Overview
This project is a multi-faceted project, consisting of the following components of a complete iOS publishing workflow:
- A 'skinnable' iOS app, driven by Core Animation for interactive, multi-media content.
- A set of front-end tools that enables a highly visual method of generating content in a popular drawing tool.
How Does It Work?
A free conversion tool on your Mac, reads OmniGraffle documents directly, enabling the use of this popular, and easy-to-use drawing program to act as a visual content builder for the iOS platform. Taking advantage of the power of iOS, Authorite for iPad isn't limited to mere static content. Rather, it allows you to embed rich interactivity, multimedia elements, and app-like behaviors into your projects, and play them back in easily published iOS mini-apps, or publications.
A Scalable Business Model
The basic Authorite system is designed to be given away for free, and allows complete playback of rich Authorite content. It does not allow the embedding of movies, however, and is limited to a single 'issue', or content package at a time. The 'Pro' version, offers full functionality, and is designed to support the publication of multiple content packages (or issues, for magazine like content). The Authorite Enterprise Service is available to convert an end-user's content packages into branded, standalone apps, complete with their company's icon, startup screen and App-Store presence. The Authorit approach lowers the initial investment for a company to establish a presence on iOS, and can save them custom iOS app developer fees that can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars. By visually developing their content in-house, then engaging the more expensive professional design and technology services only to finalize the app, a company can spend their savings on better, and more prolific mobile content.
Technical Details
Authorite is architected with an embedded Python scripting engine, allowing for interactive features and content to be changed, without a full recompile of the core iOS app. It supports many of the most useful features of Core Animation, and Python, for multimedia publishing uses. Also, as the core engine improves, new capabilities become available to its content developers, through new scripting commands, and visual construction paradigms, opening up new possibilities across the entire ecosystem.
For traditional app publishing through the iOS App-Store, there are some limitations to what is possible due to Apple's app publishing agreement. However, in a rapid-prototyping, or Enterprise development scenario, app content can be 'remotely skinned,' (downloaded from the internet) allowing your users to access the latest content from the cloud. Should Apple choose to relax their current licensing restrictions at a later date, this capability will extend to the standard app publishing world as well.
