samgrover.com

New version of Mimi Uploader is out 🎉

New version of Mimi Uploader is out 🎉

The latest version of Mimi Uploader is out, and with it brings a new alt text generation feature. You can now generate alt text for photos using machine learning (AI)! This is a powerful new feature that should reduce the friction in drafting alt text for your uploads. It’s been in beta for a few weeks and I wrote a detailed description of how it works in case you’re curious.

This feature is being offered exclusively to Supporters. I’m grateful to those of you that have signed up to Become a Supporter via the Settings screen in the last release. Thank you!

Also new in this release:

Get it from the App Store!

Happy New Year!

Another beta update is out, now with a grid of the entire year’s uploads!

A smartphone displaying a photo uploads analytics screen rests on a wooden surface next to a crystal rock and under a decorative piece.

Caveat: This might take a while to generate, and may be too tiny if you have a lot of images!

A new beta for Mimi Uploader is now out with:

If you’re not in the beta, you can opt-in.

I look forward to your feedback. Thank you!

Looks like I really picked up the slack this month!

P.S. Coming soon to a beta near you!

Screenshot of a mobile phone displaying a user’s file uploads for the year 2023, with a total count of 167 uploads. Below the count, a bar chart breaks down the number of uploads by month, with varying heights representing different quantities per month.

You can now become a Mimi Uploader Supporter via an ongoing in-app subscription 🙏

You can now become a Mimi Uploader Supporter via an ongoing in-app subscription 🙏

The latest version of Mimi Uploader is now out in the App Store. It has an option to subscribe on an ongoing basis to become a Supporter.

By becoming a Supporter, you are providing for the development and maintenance of the app on an ongoing basis.

In the future, this will also provide access to features that have ongoing costs. You may have heard that the newest beta of the app has a feature for generating image description for alt text. This is powered by a third-party API and will be the first of such features.

You can sign up to support on the Settings screen by selecting the option labeled, “Become a Supporter”. There are three levels of payment. Pick the level that works for you. Whatever level you pick, you get the same access. And for all levels, you have my gratitude.

Get Mimi Uploader from the App Store!

Guess who thought, “I’ve heard all the stories about the complications of submitting subscriptions for review for the first time in an iOS app, so I’m sure I will have no issues.”

This guy.

Guess who was wrong.

This guy.

It’s me. I’m the problem it’s me.

(But it’s also App Store Connect)

📷 Hike at Brown Mountain

📷 Hike at Brown Mountain

Last weekend we went on a hike at Brown Mountain in Tucson Mountains. It was recommended as a sunset hike so we went later than usual.

The hike is a loop and has a quick ascent going clockwise, then some ups and downs with the last mile or so pretty much flat. It was a very enjoyable hike that had wonderful views, and provided a nice workout with the variations.

A desert landscape with a range of mountains in the background and a vast expanse covered with saguaro cacti under a clear blue sky.

Two hikers ascending a rocky trail with sparse desert vegetation under a bright sun with visible lens flare.

A desert landscape with numerous saguaro cacti and a clear blue sky. In the background, there are rugged mountains.

A hiker waving in the distance among tall cacti on a desert trail with mountains in the background under a clear blue sky.

Rocky terrain with vibrant lichen, a single tall saguaro cactus, and a crescent moon in the blue sky.

A desert landscape covered with numerous saguaro cacti and other desert vegetation with a blue sky above and mountains in the background. The shadow of a waving person is cast on the saguaro cactus in the foreground.

A desert landscape with clear skies, featuring a variety of cacti including tall saguaros and scattered vegetation, with rolling hills in the background.

Desert hillside covered in numerous saguaro cacti lit by the light of the setting Sun, with clear blue sky above.

Two hikers trekking through a desert landscape with saguaro cacti, brush, and a mountain range in the background bathed in the warm sunlight of the setting Sun.

A dry desert wash landscape with rocky terrain and various desert plants including cacti and shrubs. The rocks display a range of colors, including red, purple, and white.

Activity Stats and Map

Distance: 4.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 753 ft
Time (including breaks): 2h 24m

I’ve been working on getting a subscription option set up in Mimi so folks can provide support for ongoing development with a sliding scale. Until that is live in the app store, I can’t launch the alt text generation feature, but it will remain available in the beta.

Gradually, then suddenly coming to the conclusion that the only way forward for Mimi Uploader is via a subscription model to support development and ongoing costs. And to offer that via various tiers to emulate a sliding scale for supporters.

It is tricky to make a subscription service or otherwise charge specifically for the AI image description feature even though it has ongoing cost. That’s because in many scenarios you don’t get the service you pay for, and it is out of my control. For example:

So a subscription, if offered, is about supporting the app, which in turn supports this feature, and more in the future, in a best-effort way. It cannot be a guarantee of service.

How do you feel about that?