Take just about any activity in which people participate for their own enjoyment – sports, writing, music, painting, etc. – and among its practitioners will be found a selection who are so dedicated as well as naturally talented that they are capable of making the great leap into the world of doing that activity professionally; what is generally termed “turning pro.” It isn’t easy to do and only the best can succeed in accomplishing it; but to those who have what it takes, it is, in a sense, the reward for all the years of hard work and invested passion. Which is why when I learned of a new product from iBird that was created for those who are either professional ornithologists, or bird watchers possessing the dedication, experience, and the dream to become professionals, my expectations for it were high. I was not disappointed – the new iBird Pro is indeed worthy an individual entitled either by academic degree, occupational status, or sheer skill and experience, to be thought of as “a pro.”

In the time in which I have been using the now well-known and highly regarded iBird Plus, I have been profoundly impressed not only by the design and function of the application, but by the number of advances it has incorporated (all, by the way, delivered as updates) that have further expanded the capabilities of the application as a whole. Since my initial download of the application through iTunes, I have witnessed an improvement on the taxonomic Family display and search features, the addition of countless alternative plumage illustrations as well as over 1,800 species photos, the addition of secondary color and sheen to primary species color search, the ability to link directly to iBird news and updates via Twitter, and direct links to photos of every iBird included species on Flickr. All this, I might add, has happened in less than the past six months.

Because of this, prior to actually downloading the iBird Explorer Pro, I was at a loss as to even conjecture as to what could be included in a new product that would push it, as the saying goes, “to the next level.” What I found was quite impressive indeed:

  • The addition of band code searches for quick location of every species. To those unfamiliar with band codes, these are four letter species designations used by bird banders (ringers) and other learned field ornithologists.
  • The addition of the ability to search by song and song pattern; if you can describe a song heard in the field, that description can now be used as a search parameter. As one who spends much time bird watching in forests so thick that the activity is better described as “bird listening,” this is indeed a feature worth the cost alone.
  • A conservation-oriented search parameter using the IUCN Red Book status with details on population trends; quite a valuable addition to any and all desiring to reference bird species not by field identifiers alone but by their respective state of continuing existence.
  • Common species names in either English or French (with the addition of Spanish and German forthcoming); because let’s face it, North America is populated by people who speak languages other than English. German? Well, aside from it being the language we could have all been speaking in the U.S. had an proposal for the nation’s official language been passed back in country’s early years, it is also a primary language in which scientific research results are published.
  • In order to get a look at field marks in greater detail, users have the option to view and pan a full 8 x 10 inch illustration of each species. As the iPhone and iPod Touch units have screens smaller than a printed field guide page, this ability to examine an image as big as a large format printed book is quite an asset.

My favorite feature in the iBird Pro, however, is the ability to limit a search by the month of the year within the state or province; because thanks to a little habit called migration, birds are more often than not seasonal in their appearance for any given area. If I’m in Cape May, New Jersey in July, the ability to filter out species only found there in winter makes the job of identifying what I’m seeing at the moment profoundly easier.

Now, as a denizen of birding forums, list servers, and other methods of modern electronic communication, I have been privy to a few harsh remarks regarding the question of whether iBird Pro should have been released as a new product or whether all it offers should have been given for free as a stupendously large update for iBird Plus. I have two thoughts on the matter, both supporting its release as a distinct new product.

First, the feature set found in iBird Pro is, for lack of a better term, massive. It is the iPhone / iPod Touch application metaphorical equivalent of a comprehensive, highly skilled user program such as Adobe CS4. Most recreational bird watchers do not know band codes or IUCN statuses, nor do they really need to do so. As the addition of such features incurs costs that must be carried within the consumer price, charging users who really wouldn’t be expected to use them would be, to me, unfair. The release of the new iBird Pro as an expansion to product line begun with iBird Plus makes valuable tools available to those needing or wanting them while keeping the original platform available at the established lower price.

Second, and regarding that product line concept, any company wishing to continue in business must develop new products in order to remain viable, to say nothing of achieving lasting success. “One hit wonder” companies will eventually find their product becoming stale and losing customers to new upstarts unafraid to stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before. Take my word as a former product line manager – stand still in the area of product development and you will be trampled in the world’s forward rush. For this reason I find the criticism of the iBird Pro as a distinct new product troubling; the alternative would be to hobble the iBird team to a single product business model. The developer of iBird and his team have proven themselves far too talented to be so professionally limited. Were it the case that the earlier product was to be mothballed and no longer updated I would see the matter in a different light; however as this is by every discernable piece of evidence decidedly not the case, with both iBird Plus and iBird Pro both moving forward in the marketplace together as a product family, I cannot comprehend the “one product only” demands as being sustainable. It is indeed time for the product line to expand, and with an expansion of such quality and vision as that contained within the new iBird Pro, such an expansion should be greeted with admiration and gratitude.