Kevin Systrom’s 30-Second Rule for App Success  →

Instagram CEO, Kevin Systrom:

In the mobile context, you need to explain what you do in 30 seconds or less because people move on to the next shiny object. There are so many apps and people are vying for your attention on the go. It’s the one context in which you’ve got lots and lots of other stuff going on. You’re not sitting in front of a computer; you’re at a bus stop or in a meeting.

But it’s not just mobile apps — it’s for whatever it is your promoting. You practically need to be able to fit the what, the why, and the how into a Tweet for it to gain any initial traction.

Kevin Systrom’s 30-Second Rule for App Success

A Web Designed for Reading  →

Mandy Brown:

And yet, people do read online. They read more than they ever did. They even read long articles, and straight to the end. They read one article after the other. They crave reading in the quiet moments of the day—waiting in line for coffee, riding the bus, enjoying a glass of wine before their date arrives at the bar. They read while walking down the street; they read at their desk in between tasks; they buy devices that permit them to carry more words than they ever could before—and with those devices in hand they read more and more.

Mandy’s whole article is just fantastic. She really sums up many great points regarding writing, reading, and advertising on the web today.

And, as a writer, you would do well to print out the above paragraph from Mandy and frame it on your wall just above your computer screen and read it every time you publish something to the web. There are people who read every word, and there are people who don’t like articles which were made to skim, and there are people who look for in-depth and genuine thoughts rather than insipid bullet points.

A Web Designed for Reading

“Let Users Thank You by Paying You”  →

An interview with Marco Arment on GigaOM regarding finances and startups. Ryan Kim writes:

[Marco] started a $1 a month subscription plan in October that didn’t actually offer much in the way of extra features. It was more of a way to let users show their support for Instapaper. He said the response was overwhelmingly positive.

“That was a huge surprise to me how well it’s doing given there’s no real incentive to do it besides good will. But it ends up that good will is powerful,” Arment said. “It shows that people will pay for something they like because they want to ensure its future.”

“Let Users Thank You by Paying You”

My iPad 2 Prediction

Want to know my prediction for what the iPad 2 will be like? I think it will be just what we expect and probably not much more.

Apple rarely ships breakthrough devices on the second version. It’s the most obvious “shortcomings” in the current iPad that will be rolled into the next version, and that’s probably it.

The iPhone 3G primarily only improved upon what was most lacking in the original iPhone: better cellular signal. The 3GS improved on the 3G by making it faster and better battery life.

I think the iPad 2 will simply improve upon only the most obvious of shortcomings. And, to be honest, I think those “obvious shortcomings” are actually few and far between. It will be easier to hold with one hand, it will have a front-facing camera, and it will have more memory.

It could have more: a longer battery life, a faster processor, a camera on the back, a retina display… but now we’re just getting greedy.

Does the iPad need any of those features? In the 11 months that I’ve owned my iPad I’ve probably charged it only a few dozen times. How many gadgets can you say that about?

And here’s my wild guess: though I know diddly squat about iOS 5 and a potential update to MobileMe, the iPad 2 announcement will primarily underpin what we’re going to see in software announcements today.

My iPad 2 Prediction