Side Project Spotlight

After some Bento Fit updates, the Trio explores their hopes and dreams for WWDC25. ## Show Notes Google I/O Cold Open Bento Fit: The Story So Far Bento Fit: Updates - Steve: Refactored HealthDataPoint with generics - Kotaro: Refined UI & Widget layout - Aaron: Double-column cards! Bento Fit: Next Time - Steve: Data structures for reordering and other internal stuff - Kotaro: Onboarding & C...

This week, Steve performs some more updates of the code base using Aider, while some skeuomorphic UI updates from Kotaro have us excited, and Aaron is a little tired after gathering real-world data by running a marathon at an impressive pace. ## Show Notes Introductions Bento Fit: The Story So Far Bento Fit: Refactoring the data model with Aider Tangent: Xcode + Claude Bento Fit: Skeuomorphic UI u...

The Trio is back together with Bento Fit updates and more fun with "AI!" First up, Aaron is back from his trip to Jamaica and explains how you bring a bike on an airplane. Meanwhile, Kotaro has been sketching up a storm with some cool UI designs that you can't see because this is audio! Then, Steve continues down the path towards madness as he tries yet another "AI" tool co...

Aaron is enjoying a much deserved vacation, but Kotaro and Steve are still here with Bento Fit updates and Kotaro's experience "vibe coding" with Cursor. ## Show Notes - Bento Fit Update - Kotaro UI updates - We may be doing HealthKit wrong - Next - UI flow - HealthKit performance - Kotaro’s Vibe Coding Experience - Wrap-Up - http://phillycocoa.org - Side Project Shout Out - https://...

In this extra long episode, we review progress made in domain modeling, Swift Charts, and a Tron-esque UI! Plus, Steve discusses his experiences using the ChatGPT macOS app and Cursor with Xcode before we try to do some "vibe coding" ourselves to add a small UI feature. There are a lot of quotable moments in this episode. It's a fun one! ## Show Notes - BentoFit: The Road So Far… - K...

Sometimes life gets in the way of a side project. That's what happened to us this sprint and so progress on Bento Fit has been extra slow. But, this is a good opportunity to discuss strategies for getting back on track when life throws you a detour on your developer journey. ## Show Notes - Bento Fit Update - Steve is working on HealthKit metrics and domain modeling, but progress is slow. - Ro...

We continue to make slow progress developing our HealthKit dashboard app, codenamed "Bento Fit." In this episode, our update includes more HealthKit metrics discussion, Xcode Cloud configurations, a discussion on Git workflows, implementing basic logging, using Grok to write bad HealthKit code, and Kotaro's "Full Dieter Rams" UI designs. Plus, it looks like we need a persis...

We have made progress on our new fitness app, currently codenamed, "Bento Fit." This week we provide an update about the UI, using local Swift Packages for modularization of the codebase, creating custom HealthKit metrics, thoughts on data persistence and syncing, and next steps. Plus, tangents about running local LLMs, the fortunes of COBOL programmers, and some really bad monetization...

The Trio begin a new fitness app project to surface HealthKit data. Learn about some of the discarded app ideas, then listen in on a live project kickoff planning session along with some asides about learning to be consistent, the challenges of HealthKit, what a "bento box" UI means, and more! ## Chapters 00:00 Intro Music 00:08 Introductions 01:34 Fitness App Ideas 08:41 "Sleep, Wa...

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 s...

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 (Kota...

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 Announce...

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 Upf...

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 Moneti...

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...

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: - Introductio...

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 wit...

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-1...

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 Vi...

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...

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 Futu...

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...

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” - Microsof...

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!...

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...