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Tap Tap Tap Blog
taptaptap.com · Company blog · on HN since 2008
The Tap Tap Tap team, makers of Camera+, write about iPhone app design, marketing, launches and sales figures.
What HN saysHN commenters cite it for app icon advice and for the Camera+ sales numbers, noting its figures come from a successful app rather than a typical indie one.
36HN people shared it
17linked it in comments
43stories submitted
1.1Kstory points
12 years agolast shared
2008people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Apple rejects iPhone camera app for using volume controls for taking photos4 people · 26 points · first shared 2010 · 18 comments on HN
- 2iPhone UI design process3 people · 29 points · first shared 2008 · 3 comments on HN
- 3Design evolution stop motion video of a top 20 iPhone app3 people · 29 points · first shared 2009 · 2 comments on HN
- 4Fuck the VCs2 people · 85 points · first shared 2008 · 57 comments on HN
- 5Kill yr ads… the don’ts of iPhone app marketing2 people · 74 points · first shared 2011 · 23 comments on HN
- 6Faceplanting: an app launch horror story with a twist2 people · 71 points · first shared 2011 · 9 comments on HN
- 7Camera+ hits 2 million sales / Revealing details about in-app purchase sales2 people · 40 points · first shared 2011 · 12 comments on HN
- 8Camera+ first month sales: Setting Sail in a Sea of Games2 people · 29 points · first shared 2010 · 10 comments on HN
- 9Camera+ reaches 6 million sales milestone (sales figures charts ’n’ graphs)2 people · 26 points · first shared 2012 · 5 comments on HN
- 10Camera+ earns a million dollars and some musings/rantings on the mobile industry2 people · 5 points · first shared 2011 · 1 comments on HN
- 11The easy way to get into the iPhone app game… buy a proven app2 people · 2 points · first shared 2008 · discussion on HN
- 12Heisting the App Store: 500,000 Paid Downloads in 1 Week1 people · 99 points · first shared 2011 · 19 comments on HN
- 13Camera+: The Road to 3 Million (infographic)1 people · 92 points · first shared 2011 · 18 comments on HN
- 14Camera+ does $500k net sales in 2 months1 people · 63 points · first shared 2010 · 14 comments on HN
- 15Sales figures for the #2 iPhone app1 people · 61 points · first shared 2009 · 22 comments on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
vpdn · 2012-01-13
I had the chance to work with some amazing illustrators before. It's actually not very hard to find them, just go to the places where they usually hang out. For the kind of designers I'm looking for, that would be deviantart and to a lesser extend dribbble.
Finding designers and working with them are two separate problems though. They speak in a different language so communication can be an issue. Also I found the design crowd to be very opinionated (just like us developers).
Textual requirement specifications don't work so well, instead replace them with sketches and concept ideas, color palettes, mood boards and a lot of IM communication. Also try to keep the iterations short, ask them to show you the work in progress at least a few times a week. You may also try synchronous design sessions, as described here: http://taptaptap.com/blog/the-design-session
jayfuerstenberg · 2011-09-28
Tap Tap Tap had a similar blog post about the importance of optimizing the app icon. They walk the reader through the steps they took to recover from a weak initial icon.
Well worth a read:
http://taptaptap.com/blog/faceplanting-an-app-launch-horror-story-with…
Timothee · 2011-01-07
I think that HIG and default UI libraries are great to give the default app a consistent and decent look and UX. It makes it possible for anyone to write an app that behaves and looks at a good enough level.
But, unique interfaces that stray away from these are just fine as long as it results in a better UI/UX. iOS apps have shown in a lot of cases that developers that care can make something that are highly customized for the better (e.g. apps from TapBots (http://tapbots.com/) or TapTapTap (http://taptaptap.com/))
hexley · 2010-04-08
Considering the heritage of the iTunes code base (http://www.taptaptap.com/blog/media/feature-creep-polarization-and-pas… it's amazing it even works at all.
flyosity · 2014-09-06
The developers of Camera+ have been releasing sales figures throughout the years that Camera+ has been available. Of course, they make millions from the app so it paints a slightly different picture than the typical "indie" app sales numbers.
Camera+ first month: http://taptaptap.com/blog/cameraplus-first-month-sales/
Camera+ hits $2 million: http://taptaptap.com/blog/cameraplus-hits-2-million-sales/
Camera+ hits $6 million: http://taptaptap.com/blog/cameraplus-reaches-6-million-sales-milestone…
Some things to note about Camera+ sales figures and how popular their app has been: 1) they run the extremely popular MacHeist promotion so they already have an established audience and email distribution list of over 100k people, 2) they were well known in the iOS community before releasing Camera+ so they had a base of people to spread the word, 3) Camera+, when released, was an amazing and different camera app and the market loved it.
siglesias · 2011-02-24
We’ve accomplished this without spending a single dime on advertising.
Interesting, taptaptap, interesting. Let's see here:
1) Multi-thousand dollar, multi-day giveaways and promotions that require you to follow and retweet.
http://taptaptap.com/blog/win-the-ultimate-10000-canon-5d-
mark-ii-camera-rig/
http://taptaptap.com/blog/laser-engraved-ipads/
2) Lisa Bettany making seven appearances on This Week in Tech, and in surely all of which plugging Camera+, a channel not everybody has.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_This_WEEK_in_TECH_panelists
3) Getting pulled from the App Store and subsequent free publicity, again, fairly risky and unreliable for getting covered.
That's some road to take not to require advertising to get the word out about your app. It's technically TRUE that you didn't buy ads, per se, but it's not like this success, especially in relation to point 1, was free, as your opening seems to imply. Put another way, your marketing expenditures aren't zero.
alanfalcon · 2011-06-08
Actually, the Camera+ developers filed a feature request and asked Apple to add the volume-button-as-shutter feature. See: http://taptaptap.com/blog/cameraplus-volumesnap-rejected/
So I imagine they're pretty happy with this development.
akent · 2011-06-07
"Lucky"?? This is why I'm glad I'm not an iOS app developer.
So the app with the "volume button as camera" feature was rejected, then within a year Apple turned around and implemented the same feature themselves.
Even if they didn't directly steal the idea, it seems like a pretty slimy tactic to me.
EDIT: Re-read the original rejection of the Camera+ feature here: http://taptaptap.com/blog/cameraplus-volumesnap-rejected/
aerique · 2011-04-05
You're right: they don't do conventional advertising anymore. Here's a blog about their strategy: http://taptaptap.com/blog/kill-yr-ads-the-donts-of-iphone-app-marketin…
Also, look at those Daring Fireball prices in that blog post! I'm jealous.
kalleboo · 2011-03-28
tap tap tap also made a blog post on working as a distributed team, focusing on the tools used to keep everyone in sync http://taptaptap.com/blog/tools-for-effective-iphone-app-development/
(shameless plug disclaimer: I work for them. That said, it's on-topic and a good overview)
prs · 2011-01-12
I enjoy reading about your struggles and experiences in earning a online income.
Is it safe to assume that those earnings are for December 2010? If yes, I would have assumed that earnings for Android software would have increased quite a lot more as this month is typically the strongest for many developers - See http://taptaptap.com/blog/million-million/ for a good example.
As for iPhone programming, feel free to check out http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/developing-apps-for-ios-hd/id39560… if you haven't already - There is plenty of material available from Stanford for free that will allow you to create your first iOS applications easily.
wallflower · 2010-12-23
Tap tap tap is a legend in the App Store annals.
Good for them that Apple forgave them for openly flaunting the App Store rules.
http://www.iphoneography.com/journal/2010/8/12/camera-banned-for-volum…
Their small team has an incredible designer, Wolfgang, who wields Adobe CS like a wand to turn around iterations of designs in near-real time.
http://taptaptap.com/blog/the-design-session/
msy · 2010-08-12
$500k Selling Camera+ politely pulled from AppStore with explanation, over deliberate attempt to circumvent ban on functionality that had been explicitly denied. An easter egg is putting a flight simulator in a spreadsheet program, this was just hiding a feature that had previously got the app rejected and then bragging about it.
That they did so after talking about how other apps tried to sneak things past and it was a stupid idea boggles the mind.
When Apple finds out about these incidents, they tend to crack down pretty hard on them, sometimes going so far as completely banning the developers from the App Store. So this is definitely not the smart way to go.
- http://taptaptap.com/blog/cameraplus-volumesnap-rejected/
metachris · 2010-07-30
Wow, it's just blatently ripped off! Wonder what else they got "inspired" by...
Direct links to the images:
taptaptap: http://taptaptap.com/img/screenshot/whereto/1.jpg
the patent: http://www.unwiredview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Apple-patent-tra… (upper right "mockup")
replicatorblog · 2009-09-15
How many of you document your work in anything resembling this manner? At my company we do project books, but we also make physical products so there are a lot more physical artifacts to photograph. I can imagine screens of JS getting old after a bit.
That said it would be cool to see some documentation of software products. From concept to wireframes to UI to deployment with "director's commentary" on the code along the way.
The TapTapTap guys teased at this with their "Convert" UI video:
http://www.taptaptap.com/blog/convert-design-evolution/
If nothing else it would be extremely gratifying for team members and useful training tools for new additions.
andreyf · 2009-08-27
Interesting video of how their design evolved: http://www.taptaptap.com/blog/convert-design-evolution/
BrianAnderson · 2010-08-12
First question is if the app is profitable. If yes, I would look into a process like this: http://taptaptap.com/blog/the-easy-way-to-get-into-the-iphone-app-game…
I would first post an explanation to your users as to why you are moving on / seeking other opportunities. Also offer very preferential treatment if any of them are interested in purchasing the app. You are going to have to be very transparent on the fact you are selling because
a) The fact that you don't know who to talk with first means it is likely you don't have the proper in's at competitors or obvious interested parties. This was me when I went to sell my first start-up. It makes it harder but a good product sells itself:)
b) You need to reach a wide audience. Selling an app is a very illiquid market meaning not a lot of active buyers. By the way, I mean this in a relative sense. Yes, I know there are many apps bought every day but percentage-wise, its low.