It's amazing, I thought I would come here to learn things, but instead I am teaching.
Branching projects is hard in XCode? Zip up the project files and back up the revision... in I don't know, a source code repository? LOL!
None of the re-writing is required in Xcode for your app. Design the app, then make it in Xcode. If you have to make revisions to the design of your app, go back to designing it. Most of the code can be re-used, but clearly you haven't finished designing the app yet...
Interesting take on the initial experience. But instead of casting about for blame, it might be better to ask why your processes are going wrong.
This article/blog post is wrong. None of the reasons listed had anything to do with his app store success.
Word of mouth was there: and it was 'don't bother'. If it's an app or game that people have to have, most of these techniques would have yielded different results.
Except for a few: like submitting to websites for review... most of them are looking for cash for reviews, so you get what you pay for.
I haven't seen any games that topped the list that were not worthy of chart-toppers... If games or apps like this were chart-toppers, then the chart wouldn't be worth much.
Could be that Google is viewed as a faceless, godless entity? ;)
Party On! Be excellent to each other.