Tonight, I’m bringing Maidenhead Converter back to the App Store.
I pulled all my apps off the App Store some time ago (was it last year? Or the year before? I forget.) I would like to start getting improved versions of them back up on the store, beginning with Maidenhead Converter.
2.0 is a complete rewrite and redesign of the app. A lot has changed since 2009, including a new OS design in iOS 7 and new 4, 4.7, and 5.5 inch iPhones. Also the iPad happened, but I’m not quite optimizing for that just yet.
I had a number of feature requests for the original app that I never implemented. Folks wanted different coordinate formats—added!—a map in the app—added!—and the ability to get the heading between two points—not added yet, but give me time! I would also like to add features like a Maidenhead grid overlay on top of the app.
Technologically, I wanted to experiment with Swift and Storyboards. I’ve also used Swift in a larger app for work, and I would like to write my thoughts on the language in detail later. Long story short: I like it, but the compiler is really not ready for prime time yet. Storyboards worked out fine, but it was a small app and I’m not yet entirely sold on the idea of using Storyboards with a large app. Maybe if you split into multiple Storyboards. I need to think on it and experiment more.
When Maidenhead Converter was a paid app, it never made much money. After I set it free, it got plenty of downloads, but obviously stopped making money. This time around I’ve decided to experiment with iAd. The app now shows banner ads on the main screen. If you dislike the ads, you can purchase a $1.99 ad disabler to turn them off. I don’t expect to make any serious money on the app, but maybe it’ll earn enough for some nice food every now and then.
Maidenhead Converter 2.0 requires iOS 8. Download it now!