I posted the first beta version of PocketBible for our beta testers this afternoon. Hopefully it’s raining somewhere over this Memorial Day weekend so a few of them will get some testing done.
We don’t anticipate this to be a lengthy beta. We’re planning to ship with a short to-do list of features we’ll add in version 1.1 and 1.2 (and beyond). The important thing is to get the application out the door.
We’re currently planning to let you download PocketBible from the App Store at no charge. It will come with the KJV and the ability to create a download account at our site that will let you download all our free resources (ASV, DNT, YLT, etc. Bibles plus several commentaries and devotionals). And of course if you already have a download account at our site you’ll be able to download any existing titles you already own, even if you bought them for a different platform. So the cross-grade charge should be $0. We’re hoping you’ll be so thrilled with the price that you’ll buy more Bibles and reference books to help pay for the cost of development.
I hope to be able to post some quotes from the testers and some indication of our progress over the next few days as we prepare to submit the app to Apple for approval. Then we wait while they give it the once over. We’ll be letting everyone know by email and here at the blog when we see it at the App Store.
Thanks for your patience, and especially thanks to those of you who volunteered but who we had to turn away due to limits on the size of our beta testing group. We think you’re going to be pleased with the results.
I really LOVE Pocket Bbible and was happy to hear that you were porting it to the iPhone. I’m sorry to hear that Apple is giving you a hard time with the beta testing UUIDs, and I hope the problems will be resolved.
Thanks for making such a great product!
I am a newbie to the Laridian world. Waiting also for the native iPhone app. I pray for patience and offer encouragement. I’ve been in the Apple world a long time. They do a lot of things right. But not everything. The iPhone remains an amazing opportunity and an amazing device. But it’s the new kid on the block. There may be a lack of experience in this arena on the part of Apple. But they will get it right in the end.
There are many new eyes being introduced to the power of mobile computing for the first time. The hurdles may exist, but there is excitement in this device for a lot of folks. Many of them will find it delightful to carry the Laridian products as a native app. Many of us may be a bit anxious at the moment and the tone may even appear demanding. Thank you for your efforts. I hope the discouragement hasn’t harmed your desire.
This post has remained pretty active in comments. It seems to me that you have folks who are very loyal to your product. I’m impressed.
Maybe we could send candy bars or sodas ?? Thanks for the effort.
Dear Craig — Reluctantly, we’re all having our patience developed, through this process! I so wish this process wasn’t proving to be so tedious, for y’all. Count me as part of the group that ‘checks every day’, although, I’ve been checking the front page of your blog, rather than the App store.
Craig, could you please clarify where, exactly, on your website, you will post the app having been sent to Apple for approval? Will it be on the front page of the blog, or will it be inside the comments of this particular blog entry subject?
At this moment, I have placed a link to the front page of your blog, onto my Home Screen, as an immediate/linked icon, so as to check on any updates. If I have chosen the wrong ‘page’, as a link, and should link to this particular comment page, instead, please advise.
Deep, and continuing, gratitude to you, and the entire team, working to reward the patience of us all. I hope the success of the app, for Laridian’s sake, will reap, for y’all, countless blessings–sufficient to turning a nightmare of a process, into a dream of a successful product. Lord bless…
Once the app goes to Apple we’ll post an article here on the blog (as a new article, not buried in the comments).
We’ll post an update once beta 2 goes out. I’ll use that opportunity to explain what all is going on and maybe help folks understand the delay.
There will probably be a beta 3. Can’t say how many more betas beyond that.
Wow only Apple could devise a policy that punishes both their developers and people buy more products from them at the same time. They do some things extremely well but it almost seems like they strive to balance out the good with bad with some of their decisions.
Well fight the good fight Craig… run the race with perseverance… and any other appropriate quotation…
Looking forward to 1.0
Scott
Better late than never. This whole relationship with customers vis-a-vis their request for an iPhone app could have been managed better. Thanks!
Hey Leonard, thanks for the vague insult! Like you, I always find it best to toss statements like that over the wall with no support or explanation. It makes it more likely I won’t be backed into a corner in a public forum.
Looking forward to it also! It can be a little embarrassing while in a Bible study and you have a flaky data connection and can’t get to the book/chapter in a timely manner. It’ll be great to have a local, no data connection required, Bible.
-Tim
Keep up the good work Craig. I am patiently waiting. God bless…
Timothy
Is it possible to get a copy of the Beta version. I have beta tested other software.
Do you know when the app will be available? I can’t wait. I am thrilled that as I move from my Palm to my Iphone I don’t have to buy all the Bibles again. Incredible good news.
I’m confused by the term “Native”. Does that mean a program like your original ones that do not require the WiFi connection?
(If so, YAY!! I don’t want to have to deal with finding WiFi connections to pull up scripture!)
I’m getting my iTouch by Monday, so I’m excited to hear more about what Laridian has to offer us.
Thank you.
Dug: Apple limits the number of copies we can distribute outside the App Store. We’re maxed out on the number of beta testers we can support. We don’t have a release date in mind. I’m going to post an update here on the blog before the end of the week or maybe this weekend.
Robin: Native apps are like MyBible on the Palm or PocketBible on Windows Mobile that run directly on the device. Our iPocketBible.com program for iPhone is a Web-based app that requires a connection to the Internet to run. We’re working on a native version for the iPhone, so it will not require an Internet connection once you install it.
Craig: Looking forward to the update. Thanks for all your hard work.
Do you expect that comments, notes and bighlights from the Ipocket version will port to the native version or will they need to be manually reinput into the native version when it becomes available.
Jack,
It is our plan to integrate PocketBible for iPhone into our note/highlight/bookmark synchronization scheme in some way. It won’t be in version 1.0.0 on day one, but will follow in an update that will come out soon after the initial program is released.
At this point that’s about all I can say. Our intention is to get the first version out the door then follow it with fairly rapid updates as we add new features. We could be updating as frequently as every week or two for a while. More likely once a month for several months. One of those updates will contain the data synchronization feature.
Craig,
I feel your frustration with Apple. Is there something some of us, your customers, could help out with on this 100 cert issue? Otherwise I will do what I have been doing is to pray for your team.
God’s Peace,
-tom
We were able to reset our device count when our program membership renewed earlier this week. We’ve cut our beta tester list in half so we don’t risk running out next year. Apple has repetitively promised to do something about this. They need to loosen up a bit.
They’re hearing from their developers. I think that’s sufficient. We appreciate your prayers, though.
I hope to post an update to the main blog so you don’t have to filter through these comments to see the status. Hopefully that will happen today; maybe tomorrow.