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Studio Neat on integrating Apple Pay directly into an app
Studio Neat is the development studio behind Slow Fast Slow, a video-speed-control app that switched from paid to ad-supported last year. Countless app developers before them have made this switch, but Studio Neat took one unusual step; the only ad in the app was for another of the studio's products. That product is the Glif, a tripod mount for the iPhone that allows for more stable video and still photography. Rather than bother customers with ads for crappy iOS apps they wouldn't want, Studio Neat targeted users who were already interested in iOS video and directed them to a product that served one of their needs. It's a clever take on in-app advertising, one which has had strong short term results for the company. Revenue saw an uptick when Studio Neat made the ad-supported switchover, with each Glif sale putting money exclusively back in the developers' own pockets. In the first 379 days the app was available for US$1.99, the company saw revenue of $9,464. In the two months following the switchover from paid to free, traffic from the app led to $5,591.35 in direct revenue. That's a noticeable bump. Now Studio Neat is adding Apple Pay support to the app in hopes of making it even easier for users to directly purchase the Glif from them. Here's their reasoning, directly from their blog announcement. We had a real head-slapping moment a few weeks ago: why didn't we use Apple Pay?! It seemed like the perfect use-case, so indeed, we have done just that in version 2.2, available today in the App Store. If you have an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, you can now purchase a Glif directly in the app using your fingerprint. The future is now. Integrating Apple Pay into the app wasn't too difficult, but it wasn't trivial, either. In a future post we will dive into the nuts and bolts of how we implemented Apple Pay. As far as we know, we are the first "indie" company to utilize it in an app. To further entice users to buy a Glif via Apple Pay, Studio Neat is offering free shipping if you buy through the service directly in the app. We're curious how much impact this change will have on sales for the company, but the move seems perfectly targeted towards impulse shoppers. You can try out Slow Fast Slow yourself right here. If you like what you find, and you've got Apple Pay, Studio Neat is ready to help you with your next purchase from directly within the app.
Daily Update for November 25, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Studio Neat introduces new, adjustable Glif
From the "why didn't they think of that before?" department: Studio Neat, the design firm that created the amazingly useful Glif for the iPhoneographers of the world, has just introduced a new model of the tripod adapter/stand that expands or contracts to fit the dimensions of your smartphone. The new Glif (US$30) is designed to avoid the issue with the original device, which was basically obsolete every time Apple decided to change the dimensions of the iPhone. This new model is easily resized to fit future iPhones, and can also hold iPhones that are "wearing" cases. Studio Neat throws in a hex key that lets you size the Glif to your phone, adjusting to any width between 58.4 and 86.4 mm or thicknesses from 3.1 to 12.7 mm. That covers just about any smartphone, unless it's one of those ridiculously sized phablets or has a fat case on it that defies imagination. The video below demonstrates how the Glif accomplishes the resizing feat in glorious stop-action videography.
Glif+: Even more iPhoneography love in the same small package
If there's one accessory that every iPhoneographer should have in his or her pocket, it's the Glif. You probably remember our previous coverage of this cool little gizmo -- it fits onto the side of an iPhone and has a standard tripod screw mount on the bottom. Now Studio Neat has made the Glif even spiffier with some new additions. The Glif+ (US$30) adds two pieces to the original Glif ($20) to make it even more useful. What's new? Well, there were always two little problems with the original Glif -- first, it was easy to lose and second, if you put the iPhone and Glif into an odd position the phone could fall out. By adding the Serif and the Ligature to the Glif, Studio Neat solved both issues. %Gallery-154787% The Serif is a tiny plastic piece that snaps onto the existing Glif and provides an "arm" that holds the iPhone into place, even when the Glif and iPhone are hanging upside-down. Of course, you can always use your Glif "sans Serif" in the traditional manner... The Ligature is a tiny metal ring that screws into the bottom of the Glif, allowing you to attach your Glif to a key ring or hang it from a strap. This should be very useful for keeping the Glif close at hand for your iPhoneography needs. If you already have a Glif, you can buy just the Serif and Ligature in a "+Pack" for $12. Oh, and one more thing -- the box that the Glif+ comes in? It can even be used as a tripod. Very clever, these Studio Neat guys. [Thanks to Photojojo.com for providing a review unit]
How to photograph jewelry with an iPhone 4
You know those beautiful photos of jewelry that you see in ads and catalogs? The folks at Modahaus wanted to see if their table top studios could be used with an iPhone 4 to make images that would be good enough for a professional photographer to sell. The results were astonishingly good. The Modahaus studio comes in three sizes, ranging from 8.5" to 24" wide, and use a set of translucent and opaque backdrops that work with studio lights to create varied lighting effects. The crew at Modahaus used Tap Tap Tap's Camera+ app, a Glif tripod mount, a GorillaPod flexible tripod, and lights to take some very professional photos. Similar setups are available from other vendors as well. ThinkGeek, for example, has the $49.99 Portable Photo Studio, complete with lights and collapsible lightbox. With an iPhone 4, the right lighting, a good camera app, skill, and some patience, you could be shooting professional-quality product images.
Found Footage: Injection molding process for the Glif
Over the holiday weekend, we noted that the Glif is now available for ordering (although it's not shipping quite yet). The iPhone 4 stand / tripod mount gadget is a triple threat: functional, attractively designed and the owner of a great backstory. The Glif guys wanted to share the experience of producing their product, so they released a short video covering the injection molding process out in South Dakota. If you're a fan of the Science Channel's hypnotic How It's Made show, you'll dig this clip. It's embedded in the second half of this post. Again, congratulations to team Glif on taking their idea from the napkin stage to physical realization. Thanks to Dustin for the heads-up.
iPhone photographers, get your Glif on with new tripod mount
It's a local-boys-make-good story for the Internet age: two New Yorkers brainstorm an idea for the kind of iPhone 4 tripod mount/stand they'd want to buy. They put their design on Kickstarter with the intention of raising US$10,000 in ramp-up funding. With a snazzy prototype video and the attention of some traditional and not-so-traditional media outlets, they missed their funding estimate by more than 10x -- in the positive direction. Having collected almost $140,000 in preproduction pledges, the gobsmacked inventors have now moved on to full-scale production and are accepting orders for the final product on their website. You can pick one up for $20, and although they aren't promising holiday delivery they say they're doing everything possible to get the Glifs out the door in time to slide under the tree (with priority to their 5,000+ Kickstarter contributors, of course). [Commenter Ben points out that his company has a cheaper alternative to the Glif, called the Grippit.] [via Silicon Alley Insider]
Glif would be an iPhone 4 stand, tripod mount
While I wait for Movie Peg to make a little doohickey for my iPhone 4, Dan Provost and Thomas Gerhardt have been working on a doohickey of their own, called the Glif. It will allow you to prop your iPhone 4 in a variety of positions for reading, typing with a Bluetooth keyboard, watching video, and so on. The neat part is that it's also a tripod mount. Since the iPhone 4 shoots HD video, you can attach it to your tripod to shoot and then prop it up on a desk to review your footage. Neat, eh? The guys are looking for funding to get an initial run produced, and they're looking for supporters. For US$20, you'll essentially pre-order a Glif while pushing them towards their goal of $10,000. (We don't know what happens if you donate and they fail to reach their goal.) It's a cool-looking device. Good luck, guys. Click here to watch a promo video. [Via Daring Fireball]
