Reviews

Computer Applications & Hardware Reviews that are related to art & design.

My experience in converting my paid educational apps to a subscription business revenue model.

Mandar Apte Apple, Apple iOS, Apple iPadOS, Apple macOS, Apple Xcode, Apps, Reviews Leave a comment

After experimenting with various apps I decided to venture into an educational language-earning app in the year around 2013/14. I developed three apps Mudrakshar for tracing Alphabets, Swarakshar for Pronouncing Alphabets and Chitrakshar for Alphabet Charts with Illustrations and audio pronunciation. All three apps were dedicated to Devanagari Script. Mainly Marathi, Sanskrit and Hindi Language. For Chitrakshar I added the English Language with Latin script.

I am developing my apps for Apple iOS, iPadOS and macOS platforms. Here is my Apple Developer Profile if you want to check it out.

I think the In-App purchase / StoreKit framework was not introduced back then that’s what I remember. So I used paid app business model to support my app development and time invested.

Maybe because I started sailing my apps with upfront pricing. I was forcing my user to purchase my apps without allowing them to try them before they buy. I was having very less downloads or sales. But over the years I sold almost 1,000 units of apps or more. I also utilised App Store Connects’s App Bundles feature at that time. App Bundles surely helped me to sell more apps with discounts.

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With the release of macOS Big Sur & macOS Monterey, the user cannot format External Hard Disk to ‘Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted)’ format as there is no option to do the same.

Mandar Apte Apple, Apple macOS, Apps, Company, Hardware, Reviews, Tutorials 1 Comment

With the release of the macOS Big Sur Mac Operating System, Apple has removed the option under Disk Utility to allow users to format External Hard Drive to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted) format.

Now there is only one option for Mac OS Extended (Journaled) but no option with encryption. It only allows users to format Hard Disk with Apple File System APFS without encryption, with encryption & with case sensitivity.

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In-depth Review of Matrimony Website by Anuroop Wiwaha (anuroopwiwaha.com)

Mandar Apte Apps, Art & Design, Company, India / Bharat / Hindusthan, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Personal Experience, Reviews, User Experience Design, Web Design 1 Comment

I am using the Anuroop Wiwaha Matrimony Website for the last four-five years. I have used their mobile Apple iPhone app and website extensively for my bride search all along. There are a few points that I discovered that Anuroop Wiwaha Portal / Company improve upon to help the community get the right matrimony match for their search.

Observations:

Few Points that they can improve on.

Mobile App & Website Portal:

  1. Every event they always talk about having 20,000 Profiles / Accounts of bride and groom registered on their portal. An average Anuroop Wiwaha account cost is INR 5,000/-.
  2. User (Bride or Groom) can’t register with a free account as they don’t support free accounts as the user has to pay an account fee upfront before registering to the portal. So it kind of gives assurance that user is at least serious about their search and even user has to submit identity proof within 7 days of registration. So in a way, it eliminates the possibility of fake accounts or frauds.
  3. Even with this money of 20,000 Accounts * 5,000 Fee, Bride or Groom Search is cumbersome and hectic. The mobile app is not full fledge as compared to a web portal. They are using non-native software technologies for the Apple iPhone app that app takes minutes to load or sometimes fails to load content and data.
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Here is how to locate downloaded Audio/Video Podcast app files on macOS? So that you can export or copy it to the new location on Macintosh HD.

Mandar Apte Apple, Apple macOS, Apps, Reviews Leave a comment

You may have been listing to or watching a great podcast on Mac’s Podcast app and you may want to export it and store it elsewhere on your Macintosh HD for safekeeping.

It seems Apple has disabled functionality dragging Podcast items to desktop to store it or export them elsewhere.

So here is how to do it in an alternative way.

Step 01: Click on Finder

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What is right tool for UI/UX Work: Adobe Photoshop / XD / Sketch / Figma

Mandar Apte Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Systems Incorporated, Apps, Art & Design, Reviews, User Experience Design Leave a comment

As far as I can remember I am using Photoshop from version two. So I am using Photoshop for almost twenty years less or more.

I am using the Sketch app for 4 years. And just now because of team recommendations I have to switch to Figma.

The most problematic point about Photoshop or XD is its pricing model. Adobe force you to buy all Creative Cloud apps whether you choose it or not. In India, Adobe CC costs INR 45,000/- plus taxes.

The best thing about the Sketch app is its pricing model i.e. Annual Subscription which cost you INR 7,500/- for a year and after it ends you use the same app as long as you want without buying another subscription yes you will not get updates but you have an app to work with.

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Uber Cabs Invoice Outstanding Payment Alert, A Technical Glitch or Accounting Error

Mandar Apte Apple, Apple iOS, Apps, Art & Design, India / Bharat / Hindusthan, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Personal Experience, Reviews, User Experience Design Leave a comment

I just travelled from Mumbai to Thane using Uber cabs. They rounded my bill before tax by 46 Paise. My trip was a cash trip.

My final cost of the trip after taxes applied was 160.05 INR.

But when I completed my trip I got notification from the Uber app that I have not paid 5 paise out of 160.05 INR using cash.

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The First iMac that I bought from Unicorn Infosolutions Pvt Ltd and my experience with the second-hand product that was given to me

Mandar Apte Apple, Company, Hardware, Personal Experience, Reviews Leave a comment

It was the year 2007, A year that I got a job as a Graphic Designer in a good company.

In my previous graduation year, I completed my Final Year Project on Apple Inc.

So I was way more familiar with Apple Computers than I require. So with a new stream of money, I started receiving because of the job I decided to buy my dream computer and that was 24 inch iMac.

Someone from my company told me about Apple Premium Reseller called Unicorn Infosolutions Pvt Ltd which was located at Andheri west near Fun Republic Mall.

The year that I bought iMac was March 2008. I visited their store near Fun Republic Mall. The physical RAM that was coming with iMac was 2GB at that time they told me you have to buy more RAM if you want 4GB RAM. So I said I will opt for 4GB RAM. They told me they can provide me pirated apps preinstalled and Pro Apple Apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic Studio and Adobe Creative Suite. I said I am not interested. But this was the moment I sensed something wrong going on with the purchasing process.

Unicorn person told me they will not deliver Apple iMac to the home I have to carry to my home which was 20 kilometres away. I said no problem I will carry it myself.

I think after using that iMac I started experiencing issues and I started feeling I was cheated by Apple Premium Reseller while I purchased supposed to be a new iMac from them.

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Here is Solution if TP-Link Router is not loading some particular websites

Mandar Apte Apple, Apple iOS, Apple macOS, Hardware, Reviews, Tutorials Leave a comment

If you are having a problem with loading or browsing particular/specific website then you can follow the below steps to resolve that problem.

Step 01: Navigate to your TP-Link router’s web interface. i.e. Normally http://192.168.0.1/

Step 02: Log in to your TP-Link router’s Administration Web Page

Step 03: Go to > Advance > Network > Internet > Click on Advanced Settings

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Why food you order online platform like Swiggy is more expensive than eating in the same hotel you ordered from?

Mandar Apte Apps, Personal Experience, Reviews Leave a comment

I was wondering about this for a long time,

When I eat Bhel Puri for 35/- rupee at Hotel ‘A’ but I order the same Bhel Puri from same hotel ‘A’ through Swiggy is showed as 50/- rupee at MRP price.

Why these discrepancies? Even I saw Swiggy’s user base asking them the same question again and again on Twitter.

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