Podge, there is no evil plot here… 
I started out with the simple goal of writing one useful iPhone app and going through the exercise of dealing with the whole Apple app approval process. 3QuarterSet was that app. I had a 3/4 set, so it made sense. I was looking at my iPhone one day and thought, I wonder if this is possible…
The 1.0 version was very simple, drones plus 6 sounds for the reg pairs (two sounds for the top set) in each of the 5 keys. Figure out how to do graphics, figure out how to make sounds, how to save settings. Go through the submission process and see what happens. Put out a free version in one key to spark interest. See what happens…
Then I wrote Concertina, again because I had a thought that it might be possible with the accelerometer on the iPhone/iPod Touch, and that forced me to understand how to manage multiple sounds, accelerometer features, and most importantly, multitouch.
At that point, I realized I had understood what was required to write a new app that provided multitouch enabled individual control of sounds, and that made 4QuarterSet possible. I never intended to write it, thought I was done with 3QuarterSet, but the two complaints I heard from people about 3QuarterSet was:
- Its a 3/4 set
- Why can’t I play the keys individually.
So I figured out how to develop all the features for 4QuarterSet and updated 3QuarterSet to add the individual key mode. Spent a good portion of my Christmas holiday doing so. I also updated the free version with the full feature set of the paid version.
Yes, I could have updated 3QuarterSet and made it 4QuarterSet. And no, that’s not what I chose to do. I am doing this both to make a difference in the world and, yes, to hopefully make some money in the process by releasing apps that are of very high quality and very inexpensively priced (where else can you buy an Anglo Concertina for a dollar?). I’m trying to have a fair mix of higher and lower priced apps, depending on functionality, partially to see how it goes and understand more about the whole iPhone app market.
These apps have come to life as I’ve developed the skills and understanding of the platform and realized what was possible.
If I write an app you find useful, buy it and enjoy it. If I find new features that make sense to enhance existing apps (like adding the single reg play from 4QuarterSet to 3QuarterSet) you’ll get free upgrades. I’m charging what I think is a fair, well, actually, dirt cheap price for all these apps considering their quality and level of functionality. I think $4.99 for 4QuarterSet even if you already have 3QuarterSet is still a good deal. Really, they are tailored for different purposes.
3QuarterSet specifically, with the blank strip down the center of the screen, is designed to be mounted on the leg with a belt through that blank strip. 4QuarterSet has the same features, but for live play, me or someone else is going to have to figure out how to mount an iPhone/iPod Touch on the leg without obscuring the screen to get to all the regs. I originally was not going to support a chord mode in 4QuarterSet, but it was just too complicated explaining why the two apps would have different operating modes, so I made them match, the only difference is in two vs. three regulators.
I can’t promise I won’t come out with something else that might share functionality with the current apps. For example, I woke up on Sunday morning thinking a cheap app with just drones and a big shiny colorful drone puck might be fun, so I quickly banged out “JustDrones”, which has all the drones from 3QuarterSet and 4QuarterSet, plus additional drones in E, F, G, and A. It will be $0.99. The whistle players will enjoy it.
Podge, I’ve sent you via PM a free code for 4QuarterSet 1.1. You can enter it on the iTunes App Store just like a iTunes gift card and the app will be downloaded to your system.
FYI, if you have any inclination to develop iPhone apps, I highly encourage you to give it a try. Apple provides all the development tools for free, you develop your apps on any Intel based Mac, then can test them on the iPhone simulator. If you want to sell apps or install them on devices, you have to pay Apple $99/year for that. The XCode development environment is an absolute joy to use. I can also recommend some good instructional books to use to learn Objective-C and iPhone development.
So far, I’ve almost made enough selling the apps to pay for the used MacBook I bought from a co-worker to develop them, that’s a nice start. I don’t think I’m going to be able to retire on selling pretend obscure traditional Irish musical instruments, but its a lot of fun releasing them into the wild…
OK, enough ranting…
Michael
Hours of fun for the whole family! Well O.K., maybe just me. I’m wondering, is the 4 quarter set an upgrade to the 3 quarter set, or are they two separate beasts?
