Episoder
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The Trio is going on Winter Break, but before we do, one final pod to end the year! In this season finale episode, we look back on some of the hardware, software, and developer trends of 2024 before looking forward to the possibilities to come in the new year. Have a happy holiday season! The Trio will return in 2025.
## Topics Discussed
- Favorite Apple Stuff of the Year
- iPhone 16 Pro Max (Kotaro)
- iPad mini refresh (Steve)
- Vision Pro (Aaron)
- Vision Pro: Flop or the Future?
- https://podcast.phillycocoa.org/episodes/75-visionos-epiphanies
- Favorite Apps of 2024-ish
- Pixquare
- https://www.pixquare.art
- OmniFocus 4
- https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/
- “AI” Hype Cycle / Apple Intelligence
- Looking Forward to 2025
- More Indie Vibes (Kotaro)
- Apple Intelligence / Siri Integration (Steve)
- iPhone 17 (Aaron)
- Wrap-Up
- http://phillycocoa.org
- One More Thing…
- https://happyscale.com/
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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In this penultimate episode of 2024, the Trio return to the topic of Design Systems from episode 72 with a discussion about how indie developers can apply the concept to their apps along with specific tips and techniques for implementation using the built-in tools available in SwiftUI and Xcode. Plus, our first thoughts on 2/3 of the M4 announcements this week.
## Topics Discussed
- Apple Announcements
- iMac M4
- Mac mini M4/M4 Pro
- Design Systems for Indies
- Previous episode: https://podcast.phillycocoa.org/episodes/72-what-is-a-design-system
- Why?
- Design for Hackers
- https://designforhackers.com
- View elements (spacing, shadows, corner radius, etc.)
- View Styles
- https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swiftui/view-styles
- https://movingparts.io/styling-components-in-swiftui
- https://movingparts.io/composable-styles-in-swiftui
- SF Symbols / Custom SF Symbols
- Asset Catalogs
- Colors
- App Icons
- Sounds
- Videos
- Keep It Simple
- Wrap-Up & One More Thing…
- http://phillycocoa.org
- https://happyscale.com
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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Mangler du episoder?
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The Trio are inspired by a PhillyCocoa Slack discussion to venture back into the world of modern app monetization strategies. What options does a budding indie developer have for making money on the App Store? Along the way, we highlight many great examples of apps employing a variety of strategies and innovative monetization techniques.
## Topics Discussed
- App Monetization Strategies
- Paid Upfront
- Procreate Apps - https://procreate.com/procreate
- Things 3 - https://culturedcode.com/things
- Games (sometimes)
- Free + ads / consumables
- Many games
- Dividend Calc (Kotaro’s old app!) - https://tomatoboy.co/dividendcalc
- Fav10 (Kotaro’s other old app!) - https://tomatoboy.co/fav10
- Duolingo (free + ads OR subscription) - https://www.duolingo.com/
- Subscriptions
- Slopes - https://getslopes.com/
- Overcast - https://overcast.fm
- Fantastical - https://flexibits.com/fantastical
- Sketch - https://www.sketch.com
- Innovative Examples
- OmniFocus - https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus
- Nebula - https://nebula.tv
- Pinboard - https://pinboard.in/
- Pixquare - https://www.pixquare.art/
- Experiment with pricing / sales
- Final Thoughts
- Wrap-Up / One More Thing
- Happy Scale - https://happyscale.com/
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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The trio have been feeling a vibe shift in the developer community lately. Are we on the cusp of a new "Indie" renaissance?
## Chapters
00:00 Introductions
03:00 Follow-up: Are We Buying iPhone 16 Pro Max?
13:30 Follow-up: Kotaro Learning Godot
25:36 Indie Vibes
26:41 Indie Development Strategies and Niche Markets
30:40 Indie Apps and Content Creation
35:38 Pay Once Model Coming Back?
38:02 Monetization Strategies for Indies
47:51 Platform Choices / Native vs Cross-platform
01:02:13 Final Words
01:05:00 Wrap-Up & Not a Sponsor Shoutouts
## Links
https://ia.net/topics/our-android-app-is-frozen-in-carbonite
### Not a Sponsor Shoutouts
- Happy Scale - https://happyscale.com
- Slopes - https://getslopes.com
- Pixen - https://pixenapp.com
- Pixquare - https://www.pixquare.art
- Foodnoms - https://www.foodnoms.com
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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The trio discuss the release of iOS 18 and the new iPhone 16 camera button and get inspired by the latest Slopes app design update. Kotaro shares some art and sound updates to his game jam project before exploring some "epiphanies" he has experienced relating to visionOS app design.
## Chapters
00:00 Introductions
00:54 iPhone 16 / iOS 18 Released
04:09 Camera Features and Photography on iPhone 16
07:32 iPhone 17 Rumors
09:13 Exploring the New Camera Control Button
12:47 iOS 18 Features and Apple Intelligence
15:44 Slopes Update
18:56 Kotaro's Game Jam Update
31:55 visionOS Epiphanies
53:08 Wrap-Up and One More Thing...
## Links
- Slopes Update
- https://getslopes.com
- Kotaro’s Game Jam Update
- https://godotengine.org
- https://www.gamedev.tv/courses/godot-mobile
- Artwork
- Music
- visionOS Epiphanies
- https://x.com/sekiguchiaimi/status/1808078418774483127?s=46&t=7o-KhBdOG-79A_MGeJNVBw
- #visionhackhack
- https://x.com/twforno1/status/1835636457261735960?s=46&t=7o-KhBdOG-79A_MGeJNVBw
- https://x.com/mattpfeiffer/status/1834961908765458938?s=46&t=7o-KhBdOG-79A_MGeJNVBw
- The Wrap-Up & One More Thing
- http://phillycocoa.org
- https://azamsharp.teachable.com/p/affiliate
- https://azamsharp.school
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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On this evergreen episode, the trio begins by discussing the upcoming (at the time of recording) iPhone 16 event before Kotaro tells the tale of his failed Game Jam experience. Lessons are learned and hilarious generated voices are demoed. Sometimes you bite off more than you can chew with a side project, but that doesn't mean it wasn't worth the attempt.
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- News
- Sept 9th iPhone 16 Event
- Kotaro’s Failed Game Jam
- Godot Game Engine
- https://godotengine.org/
- Making Pixel Art with Pixen
- https://pixenapp.com
- What went wrong?
- Scope Creep!
- What did get done?
- Text to speech via Bash script via ChatGPT
- https://gist.github.com/kotarofujita/0bca414d058c90cf22818c0e26b3fce4
- What’s next?
- Finish a vertical slice on an iPhone
- The Wrap-Up
- https://phillycocoa.org
- One More Thing…
- https://azamsharp.school
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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This week Kotaro announces his triumphant return to the Game Jam scene with a brilliant idea that will surely make him a "Fortune." Then the Trio dives deep into the issues and controversies around generative "AI" and Procreate's stance against such technology in their products. Plus, Steve drops an epic rant about Facebook's "AI" integration as contrasted with the great integration done in the Foodnoms app. We think this episode has some of our best discussions to date so you won't want to miss it!
## Topics Discussed:
- Kotaro Returns to Game Jams
- “Fortune”
- https://godotengine.org
- https://github.com/migueldeicaza/SwiftGodot
- Steve’s idea for a game:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_(video_game)
- Philly Game Mechanics Discord
- https://discord.com/invite/vUhXknC
- Procreate takes a stand against “generative AI” in their products
- https://x.com/Procreate/status/1825311104584802470
- https://procreate.com/ai
- The Wrap-Up & One More Thing…
- https://azamsharp.school
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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This week Kotaro pods solo to introduce the concept of design systems, especially as they apply to mobile development. This is a topic we will revisit once the Trio can gather together once more and this episode will act as the foundation for those future discussions.
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- What is a “design system”
- Figma's definition
- https://www.figma.com/blog/design-systems-101-what-is-a-design-system/
- Definition:
- Tokens
- Color (light/dark)
- Corner radius
- Dimensions
- Fonts name/sizing/weight
- Animation
- Assets
- What are they useful for
- Consistency thru-out the product(s)
- Faster time to market changes
- May good for white label apps
- How are they implemented for SwiftUI
- SwiftUI implementation
- https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/design-systems
- Packages
- Asset Folder
- Structs/Enums
- SF Symbols
- What are the drawbacks
- Complicated setup with all the state holders needing to be in constant communication.
- Can get overly complex with everyone waiting on the other to finish their work
- Once implemented. It can be very rigid to deal with maintaining order when individual stakeholders demand their part to be special.
- Can be highly opinionated or too generalized depending on implementation
- One More Thing...
- AzamSharp Workshops
- https://azamsharp.school/workshops.html
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist. -
The trio discuss the state of the tech job market, especially for Apple platform developers. We touch on all manner of topics from how hiring practices are broken, to practical tips for new grads, to the utility of side projects, future hot platforms, and of course the "AI" question. There is a lot of good stuff in this episode. Enjoy!
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- Job Market Vibe Check
- Junior Developers
- Hiring Practices Are Broken
- Developer Demand Will Increase
- Apple Platforms Ever More Functional
- Tangent: Our Drexel Experiences
- Recent College Graduates
- Mohammad Faani’s Mention in iOS Dev Weekly
- https://iosdevweekly.com/issues/670?m=web#nDJBq0q
- Explore Tech Stacks
- Kotaro the Mercenary
- Utility of Side Projects
- Consultant Agencies
- Tying Things Together
- Crossing the Platforms
- The “AI” Question
- Steve Yegge’s Article: “The Death of the Junior Developer”
- https://sourcegraph.com/blog/the-death-of-the-junior-developer
- Kotaro’s Positive Ending…The Purge!?
- The Wrap-Up & One More Thing
- https://azamsharp.school
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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The trio is back from celebrating America to talk about Apple's horribly named "predictive code completion" in Xcode 16. Kotaro tries to use it with some interesting results and we compare Apple's current implementation with other similar products like Microsoft's Intellicode and contrast it with something like Copilot or Apple's forthcoming Swift Assist product. We also engage in an interesting discussion about when you should or should not use these code generation tools.
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- Kotaro installs macOS 15 beta
- Kotaro tries “predictive code completion” in Xcode 16
- Steve’s experience with Intellicode in Visual Studio
- DocC generation with Copilot in VS Code
- Generating unit tests with Copilot
- When and when not to use these tools?
- Future experiments
- Wrap-up
- PhillyCocoa.org
- One More Thing
- AzamSharp.school
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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The trio concludes our WWDC24 trilogy by discussing the vibes and themes we saw at this year's conference before ending with our picks for our favorite videos from the week. Links in the show notes!
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- WWDC Vibes
- Swift / SwiftUI All the Things
- V isionOS is Not Dead
- Designers are No Longer in Charge?
- SF Symbols 6 Talk
- “Spatial Computing” is the Future
- Quicklooks Talk
- Shaders
- Create / Optimize 3D Assets
- Game Development Skills
- “AI” & Siri Integrations
- App Intents
- Our WWDC24 Video Picks
- Kotaro:
- *Meet the Translation API*
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10117
- *Demystifying SwiftUI Containers*
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10146
- *Design great visionOS apps*
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10086
- *Enhance your UI animations and transitions
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10145
- *Create custom visual effects with SwiftUI
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10151
- Steve:
- *Migrate your app to Swift 6*
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10169
- *Xcode Essentials*
- https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2024/10181/
- *Bring your app’s core feature to users with App Intents*
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10210
- *Meet the next generation of CarPlay architecture*
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10111
- Aaron:
- *Meet AccessorySetupKit*
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10203
- *Go small with Embedded Swift*
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10197
- *Design advanced games for Apple platforms*
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10085
- *Port advanced games to Apple platforms*
- https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/10089
- The Wrap-Up & Jokes
- https://phillycocoa.org
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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The trio convenes the night after the Keynote to discuss some of the highlights from this year's WWDC including "Apple Intelligence," UI animations, SwiftData improvements, Swift Testing, iPhone mirroring, and more!
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- Apple Intelligence
- Widgets Everywhere
- Zoom Transitions & Other Updates
- SwiftData
- SwiftUI Views @MainActor
- Xcode Tabs Now Make Sense!
- SwiftUI Previews
- Swift Testing
- iPhone miring on macOS
- Finally…
- Passwords.app
- Tap to Cash
- iPad Calcula tor App / Math Notes
- Wrap-Up & One More Thing…
- https://phillycocoa.org
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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The trio discuss WWDC24 rumors and wishlists in advance of what feels like the biggest Apple conference in years. Stay until the end to hear our WWDC Bingo Card items and our guesses for how many times the acronym "AI" will be spoken during the keynote with Aaron making the most intriguing guess.
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- Developer Conference Season
- Year of “AI”
- Microsoft Recall Feature
- Copilot button
- Apple has already been using “AI”!
- CoreML
- Object detection
- Vision
- Hand gesture
- Photo identification
- Text-to-Speech
- Siri!
- MacRumors WWDC24 Rumors!
- https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/wwdc/
- Developer Wishlist
- “AI” code writing in Xcode
- SwiftData Improvements
- VisionOS improvements
- Siri Shortcuts Integration
- Widgets in VisionOS
- Bingo Card Items
- Arc Browser Sherlocked
- Widgets for VisionOS
- VisionOS 2.0 (not 1.5)
- Trello Sherlocked
- New game engine
- # of times “AI” spoken
- Kotaro - 20+
- Aaron - 1 single time
- Steve - 50+
- Wrap-Up & Jokes
- https://phillycocoa.org
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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The trio discuss the new M4 iPad Pros, both the updates and the use cases. Who are these devices for and do the new models really represent the biggest update in the iPad lineup in years? Plus, Kotaro teases a new game to be built with Godot.
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- New iPad Pros
- What are iPads useful for?
- Pencil Pro updates
- What Nobody Else Told You About Tandem OLED and M4! (Snazzy Labs)
- https://youtu.be/3moprE5S3Qc
- Kotaro teases a new game to be built with Godot
- https://godotengine.org
- Killer Klowns from Outer Space
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095444/
- Wrap-Up & Jokes
- https://phillycocoa.org
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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Joe Cieplinski returns to the pod to talk about his latest app, The Last Word, a journal app for tracking your personal cocktail journey. Built using the latest iOS 17 technologies from SwiftUI to SwiftData with a cross-platform design that includes visionOS, our discussion touches on many topics that will be of interest if you are starting your own greenfield side project app.
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions / Welcome Joe Cieplinski
- The Last Word in Cocktails app
- https://havethelastword.app/
- iOS 17, SwiftUI, SwiftData, VisionOS
- Story behind the name
- Opinionated Design
- Custom Artwork
- App Store Optimization
- App Store Subscription
- RevenueCat article about using StoreKit 2
- https://www.revenuecat.com/blog/engineering/ios-in-app-subscription-tutorial-with-storekit-2-and-swift/
- Meet StoreKit for SwiftUI WWDC23 Video
- https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2023/10013/
- App Store Analytics
- AppFigures
- https://appfigures.com
- VisionOS Apps / Development
- MKBHD Disney VR floor video
- https://youtu.be/1KEtxTQUzxY
- Future plans for The Last Word
- Where to find Joe
- Mastodon
- https://mastodon.social/@jcieplinski
- Web
- https://joec.design
- Get the App!
- https://havethelastword.app
- Wrap-Up
- https://phillycocoa.org
- One More Thing…
- WWDC wishes from Joe
- New PencilKit
- SwiftUI photo capture & other updates
- SwiftData updates
- VisionOS Window Management
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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This episode is all about SwiftData. Steve has started using it a lot lately and talks about his experience so far trying to sync a bunch of API data into a SwiftData model as well as using a Swift Actor to control write access to the data container in a thread-safe manner. There are some really useful links in the show notes this week. You'll want to bookmark them all!
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- Steve’s Real World SwiftData Experience…so far
- Maintaining a local copy of server data
- https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swiftdata/maintaining-a-local-copy-of-server-data
- Practical SwiftData: Building SwiftUI Applications with Modern Approaches
- https://fatbobman.com/en/posts/practical-swiftdata-building-swiftui-applications-with-modern-approaches/
- Concurrency of SwiftData | Donny Wals
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG4oCnQ0bfw
- Observable Architecture: Structural Identity | PointFree
- https://www.pointfree.co/episodes/ep260-observable-architecture-structural-identity
- Populating SwiftData from Server (ETag) Explained | Azam Sharp
- https://youtu.be/f_Amhej1bkM
- Tangent: Rendering HTML in SwiftUI with a WebView
- Wrap-Up & Jokes
- https://phillycocoa.org
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist. -
Jumping off from one of our topics last episode, this week we are tackling the idea of working a 9 to 5 with a side project. What are the challenges? How do you maintain motivation? What time management strategies work? Are there any tools that can help you stay organized? Steve has some concrete tips based on his recent experience trying to juggle side projects and a day job while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Kotaro and Aaron provide the perspective of developers working a traditional in-office, corporate job and the challenges that creates for side project success. Along the way, we discuss how to make a website using Swift, the WWDC24 announcement, and Kotaro shares his latest insights about Reality Composer Pro. There are some good tips, tools, and techniques in this episode for those trying to find a healthy balance while working towards that side project dream.
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- Using Swift to Build a Website
- https://github.com/twostraws/Ignite
- https://github.com/johnsundell/publish
- Flutter vs React vs Native
- News: WWDC24 Announced
- Fun With Reality Composer Pro
- 9 to 5 Lifestyle with a Side Project
- Four Thousand Weeks book (not an affiliate link)
- https://www.amazon.com/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals/dp/0374159122
- Sleep++
- https://sleepplusplus.app
- Wrap-Up & Not a Sponsor
- https://AzamSharp.school
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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Kotaro has been doing the 9 to 5 thing for a while now and he's been thinking about his days as a consultant and what it means in 2024 to "go indie." The trio discuss some of the options they see in the present day including consulting or SaaS, making educational content, traditional app or game development, whether the Vision Pro gold rush might be the most attractive option and more. Plus, Aaron finally tries a Vision Pro and Kotaro waxes nostalgic for his former indie app, "Dividend Calc." This is a great episode for anyone looking to "go indie" in 2024.
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- Indie Opportunities
- Our last discussion on this topic: #40: “Going Indie”
- https://podcast.phillycocoa.org/episodes/40-going-indie
- Consulting or SaaS Business
- Bombing Brain Interactive
- https://www.bombingbrain.com/
- Release Notes Podcast
- https://releasenotes.tv/
- RelaNet
- https://relanet.com/
- Educational Content / Workshops
- AzamSharp
- https://azamsharp.school
- PointFree
- https://www.pointfree.co
- Design+Code
- https://designcode.io
- Indie App Success
- https://getslopes.com/
- Indie Game Success
- 9 to 5 with a Side Project
- Vision Pro Gold Rush!
- https://sandwich.vision
- Tangents & Our “Going Indie” Strategies
- Tangent: SPM Problems
- Tangent: Aaron tried a Vision Pro!
- Tangent: Dividend Calc History
- Wrap-Up & Jokes
- https://phillycocoa.org
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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On the day the huge iOS 17.4 update drops, the Trio come together to talk about apps we love from budgeting software to productivity to 3D design and even fitness. The Apple ecosystem is full of amazing apps. Sometimes it's good to take a break, smell the roses, and gain some inspiration.
## Topics Discussed:
- Introductions
- Breaking News
- iOS 17.4
- Xcode 15.3
- Other platforms are still in RC
- https://developer.apple.com/documentation/financekit
- Jon Prosser’s Vision Pro Review
- https://youtu.be/krpbAMJlLTc
- Apps We Love
- YNAB (Steve)
- https://www.ynab.com
- RIP Mint (Kotaro)
- https://mint.intuit.com
- Training Peaks (Aaron)
- https://www.trainingpeaks.com
- OmniFocus 4 (Steve)
- https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus
- Trello & GitHub Projects (Kotaro)
- https://trello.com
- https://docs.github.com/en/issues/planning-and-tracking-with-projects/learning-about-projects/quickstart-for-projects
- Sketch (Kotaro)
- https://www.sketch.com
- Strava (Aaron)
- https://www.strava.com
- Bike Outliner (Steve)
- https://www.hogbaysoftware.com/bike/
- Modo (Kotaro)
- https://www.foundry.com/products/modo
- Zed (Kotaro)
- https://zed.dev
- Zwift (Aaron)
- https://www.zwift.com/home
- Concluding Thoughts
- Wrap-Up & Jokes
- https://phillycocoa.org
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
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This week the Trio follow-up on some visionOS ideas before delving into Kotaro's experience learning Flutter with an assist from Github Copilot. We round out the show discussing some rumors of new "AI" tools coming at the next WWDC.
Not a Sponsor: https://azamsharp.school/workshops
## Topics Discussed:
- Follow-up: Exploring visionOS Ideas
- Kotaro’s Github Copilot experience
- app.quicktype.io
- Learning Flutter with Github Copilot
- https://docs.flutter.dev/data-and-backend/state-mgmt/options
- Rumors of Generative AI at WWDC
- AI in iOS 18 / iPhone 16 (Max Tech)
- https://youtu.be/wtwW5IoIOvs
- Code completion improvements
- Test generation
- Siri Intent improvements
- Final thoughts about Copilot
- A good assistant for well solved problems
- Helpful for learning new languages and frameworks
- Wrap-up
- Not a Sponsor: https://AzamSharp.school/workshops
Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.
- Se mer
