Immediately before WWDC. The world of app development you don't know yet # WWDC21

App development may not be a distant dimension.

This year's WWDC will be held on June 8th, so there should be many people who are already sick. Prior to such a big event, I had the opportunity to interview three groups of app developers, so I went there. Of course with full remote.

When I listened to the stories of developers who usually don't have the opportunity to talk, I became a little interested even though I had never done app development. Everyone is working very happily and I'm really looking forward to WWDC.

"Heart Study AW" that allows you to participate in clinical research just by installing it

The first interviewees were Keio University School of Medicine and Atsurae Co., Ltd. We are jointly conducting clinical research to measure electrocardiogram using Apple Watch. By the way, it is not measured at the hospital.

Suddenly, do you go to the hospital when you are in good physical condition?

No, I can't go. You may hear such an answer, but it seems that you should collect health care data such as electrocardiogram when your body is normal. There are signs of hidden illness.

However, it is a little troublesome to go to the hospital and have them measure it even though they are not sick. That's where the Apple Watch comes in. The content of this research is to measure at home using an Apple Watch and collect normal data.

As a concrete method,

1. Download the dedicated app "Heart Study AW"

2. Put on your Apple Watch when you go to bed at night

3. Answer a simple questionnaire in the morning

4. Record any symptoms such as palpitation

The electrocardiogram will be measured without permission just by following this step. It seems that the collected data will be useful for early detection of illness and accurate diagnosis.

Do you guys think of anything here? After listening to the story, I can't get rid of Doraemon's secret tool "Doctor's Bag". Is it just me?

If you hit the stethoscope that pops out of your bag against your body, you will be diagnosed and it will tell you the name of the disease.

If the evolution of Apple Watch progresses and it becomes possible to guess not only the electrocardiogram but also the name of the disease, it is exactly "Doctor's bag". I have a dream. It's full of excitement.

I want this app, especially the elderly, to master it. The incidence of illness increases with age.

The only thing I'm curious about is that most elderly people have never seen or heard of an Apple Watch.

So I took the plunge and asked Professor Kimura of Keio University School of Medicine.

When you introduce "There is such a machine", the first question is "What is this?", But when you start using it, many people notice the ease of use and continue to use it.

So that's it. I would recommend it to my grandmother at home. I don't have it yet, so I'm disappointed that it seems to be ahead of me.

From now on, her Apple Watch may be just around the corner for our family doctors.

"Effectron" which became a hot topic by incorporating LiDAR early

Next is the app "Effectron" developed by Affectron Co., Ltd. It can be used on iPhone 12 Pro / Pro Max equipped with LiDAR scanner and iPad Pro after 2020 model, and you can completely transform familiar scenery into space, cave, SF space.

Mr. Kanai, the manager of the development room, was very young, and I had the impression that he was always thinking about something interesting in his mind. Mr. Kanai, who was the first to implement the function and released "Effectron" when it was announced at WWDC last year that it would be equipped with a LiDAR scanner.

Affection Co., Ltd. is a small company with 10 employees, but it is receiving a lot of attention due to the novelty of its app.

"Effectron" has become a bridge for the more generalization of LiDAR scanners, which were in high demand in the professional market.

There was a story about it.

Of course, I think that this evaluation is based on the foresight of employees, including Mr. Kanai, but it was an act that I cannot help feeling that application development is still a blue ocean.

This isn't limited to app development, but if you can find out what you can do and what only you can do, regardless of the scale, it's probably the strongest.

The joy of app development talked about by the developers of "Colored Pencil"

The last interviewee was Kengo Watanabe, the developer of the paint application "Iroen Pitsu". While currently running Watanabe Electric Co., Ltd., he is taught development know-how to students at Tokyo University of Technology.

As the name suggests, "Colored Pencil" is an app that allows you to draw pictures that look like they were drawn with colored pencils. The technology that can express the same texture as analog while being digital is a surprising word. It is said that simple functions are also one of our commitments.

"Colored Pencil" is used by many users, but compared to high-performance apps such as "Photoshop", it was worrisome whether it would continue to be used. At that time, Mr. Watanabe receives a happy message from the user.

You can draw beautiful pictures using other painting apps, but at the same time you have to work very hard, so you may get tired of drawing.But when using "Colored Pencil", you can relax while drawing a picture.

Mr. Watanabe was convinced that an app that can coexist with other apps should be created by this one word.

It's not that "major and high-performance" is good for everything, and there are things that can be realized only by making it individually. It was a very deep story.

Mr. Watanabe also gave us some words for the egg developers of the app.

First of all, I want him to feel that programming is a lot of fun. You don't have to use difficult and painful teaching materials from the beginning. Find a way to feel the joy of programming first, and have fun immersing yourself in what you want to make.

I'm not an egg, but when I heard this word, I was strangely interested in programming, so I searched for "Swift Playground" in seconds.

And here, why is it "Swift Playground"? Actually, "Swift Playground" seems to be a highly recommended teaching material for beginners. You can learn coding in a game format.

The thing is a trial, so download it immediately. You can learn the basics while moving the character programmatically.

I will learn coding like this. The stage is still going on, but this time around here.

What impressed me when I used "Swift Playground" was that the character moved according to the code I wrote. It's a matter of course, but when I practice it myself and witness it, I'm still impressed. I feel that I enjoyed programming a little.

If you haven't experienced it yet, please try it. You should be happy just to make simple movements such as the character moving forward or turning left.

I already have a feeling that I'm addicted to it.

It's a waste to just use it. Want to become a developer?

It can be a chance to save someone's life, it can be a daily entertainment, it can be a healing. The app enriches people's lives. But maybe creating the app you want will eventually enrich the lives of others.

And above all, I realized that the environment where anyone can be the creator is surprisingly close to us.

Home time is likely to be longer as usual this summer. Why don't you take this opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of app development?

WWDC 2021

Date and time: All online from 10:00 on June 7th (2:00 on June 8th, Japan time)

How to browse: Apple official website, Apple Developer application, Apple TV application, YouTube, etc.

The GIZMODO editorial department will also follow you, so don't miss it!