2010-04-08
Emerald Sequoia LLC is the outgrowth of my 20-year friendship with Bill, the other half of the company, and a similarly-long appreciation for Apple products (Bill had one of the first Macs in 1984, and I joined that train in 1989). When Apple announced the iPhone development kits in early 2008, we decided to have some fun and write an app for it (that was Emerald Chronometer, released the day the App Store opened in July 2008).
In case there was any doubt, we’re not getting rich doing this. The difficulty of turning an iPhone app into a revenue stream when there are over 150,000 apps competing for users’ attention is well documented elsewhere. Even on its best day ever Emerald Sequoia made me less money than my average daily income over the past five years from my “real” job (and a more typical day earns the company about $40 before tax, which we split).
So this is a hobby, let’s be clear. But we’re trying to run it like a company, with professional customer support, solid testing, good development practices, etc., etc. We have 55 years of development experience between us, and we try to apply all that we’ve learned. And we’ve put in the hours, as well; typically about 20 hours a week for me over the past 2 years.
And the end result is that it’s been the most satisfying development project I’ve ever worked on, because we’ve gotten to work on a product we use ourselves on a daily basis, and we’ve gotten to control all aspects of that product development ourselves. And most importantly for me, we’ve gotten to interact directly via email with customers who love the product. I guess this is something all small business owners are familiar with, but it’s a refreshing change for someone like me who’s previously been at least one level removed from the customer (although, truth be told, that has, at times, been a good thing…).
So thanks for making it all worthwhile. :-)
- Steve
Bill 2010-04-07 23:18:04
When we started this we knew we weren’t going to get rich. Had that been our goal we would have written a game. Our goal was to do something that we thought might be useful for ourselves, to learn something about running a tiny business and most of all just to have fun. We have only one rule that controls the operation of Emerald Sequoia, Rule #1, which states that we don’t do a project unless we think it will be fun to do. (Of course, that has to be interpreted somewhat broadly. When we add a new feature (the fun part) we do feel obligated to document it in the Help and to test it thoroughly (not so much fun, but there’s some satisfaction in knowing that we’re “doing the right thing”). Life is a lot easier under Rule #1 than it is in a real company!
- Bill
Bill 2010-04-07 23:28:21
I also wanted to echo Steve’s comments about our interactions with our customers. I initially thought that would be one of those necessary chores. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that it’s actually quite rewarding. Of course, it helps that nearly 100% of our feedback from customers has been positive. Even the reports of problems (and there have been a couple of serious ones) have usually been of the form, “I love EC but…” :-) And we’ve had a few cases where customers have taken a lot of time to write lengthy critiques and thoughtful suggestions. That sort of interaction is not only helpful in that it improves the product but it’s very enjoyable in its own right. Which is not to say we don’t appreciate the quick one liners, too. I guess any sort of discussion of a Rule #1 product usually ends up satisfying Rule #1, too :-)
- Bill
matsmithphotog 2011-02-01 16:35:53
Hello. I have just bought Emerald Chronometer (well, about 24 hours ago) and wanted to say what a delight it has been for me so far. Let me explain why.
I am one of your modern generation who never wears wristwatches and never really saw the point in doing so. To tell the time I have always used my mobile ‘phone, much like you might have used a pocket watch (rather, the McAlester), centuries ago. (Centuries?)
In fact, I have never really seen the beauty of a wristwatch. Until now.
Without wishing to gush too much, this app has really opened my eyes to the wondrous world of the appreciation of timekeeping. Even just reading through the help files for each watch, I learnt so much science that I never knew before. I had no idea that fast-forwarding through time on a wristwatch could help you learn so much about the patterns in our solar system or the swinging motion of the phase of the moon (e.g. quickly advancing the hour on the clock “Chandra”), I had never come across the term “Sidereal”, nor had I considered the relation between the moon’s phase and daylight as to how visible the moon might be, or that there exists a fierce debate on the subject of whether a 24 hour clock should show noon at the top or midnight at the top!
Needless to say I’ve spent many happy hours since last night (I’m on UK time) learning a great deal of interesting things. Not to mention having put the stopwatch to great use already in my coffee brewing (this is a sideline of mine, I’m very serious about measuring extraction times for pourover brews), and throwing out the magnetic kitchen timer.
I’ve always had a penchant for expensive things. What worries me is that this iTunes purchase of £2.99 may end up costing me a lot more if my new-found adoration of the Geneva is anything to go by, ha!
Thanks again for a beautiful application.
mulkurul 2011-07-03 16:26:00
Aloha from Hawaii!
I strongly echo matsmithphotog’s sentiments and add my profound gratitude for developing what has quickly established itself as one of my all time favorite IPad apps. I humbly ask for you to port your series of exceptionally high quality aps to the Android platform if possible so even more folks can enjoy and learn from these brilliant designs. I have had a lifelong interest in timekeeping and astronomy, and your apps are a dream come true for me. Ingeniously designed and formatted, with astounding educational and practical value. Sincere heartfelt gratitude for developing these utilities.
Observatory and Chronometer both are stunni
mulkurul 2011-07-03 16:51:42
(sorry) (cont.) stunning in apprearance and functionality, but more impressively are so layered with adjustable features and offer tremendous educational value, an exceptionally rare characteristic compared to the ocean of gimmicky applets out there. Your apps have inspired me greatly to learn about all their other functions. I only wish there were actual wristwatches with so many of the combinations of astronomical modeling and time measurement functions, although I have but 2 wrists!
In essence I want to congratulate you and thank you for offering these programs. I wish you continued success and very eagerly anticipate any further projects you may be developing. One tiny suggestion would be the option to add a varied selection of audio “ticking” sound samples or subtle synth click tones to accompany the EC models just for fun! All the best to you!
Kind Regards,
Steve Rosos