New and Noteworthy for the win! If two kids can build two apps in a row that are featured by Apple, I think success on the App Store is repeatable. Luck is involved but there are things we can do to seriously beef up our chances. Just look at Tapbots. Thank you, Apple!

I’ll be sure to let you know how the free+ model works out.

BTW, huge congrats to my friends who built Tea – they did all the right things and I frankly would have been surprised if they didn’t get featured. Also big kudos to Tapbots for another amazing launch today. If you haven’t tried out Tweetbot, you need to now!

I have been looking forward to this day for many moons and now it’s finally here. Grades 2 is now available on the App Store.

This is probably the riskiest endeavor I’ve ever been involved in. I took a 5 month leave from my job to finish this thing and I’m trying a new revenue model: free + ads and in-app-purchase to get rid of ads. Maybe it will crash and fail. Maybe it will do really well. One thing’s certain, it’s gonna be a fun ride. I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

Here is a snippet from the description, in case you’re wondering what this thing is all about:

What do I need to score on my next test to be on track for an A? There’s an app for that.

Now with due dates and a handy GPA calculator.

★ Features ★

☞ Tells you what grades you need on upcoming assignments and tests to get your target grade in the class.
☞ Helps you calculate your GPA and figure out what grades you need in your classes to gain or maintain a certain GPA.
☞ Helps you remember when upcoming assignments are due.
☞ All wrapped up in a crisp and delightful interface.

Grades 2 will serve as your roadmap to an A.

★ New in 2.0 ★

☞ Completely new look with retina graphics
☞ Due Dates
☞ GPA Calculator
☞ Sub-grades
☞ Drop grades
☞ Lots of little improvements
☞ Free (ad-supported – $1 to kill ads forever)

Promo video Josh made:

More:

• gradesapp.com
• App Store Link

p.s. The early reviews are really important so if you want to make my day, consider posting a review of the app early on!

I am extremely delighted to report that Grades 2 has been submitted to Apple as of 6:45AM this morning. If you want to see me ramble a bit about it you can check out the video I recorded around 6:30 this morning. I didn’t post it inline since I’m not sure everybody wants to see the zombie version of me after coding and testing for I don’t know how many hours, all the way through the night.

Also, last night I gave the Grades icon a refresh which turned out surprisingly decent given the hour of night I designed it (right).

Thanks everyone for all your support. The fun starts next week.