The iPad release day is less than 2 weeks away and like many iPhone developers I’m scurrying along to get my first iPad app submitted before the deadline. The introduction of the iPad as a new target platform means developers can choose to target the iPhone only, target just the iPad, or target both within a single application. The last option is called a universal binary and is recommended by Apple.

The user benefits with the universal option in that the same application can run on each iPhone OS device. In other words, the same app will run on a user’s iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Best of all the user only pays for the app once even if the app is used on multiple devices.

I’m a fan of universal. It makes the buying decision easier for the user. Buy the app and it will run on all your iPhone OS devices, the ones you own today and the ones you might buy tomorrow. The user doesn’t have to think, “I have an iPhone but I might buy an iPad soon. Should I buy the iPhone only version or the version that will run on both?”

The universal also makes it easier for the developer with regards to app naming and marketing. With a universal app the developer has only one app, which means only one app name and one app icon. The alternative is to release multiple editions for the app, each with its own unique name such as “App XYZ”, “App XYZ for iPad”, “App XYZ Universal”, and so on.

Marketing with a universal app is easier too because the developer is marketing a single edition of the application. The developer doesn’t need multiple app descriptions or web pages for each app edition. But the universal option is not without its problems.

First, what happens if the developer already has an iPhone app in the App Store. Can a new build of a universal binary be submitted as an app update? Can it be submitted as an update before the deadline for launch day? If not then that means a new app must be created which means having different app names. And of course existing ratings and iTunes comments will not appear for the newly created app.

Another issue comes to mind. To the developer, a universal app might feel like writing two separate apps wrapped into a single binary. The user experience, the views, navigation, artwork, etc will likely be different for the app when run on the iPad versus the iPhone. This complicates the code base for the developer, which increases the chances for bugs. The developer can overcome this by separating logic in the code and performing additional testing, but this increases the development cost for the application, which leads me to pricing. Higher development cost can lead to higher pricing.

Pricing is a big issue for me. Will users pay more for an app on the iPad, especially if the iPad version has more features, features not feasible on the iPhone? I think so. But will the user who only owns an iPhone with no plans to buy an iPad pay more? I think it’s less likely.

A desktop app typically costs more than an iPhone app, and since the iPad is closer to the desktop than the iPhone in terms of its ability, especially for productivity apps, it makes sense to me that an iPad app will cost more than it’s iPhone equivalent. Will the higher price for a universal app mean the developer will likely loss out on app sales from iPhone and iPod touch users? Or will there be another race to the bottom (i.e., 99 cents) in terms of pricing for universal iPad apps? I certainly hope not.

A developer can get around this by releasing 2 editions of the same app, one for the iPhone only at lower price point and a second universal app at a higher price point. But now we’re back to complicating the buying decision for the user with different editions of the same app. The user is back to thinking, “Which edition do I need? Which one should I buy?”

I already asked will iPad app pricing race to the bottom like we saw with iPhone apps, and again, I certainly hope not. Developers will be able to do much more on the iPad which will justify the higher price. But should developers expect iPhone and iPod touch only users to pay $9.99 for an app not as feature rich as the iPad equivalent? Or should iPad apps limit functionality to only what is feasible on both devices for the sake of a lower price point?

I wish I had answers to these questions. I’m sure the answers will become clear once the iPad has been released and developers see and understand more, but for know I’m left scratching my head as I ponder these questions.

I’m very excited to announce the immediate availability of Hey Peanut in the App Store. Hey Peanut is a new type of photo browser on the iPhone and iPod touch designed specifically for your toddler, ages 1 to 3 years old. Hey Peanut is kid tested and parent approve. It includes fun farm animals and sound effects to entertain your little one, but the best feature is the built-in voice recorder.

Add photos of family and friends then have them record a voice message for your child. When you child touches the photo the voice recording will play. This is a great way for your child to see and hear love ones who might live or be out of town.

My son Rowan, at the age of 20 months, helped me design Hey Peanut. He played with Hey Peanut at every stage. He hated it in the beginning, always saying “No, no!” But once all the pieces were in place, the music, farm scenes, and sound effects, he loved it. He now plays with Hey Peanut often and especially enjoys seeing and hearing his mom when she is out of town working.

If you have love ones who live out of town, or a parent that travels often, then you toddler is going to love Hey Peanut.

I have spent the last couple of months working on a new app for the iPhone called Hey Peanut. Hey Peanut is a photo browser app with a twist for toddlers.

A while back my wife took pictures of family members and put them into a small photo album. Our son doesn’t see his extended family as much as we would like so from time to time we sit with him and browse the family photo album. This gives him a chance to learn the faces of his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. One day I was watching my wife and son browse the photo album and I thought, “There should be an app for that.” Thus the idea for Hey Peanut was born.

Hey Peanut is based on the family photo album but, as I said before, with a twist. The twist is the recorded voice message. Using an iPhone and Hey Peanut a parent takes a picture of a family member then records a voice message from the family member. For instance, I can use Hey Peanut to take a picture of my mother and record a personal message from her like, “Hi Rowan! It’s GranMom. I love you.” My son can then browse the pictures and listen to the messages at any time.

Hey Peanut is a bit more than just a photo browser. It includes colorful “photo mats” with various sounds effects to keep the toddle engaged. Originally I was thinking of making Hey Peanut more game-like but decided it was not necessary.

Development on Hey Peanut is nearing completion. A lot of time has been spent on making a photo browser slash library manager for the parents. This mimics the photo app to some degree. I had hope to use Three20’s photo viewer for this but I ran into problems so I had to write my own. Over the last few weeks I have taken my code and created a new open source photo browser project called KTPhotoBrowser. The latest code is available on GitHub. The open source project is still work in progress but it is useable. I plan to complete KTPhotoBrowser once Hey Peanut is released.

Meanwhile, if you are a parent with a little one between the ages of 1 and 3 and you think he or she would like to play with Hey Peanut then send me a message and join the beta testing team.

Last week I attended NSConference USA which was the conference’s first visit to the States. I had an awesome time and I will definitely return to NSConference next year. Heck, I might even attend both the USA and UK events.

The sense of community combined with the unique structure of the conference made for a wonderful time. NSConference is different from other developer related conferences in that there are not multiple tracks during the day. Instead all the attendees, called delegates at NSConference, sit in the same room and listen to the same talks. The other difference is the 30 minute break between sessions. This combination makes for a great conference going experience.

Why does the combination work so well? As a delegate I didn’t have to run from room to room to hear different talks and to find a new seat. I’m able to leave my gear in one spot for the entire day, and because I don’t have to run room to room I can spend more time meeting and talking with other delegates. This is were the 30 minute breaks really help out.

At other conferences my chats between sessions are never long enough to really get to know other developers. The 30 minute breaks at NSConference gives you plenty of time to chat with folks you already know and to meet new ones. And because of this I actually met more people at NSConference then I have at the last 3 conferences I have attended.

And meeting other iPhone and Mac developers has never been so easy. I arrived in Atlanta late Saturday afternoon not knowing a single person. Within an hour and a half I was talking with other delegates, having beers, and sharing stories. I feel like I met close to 90 percent of all the delegates by the end of the conference, and I definitely formed new friendships with a good number of those that I met. As someone who works from home, making these connections and feeling apart of a community is very important to me. And this aspect alone makes attending NSConference worth well.

I haven’t said much about the session talks yet. And yes, the talks were great. I found every topic useful and informative. The speakers really know their stuff and I learned tons. If you are seeking knowledge in Mac and iPhone development than there is no better independent developer conference. But more important to me were the connections I made with others in the iPhone and Mac development community. And this includes getting to know the speakers as well.

There are many more good things I can say about NSConference. For instance, the party Monday night was a blast. Eating at the Silver Skillet each morning was a great way to start the day. Dinner and drinks each night with the delegates was so much fun. The only negative part of the conference for me were the lunches, though many folks told me the lunches were better than those offered at WWDC.

Lunches aside, NSConference is a must attend conference for all iPhone and Mac developers.