

I think you have to have the headphones on otherwise the feedback will ruin it.

⬐ None

None

⬐ RevRal

I need this for my didgeridoo!

⬐ Roridge

Awesome!I've always fancied myself as a bit of a beatboxer... anyone know if it's available on the android?

⬐ sofal

The Android sound API is unfortunately very far behind the iPhone. There is as of yet no low level native API for sound whatsoever.

⬐ Roridge

mores the pitty :(

⬐ Frazzydee

The way Apple has been able to attract developers to making all kinds of applications is really amazing. And this is despite all the bad press over the App Store's review process.

Having a strong developer community is typically where Microsoft has excelled. What happened?

Even the biggest incumbents have already been left in the dust. I've been looking for some 'cool', high-quality symbian apps, and as far as I can tell there aren't very many.

⬐ Roridge

No there aren't many, i've totally given up on my Symbian phone.. so should Nokia imho

⬐ cheald

The iPhone has market share. Developers go where the market share is. Microsoft's desktop developer community is so strong because they own such a dominant slice of the desktop market. The iPhone is no different.

The Android market is making a really strong showing. It's not to the scale of the iPhone app economy yet, but with stuff like the N1 and Desire coming out, the potential for Android's market share to increase is quite strong, and with that come developers. If Android phones were to become popular enough, I have no doubt that developers would desert Apple and its punishing app store policies and gateways in record time.

⬐ Frazzydee

There must be something else. Symbian still has the lion's share of the market (47%). Apple only has 15%: http://www.canalys.com/pr/2010/r2010021.html

Is it much easier to develop for the iPhone over Symbian phones? Are iPhone users more willing to pay money? Or perhaps Apple makes the payment process easier for developers, who no longer have to set up their own payment processing?

I don't know what the answer is, but it's not just market share.

⬐ Quarrelsome

Isn't that basically just changing your IPhone into a Kaos pad?

⬐ albemuth

I have a boss rc-2 loop station, I'm pretty sad now :(

⬐ scorciapino

Let's just hope nobody records anything obscene so that our Apple overlords don't remove it from Their store.

⬐ harisenbon

More than how you really use your iPhone:

This is the way you really make a commercial for the iPhone.

That was absolutely amazing. I have no beat-box skills, no rhythm and no music, and I still want to buy that app.

⬐ perplexes

Hey! He recorded a tutorial for it: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1187700

⬐ somebear

Fully agree. I will probably buy it and play with it for a couple of hours, and then forget all about it.

⬐ bsaunder

I'll buy it for my kids. They would get much better mileage out of it than I will.