Niche-first apps are gaining ground on iPad and Apple Watch, showing deep-domain UX beats one-size-fits-all. Three standouts illustrate the trend: ECAD Aura for iPad, a polished Blackjack Flash for Apple Watch, and Anchorly’s collaborative read-it-later flow.
ECAD Aura on iPad is an iPad ECAD app in development aimed at bringing PCB design on the go. It’s designed with Apple Pencil in mind; symbols and footprints can be created, and users can export BOMs, designs, and manufacturing files. The creator also teases an on-device AI assistant to source parts and suggest circuit layouts, with AI features planned to run locally, while step-file generation may use the cloud. [1]
Blackjack Flash on Apple Watch is a polished, watch-first game built natively for the Apple Watch. It emphasizes quick hands, tight UI, and haptic feedback, with 70 unlockable cosmetics and 60+ achievements. Free version caps at 20 hands per day; Premium ($0.99) unlocks unlimited hands and full progression. Monetization relies on free-with-IAP, and Apple’s rules on simulated gambling influenced the design. [2]
Anchorly is a collaborative read-it-later app built around Anchors—topics that hold related links. Anchors can be private or public, and public anchors surface other people’s contributions with de-dupe. Search and related reading let you browse anchors non-linearly, not just in nested folders. The app is free with no IAP and currently not available in the EU. [3]
These niche apps show developers prioritizing domain specificity and hardware-optimized UX, signaling a shift toward purpose-built tools that live well with their hardware. Watch these space for continued updates across iPad, Apple Watch, and collaboration surfaces.
References
ECAD iPAD Aura
Developer builds iPad ECAD Aura; offline AI, exportable BOM; seeks TestFlight testers; cloud step files may be used later soon.
View sourceBlackjack Flash - A polished Blackjack game built natively for Apple Watch
Indie Apple Watch blackjack game, watch-first design with cosmetics, haptics, achievements; free with IAP, EU release ongoing.
View sourceAnchorly — I built a collaborative read-it-later; search + related reading beats nested folders (Free, No IAP)
Anchorly launches collaborative read-it-later using topic Anchors; public dedupe; search plus related reading; EU availability fixed; Telegram noted in progress.
View source