Many of us think of world building as a necessary chore to give your writing a decent setting. It doesn’t have to be like that.
Building worlds is a wonderful inspiration to write and… Read More
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iA is a strategic design agency with offices in Zurich, Tokyo and Berlin. Work with iA to discover new business potential, plan your digital strategy and build efficient products and services.
Script doctors are the forgotten wizards behind every good film. They give it life, direction, meaning, and—most important of all—a story and characters we remember.
We chat wit… Read More
Last week Figma informed us that from August 15th they will opt everyone with a XXX and XXX account to train AI with their work. One day later people started pointing out how that “Mak… Read More
On 4 July Americans will celebrate Independence Day. And so they should, as gloomy days may lie ahead. But did you know that 4 July is also Alice Day?
To mark the occasion, let’s dive… Read More
Summer is here. Time to slow down, go on vacation, or just give yourself a breather. That also makes it the perfect opportunity to catch up on some postponed reading.
There are plenty of su… Read More
Creative writing is taught to children and students, but it benefits adults just as much. Writing is part of lifelong learning that keeps us awake, clear and connected.
On June 19th, the UK… Read More
Artificial Intelligence has assimilated Microsoft, Facebook, Google, and now Apple. There is no escape: As soon as you open your computer you’re invited to skip thinking and let the ma… Read More
Orlando and Oliver studied philosophy together 30 years ago. Their shared love for philosophy, design, and technology reunited them to discuss AI and the future. This month, their exchange a… Read More
Dropbox finally has a native Files app integration. That means you can now easily use Dropbox with iA Writer across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Windows. It was worth the wait.
Dropbox and iA Wr… Read More
Last week, Apple got into trouble because of an ad. It taught us a lesson beyond the good and evil of advertising and public relations.
The ad showed various objects being collectively crus… Read More
Online sharing is now available in iA Presenter beta for Mac. This update unpacks our vision for a contemporary, frictionless presentation sharing experience.
The upcoming version of iA Pre… Read More
The right visual can attract people’s attention and explain complex matters at one sight. Yet, just as a misplaced joke can ruin a comedy set, boring or inappropriate images can derail… Read More
“In resisting the emptiness of the generated response, I uncover what I previously could not articulate.” The Swiss daily newspaper Tages-Anzeiger interviewed Oliver Reichenstein… Read More
Following the enthusiastic response to our announcement in December, we are pleased to open preorders for the hand-crafted iA Notebook.
Based on the signups in December, 7,500 got notified… Read More
We’re upgrading iA Writer’s integration with Apple Shortcuts today. With 18 built-in actions and 22 ready-made shortcuts, iA Writer 7.1 makes it easy to automate common… Read More
Last week, OpenAI showed off Sora, a generative video engine that produces high-quality 60-second videos. The public reaction pattern redrew the same open-mouthed Ahs and Ohs around the worl… Read More
iA Presenter is nearing its first birthday. We have a big surprise planned for it. Before lighting the first candle, and unpacking the big present, we have an update for you that addresses a… Read More
iA is once again proud to partner with NYC Midnight as a title sponsor for their international 2024 Screen Writing Challenge.
Since 2002, NYC Midnight has organized annual Inspiring Challen… Read More
AI images are quick and easy to make. They look great at first sight, and they quickly replaced the use of stock images. But, like everything cheap and easy, they come with trade-offs. A sho… Read More
The phrase a picture is worth 1,000 words is a well-worn cliche in visual storytelling. Is it true? Where does it come from? And why do we still use words? A critique of the pure stock image… Read More
We are sponsoring the NYC Midnight 2024 Short Story Challenge. This marks our continued partnership with the prestigious literary event.
Since 2002, NYC Midnight has organized each year Ins… Read More
2023 marked a significant chapter for iA Inc. The iA family grew from a single app to three distinct products: iA Writer, iA Presenter, and iA Notebook.
A new way to create a… Read More
As the final gift of this year’s Winterfest, we want to let you in on a secret. We have been working on iA Presenter for iPad and iPhone for some time, and it is now robust enough… Read More
Need to quickly learn or recall Markdown syntax? Our Markdown Dictionary is here to help. It’s a standard macOS dictionary built for the Dictionary app, so it’s compatible with i… Read More
iA Winterfest strikes back with the stuff that films are made of: Write screenplays in iA Writer like a pro—with the iA Fountain template, designed for screenwriters.
Fountain support… Read More
iA Inc is getting into the holiday spirit by donning its Santa Claus outfit until December 25th. Enter our raffle for a chance to receive one of the first few iA Notebooks delivered rig… Read More
This holiday season, we’re excited to introduce the newest addition to the iA family: iAノートブック, the Notebook for Writers.
Watermark lines gui… Read More
The launch of iA Writer 7 was tricky. There were plenty of possible misunderstandings. We needed to make sure that everyone understood what we do and, especially, do not do. How did it go?… Read More
iA Writer dims the text you paste from AI tools. As you edit ChatGPT’s input and make it your own, iA Writer keeps track of what is yours and what isn’t.
The only person that ca… Read More
When ChatGPT came out one year ago, we wanted to know whether and how it could be used for writing. We put it to the test and came up with a careful answer.
This article is part two of a se… Read More
Since the introduction of ChatGPT, adding “AI” to everything has become the dominant trend in IT. We considered AI for iA Writer. But obviously, we had to make sure not to destro… Read More
iA Writer was launched in September 2010. Climbing the AppStore rankings it rang out like Friskies filling a pet bowl. And, the copycats heard that. For years, they wound around our legs, th… Read More
November is around the corner. You look out the window: the weather sucks. The year-end festivities are still two months away. A gloom settles in… Don’t get down, get writing… Read More
Congratulations on reaching the last week of Preptober! You’ve made it to the end. Not to be a party pooper, but we must inform you that this was actually the easiest part of the journ… Read More
Kudos on successfully wrapping up the first week of Preptober! Keep up the great work and if you’re just catching up with us, don’t worry; it’s not too late to start! Now… Read More
As autumn arrives, the countdown to the famous NaNoWriMo challenge begins. In this writing marathon, the groundwork you lay in October Preptober could make the difference between a harsh fai… Read More
Preparing for a writing challenge like NaNoWriMo, or made your New Year’s resolution to write every day? Building a daily writing routine is a decision you won’t regret, but some… Read More
Welcome to the third week of Preptober! How’s the excitement level? Feeling a tad thrilled, maybe even questioning your sanity for taking on this challenge? Or are you feeling overwhel… Read More
iA Writer was launched in September 2010. Climbing the AppStore rankings it clattered like Friskies filling a pet bowl. And, the copycats heard that. For years, they wound around our legs, t… Read More
Starting to write can feel like sucking on a lemon. Here’s a simple way to plan, start and guide your writing: Use numbers to control your journey. For an article that reads well on a… Read More
When Facebook introduced Threads on July 5th, they excluded Europe due to non-compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), an EU regulation effective since May 2, 2023. The question arises… Read More
The first time I heard the word “launch” I had no idea what it meant. I quickly understood that launch day is like test day in school. A day where pain teaches you what you shoul… Read More
You’ve played an essential role during the beta access phase of iA Presenter. Your input has shaped its present design, functionality and price. Now, it’s time to mark a mileston… Read More
Before Christmas, we asked you what you would charge for iA Presenter and you said: “Much more than you!” We heard you, but we don’t quite believe you just yet. Unfortunate… Read More
Soon, you don’t need to write much anymore. Artificial Intelligence will do it for you. With all the free time we will have, we could try to rethink how we learn, work, and how we comm… Read More
As the holiday season approaches, we are excited to present you with two gifts: a letter template for iA Writer and a theme builder for iA Presenter.
A Letter Template for iA Writer
A letter… Read More
Build your own custom theme for iA Presenter, the next-generation presentation tool for macOS.
Theme builder allows you to create custom themes that reflect your brand or personal style. You… Read More
Defining the identity of iA Presenter next to iA Writer was a three-year process that went hand-in-hand with the UI development. Design takes time. Here is how it went, what we learned, how… Read More
We could just ask you how much you would pay for iA Presenter. You’d probably want the lowest possible price. Just as we would like to charge the highest price possible. So what we do… Read More
iA Presenter turns presentations on their head. Its text-based interface cuts creation time to a minimum. The design engine automatically adjusts the design of your slides to your phone, PC… Read More
Like wildfire, emoji spread from text messages into everything we write. Headlines, list items, email subject lines… Your text is boring? Add an emoji! Trying to increase the response… Read More
Presentation apps haven’t fundamentally changed at all since the early 80s. In all that time they’ve never really solved the human side of the problem. As designers, we feel comp… Read More
Our meetings take too long, our presentations feel empty and no one pays attention. Tools like PowerPoint and Keynote shape the way we live and work, and boring slide presentations are part… Read More
In 2010, the original iA Writer introduced focused writing with Markdown. Twelve years later, iA Writer opens the doors to a simple and friendly knowledge management system with wikilinks.
i… Read More
Arriving each workday to fulfill his role at an insurance company in the early 1900s, Franz Kafka was well-liked and respected at work. An invaluable employee who came to be known as his sup… Read More
A slogan is the soul of a brand. But there are a number of mistaken beliefs about slogans. Let’s consider, and reject, 5 of the most popular ones to make your life a little easier.
You… Read More
To help you make better presentations using iA Presenter we interviewed Mark Robinson, a self described “introverted software engineer”, presentation expert, TEDx talker and auth… Read More
What if I said you could purchase a computer that never became obsolete, could process information faster than any computer on the market, never required you to install an update, can make y… Read More
The most influential companies in the world put all their energy into getting us to click, react, and consume. If you work on a computer, procrastination awaits you everywhere, all the time… Read More
No matter how many times developers compare their apps to coffee… apps are not coffee. The question is not: How many coffees does an app cost? It’s: How many apps does a coffee… Read More
If presentations are an important part of your job…
If you can’t sleep the night before you have to present…
If you find presentations a weird and unnatural way to commu… Read More
A piece of writing aiming to be academic must be ‘clear, concise, focused, structured and backed up by evidence’. We believe that Markdown writing tools make it easier to focus o… Read More
First, let us say thank you. In our recent piece, An ADHD-friendly Writing App we asked you to share your experiences with iA Writer. A lot of you have taken the time to answer, and we are g… Read More
After its launch on Mac and iOS last summer and its recent introduction to Windows, Style Check has arrived on Android with version 2.1 of iA Writer. It has been one of our best received and… Read More
There is a ton of specialist advice out there regarding writing for high school and university students with ADHD. Most of these suggest a distraction-free writing environment that allows fo… Read More
Style Check on Windows
iA Writer for Windows 1.4 is now available and it brings Style Check in a free update. We launched Style Check on Mac and iOS this past summer and we have never recei… Read More
Apple will lower its commission to 15% if you make under one million US dollars per year. For small developers, this is fantastic news and overall it’s a good step in the right direct… Read More
Why should Facebook—the biggest beneficiary of the iPhone, its tools, and its infrastructure—pay $99.-, when small developers have to pay tens and hundreds of thousands?
The shor… Read More
This week we published two long posts on Monopolies, the Apple Tax, and Subscriptions. Both articles come to the conclusion that lowering the 30% fee Apple charges developers would benefit e… Read More
Companies selling apps via subscriptions use drama to sell: “Either subscription or we die.” As customers, we don’t like to add more recurring payments to our monthly credi… Read More
Google has built a complete monopoly on search. Amazon uses the sales data of its resellers to continuously expand and solidify markets dominance. Facebook copies the competitors that they c… Read More
Style Check is like a having a personal editor-in-chief on your device, carefully reviewing your text for redundancies, clichés and filler words as you type. It’s simple, differ… Read More
iA Writer for Windows 1.3 is the biggest update the platform has ever seen. It’s available to download right now and comes as a free update for existing users.
Syntax Control
We… Read More
Welcome to the new design of iA.net. We redesigned everything. From the layout, to the font, to the logo. We are preparing for the 15-year anniversary of iA in November and the 10-year anniv… Read More
iA Writer 5.5 for Mac and iOS has arrived. The update adds a powerful mix of functionality and delicate subtlety that will improve your writing workflow.
PDF Preview
When you open the Previ… Read More
2019 was a good year for iA Writer. Sales were good, reviews were good and in the end we got rewarded for our work with the App of the year prize from MacStories. Look at this nice prize:
A… Read More
You’ve waited patiently for it, and now it is here. Version 1.2 of iA Writer for Windows has launched. This release packs in a boatload of improvements, making it the biggest update to… Read More
iA Writer 5.3 is ready for iOS13. It now comes with multi-window support, Dark Mode, and content block improvements.
Hand in hand with Apple’s major upgrade from iOS12 to iOS13, we upd… Read More
People sometimes ask us “What tricks do you designer guys use on your Macs that I don’t know of?” We don’t know what you don’t know, but there are a couple of g… Read More
It seems the times of free online advertising for indies are over. Blogs are not what they used to be, RSS is about to be buried. Facebook is a commercial and moral nightmare, and so is Face… Read More
Don’t you wonder sometimes about sound and writing?
We make music when we speak. When we write, the music is in our head, and typing we play the drums. Being fully immersed in writing… Read More
Combined with a killer outline
iA Writer for Windows came out one year ago. We launched version 2 and called it 1.1. It comes with a cleaner UI, sweeter typography, tighter templates, bette… Read More
Facebook fishing for our email passwords, Roomba is hovering up all the data on our homes, Amazon is listening to our conversations for laughs, Tik-Tok spying on our kids. And that we see so… Read More
As the success of design has become measurable, it has transformed a handicraft into an engineering job. Not the master designer but the user is the arbitrator of good design. The key perfo… Read More
As China is learning from the West, we are slowly becoming Chinese. Here are 16 ideas we should hold onto.
China’s Xi Jinping is in a good mood. He just got approved to be president fo… Read More
You may have heard the best way to deal with the “information overload” is to switch off your device. To take a break from the Internet. Go for a run. Roll out the Yoga mat. Read… Read More
Language has the power to make us understand others, to feel like others through time and space. To almost become someone else. Used as tool, computers can help us amplifying the use of lang… Read More
Language has the power to make us understand others, to feel like others through time and space. To almost become someone else. Used as tool, computers can help us amplifying the use of lan… Read More
Everybody that has an interest in influencing public opinion will happily pay a handful of Dollars to amplify their voices. Governments, political groups, corporations, traders, and just sim… Read More
Everybody that has an interest in influencing public opinion will happily pay a handful of Dollars to amplify their voices. Governments, political groups, corporations, traders, and just sim… Read More
Bitcoin rose from 1,000 to 19,000 in a couple of months. Today it fell back to 10,000. If time is money, then what happened to people’s time? Is it lost?
We hear “time is money&r… Read More
Everything around us is designed. Design shapes cities, gives form to houses, sketches and connects spaces; designers define our environment, our things, bodies and minds. Design is politica… Read More
Don’t get too excited. We don’t have it. We tried. We really tried. Many times. The most important ingredient for a Web Trend Map is missing: The Web. Time to bring some of it ba… Read More
Step by step, Facebook has cut out news from its feeds. Since yesterday, it’s official. News will get deprioritized. Why? A take from a small organization that has been designing and c… Read More
Just when it really matters and we should really do what we are about to do we are most vulnerable to distractions. How come? And what can we do against it?
Distractions allow us to delay th… Read More
Just when it really matters and we should really do what we are about to do we are most vulnerable to distractions. How come? And what can we do about it?
Distractions allow us to delay the… Read More
You may have read or heard that the ideal paragraph consists of one thought.1 Clearly, there are various ways to begin and end a thought. One way is to 1) start with a claim or topic sentenc… Read More
The takeover of artificial intelligence seems to be a done deal. The open questions are: When will machines outperform us? Will they annihilate us? And: Should self-driving cars kill one pre… Read More
The excerpts from recent Alan Kay emails are a gold mine. The text itself is a raw cut-up from a series of private emails. Kay argues that fundamental innovation and following objectives run… Read More
Hell just froze over. After seven years of offering no font options to write, iA Writer now comes with a choice. Next to the monospace Nitti you will now find a brand new duospace font. Duos… Read More
