From Atari ST to Apple Watch
I used to play with coding in Basic on my Atari ST and Atari Falcon as a teen. It was fun and challenging at the same time.
I remember spending hours, days and weekends in my room, typing away at those chunky keys. I made a 2-player Tron game that I was proud of for a while.
It wasn’t great by any means, but it worked. Distribution wasn’t easy those days either. Eventually, I gave up on it when I hit walls I couldn’t overcome.
I realized something important about myself during those early days. I loved the ideas and design more than the actual coding. The concepts excited me.
Thinking about what could be possible got my brain firing. The nitty-gritty coding didn’t hold my attention in the same way.
Since then, I’ve worked in design and built a career around it. I’ve designed apps, websites and brands. Done marketing. Founded startups like Videofy and Minutemailer and helped others grow.
But something was always missing in the background.
I always wanted to build things myself from start to finish. I didn’t want to rely on others who could code when I had the vision.
Maybe that says something about me as a person. I like having control over my creations. I’m a bit of a lone wolf when it comes to projects. I want to see my exact vision come to life, not someone else’s interpretation of it.
I think its also about speed. When I get into a flow I want to see results and not have to wait for someone else to have the time to work with it.
AI has finally caught up to my needs.
Now I can do everything myself without spending years learning to code at an expert level. It feels like technology has finally aligned with how my brain works.
I’ve started coding simple apps for my Apple Watch using Claude. The process has been surprisingly smooth. I’ll be releasing them soon, once my developer account is approved by Apple.
I think the Apple Watch is a good starting platform for AI coding as it is very constrained when it comes to screen size and what you can do, but with a big user base (hundreds of millions sold) and not that many interesting apps available.
It feels amazing to invent a concept, get AI to code it, refine it with prompts, and then see it working on my Apple Watch all within just hours!
The immediacy of the process has rekindled that teenage excitement I felt with my Atari. But now, I can actually finish what I start.
I’m excited to test more ideas in the coming months. I can use my years of experience with design, branding, marketing, and business knowledge. I want to get my apps out there for others to use and enjoy.
There’s something special about creating tools that fit into people’s daily lives.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll make some money too. The app market is competitive, but I think I have unique perspectives to offer.
At least I’ll try. And this time, I have the tools to match my imagination.
