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PODCAST

Side Project Spotlight

Philly CocoaHeads

PhillyCocoa Presents Side Project Spotlight is a podcast for app builders, documenting the process of producing real apps for the Apple App Store.

technology

All Episodes

00:48:08

#80: 2025 Prognostications

Side Project Spotlight ·

2025/01/20

The Trio is back after an extended winter break to prognosticate about the future of Apple development going into 2025. We discuss our hopes and dreams for the future of Apple Intelligence, Vision OS, and local LLM models on Apple Silicon. We also return to the topic of the “Universal UI” before discussing some personal projects, learning backend development, and the idea of creating a dumb, but simple, fitness app of some sort.## Chapters 00:00 Introductions 01:15 Apple Development & Apple

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00:56:44

#79: 2024 Season Finale

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/11/18

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? -

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00:37:19

#78: Design Systems For Indies

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/11/04

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:

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01:03:03

#77: App Monetization Strategies

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/10/21

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 -

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01:11:55

#76: Indie Vibes

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/10/07

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

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00:56:36

#75: visionOS Epiphanies

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/09/23

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

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00:57:28

#74: Side Project Flop

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/09/09

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 -

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01:23:40

#73: Spicy Hot Game Jam

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/08/26

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

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00:23:25

#72: What is a Design System?

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/08/12

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)

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01:08:12

#71: Job Market Vibe Check

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/07/29

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

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00:51:18

#70: Dipping Our Toes in Predictive Code Completion

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/07/15

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

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01:14:35

#69: WWDC24 - Vibes & Videos

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/07/01

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

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01:00:03

#68: WWDC24 - "AI for the Rest of Us"

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/06/12

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… -

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01:00:12

#67: WWDC24 Preview

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/06/03

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 -

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01:05:25

#66: M4 iPad Pros

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/05/20

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

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01:15:05

#65: The Last Word with Joe Cieplinski

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/05/06

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 -

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00:49:22

#64: Real World SwiftData

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/04/22

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

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01:11:43

#63: Living 9 to 5

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/04/08

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

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01:03:02

#62: Indie Opportunities

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/03/25

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,

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01:02:10

#61: Apps We Love

Side Project Spotlight ·

2024/03/11

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

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