

Part-time apps developers getting rich - asp742
http://9to5mac.com/iphone-apps-developers-rich

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DenisM
You can always find someone who does well and make a news article out of it. I
didn't do nearly as well. :) My take on it is that you can succeed in the
following ways:

1\. Have an already established brand in other platforms

2\. Be first in some area (too late now)

3\. Somehow establish critical mass of users to have a lot of
reviews/downloads. Lot's of reviews - top ratings - lts of eyeballs.

4\. Have an app that people show to each other and thus make it popular (like
a fun game).

5\. Have some really unique features (they will get duplicated though)

For example, there is about a dozen apps for managing passwords (with
encryption to protect against loss of the iphone). The three that have most
reviews, and thus are most popular, are the ones that have estalished brands
on Palm, Windows Mobile or Desktop Mac (eWallet, SplashId and 1Password).
Others are lingering around (like my Memengo Wallet) with hardly any attention
at all. I expect a race to the bottom with brand-names standing on their
customer loyalty and thus selling for small sum aroud $3 while no-names will
go for free.

Which brings me to the point I wanted to make here: writing software is easier
than making people use it, even if Apple handles the sales transactions.

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ashu
_2\. Be first in some area (too late now)_

I don't think that will be true. Ever. You can always innovate.There are
always new things to do. Or old things to do in new ways. Or so says the
idealist in me.

But your other points are really good, especially the marketing one. Just
making a very solid app isn't good enough for the iPhone platform. You need a
carefully thought out marketing strategy.

Edit: I guess the marketing part is true about everything you do.

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DenisM
There is limited amount of things which people look at for 1 second and say
"oh, I get it". Most of these things are likely already represented. Things
that require 5 seconds until the "I get it" moment will require some incentive
to spend those 5 seconds - either sky-high ratings, friends advising, known
brand etc.

~~~
ashu
True. Until somebody comes up with something and you go "Doh, how come I did
not think of that?!" or "Man, that was just genius..."

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Tichy
Yes, but the talk here was about a crosswords application, not a strike of
genius.

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maxklein
Now we all feel bad that's we're not making $2000 a day too. Thanks a lot!

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tocomment1
Ugg, I just want to get into the program. I applied two weeks ago. Has anyone
heard anything on how long it takes, or if they're even accepting new
developers for the app store?

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cubicle67
I applied day 1, was accepted the day the 3G was released. I'm working on a
game in the evenings; here's my blog for anyone interested in its progress
<http://daves-game.blogspot.com/>

We're (I have 4 kids) moving to the other side of the continent in a few
weeks, so things are likely to be on hold until we're done.

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13ren
The developer gets 5.99/4.2 = 70% of revenue. A sensational deal, if you can
concentrate on the non-admin (i.e. interesting/real) stuff.

If software writers are "authors", then it makes sense to have a "publisher".
Surely there's a reason this hasn't taken off before...

~~~
alaskamiller
There wasn't a company as controlling as Apple with an active/growing
marketplace before.

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charlesju
I think this is a pretty clear picture of the power of the iPhone platform.
There are a couple of things going for the iPhone platform that make it
inherently better to develop for than any previously designed platform:

1\. Streamlined distribution. The app store makes it super easy for anyone to
download applications from anywhere in the world. With 8 million sold
worldwide X the amount of bored people trying to kill time by finding a new
toy = a lot of users and downloads. In fact, the iPhone store had over 25
million downloads in the first month.

2\. MONEY! Since iTunes has already a well established user base that has
grown accustom to micro transactions for things like songs and videos, they're
more conducive to impulse buying.

3\. A REAL operating system. While the mobile platform has inherent
disadvantages like screen real estate and control, it makes up for it by
providing a sandboxed platform that has real power over the whole system.

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tstegart
I think you'll see a lot of people have success. Some of it will be because
the App Store gets so many eyeballs, and some of it will be because people
have established customer bases to sell to. But I think its still very
possible to be very successful even if you're still building your application.
You have to realize, that while some people are having a lot of success just
by word of mouth and eyeballs, you can't depend on Apple to do it all. Get out
there, promote your application, get word of mouth and your user base going,
and make a solid app, and you can be up there with any of these applications.
When two apps have comparable features and prices, it all comes down to who is
doing the work outside the App Store.

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chris_l
Can anyone with more iPhone dev experience comment on how realistic that one
opinion is? What apps are you still missing for the iPhone? :)

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aditya
I don't think it's a question of which apps are still missing. The iPhone
platform (to abuse a much abused word) is pretty much in the same spot as the
Facebook one was last year.

This means that even though the early apps will have a definite advantage,
there will always be an opportunity to make a 'better' tip calculator
(contrived example) and new opportunities will open up as the platform
matures.

IMHO, iPhone apps are a much bigger deal than facebook apps since all the
latter seem to do these days is clutter your profile and make you waste time.

So, honestly, go out there, 1\. find a problem (like mass transit directions)
2. solve it with an iPhone app. 3. PROFIT !!!

~~~
chris_l
Thanks, that sounds interesting.

> like mass transit directions

The problem with that is the (potential) specificity for a town, which dilutes
the user numbers. I'm not sure how many I could get here in Munich where I can
test it on a daily basis. Any New Yorkers have ideas for how such a service
should work for their city?

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axod
But the question is, why would you choose to solve that with an iphone app,
instead of just a website?

I can see the point in iphone apps that use features you can't get in the
browser, like access to gps or the accelerometer etc, but other simple apps
seem to be there just because they can be, rather than filling any real need.

~~~
tstegart
ironically enough, an iPhone app would probably be more successful. A website
would require marketing, but an iPhone App does its own marketing, through its
name, icon and the community word of mouth. Plus there are advantages in UI
design that could make a native app more helpful in getting the info quicker.

~~~
ashu
_A website would require marketing, but an iPhone App does its own marketing,
through its name_

This is a myth. And people will realize in a couple months once there are tons
of apps in the App Store. You will need marketing wherever you go. For word-
of-mouth, your app needs to be really stellar. And that is true, everywhere.

I suspect the more appealing part about the App Store is that more people will
want to actually _pay_ for your app right away if you provide them with enough
quality. It feels like the expected payoff with the App Store would be higher
for individual developers this way as opposed to making viral apps on facebook
and monetizing via ads.

~~~
tstegart
I don't think its a myth. Apple really has done a lot of the marketing on
behalf of developers. Everyone iPhone user knows where to get their iPhone
apps. Just that right there is huge. Yeah, you still have to work hard outside
the store, but setting up the location, the trust (no need to worry about
Apple) and the ease of use is a marketing marvel that webapps just don't have.
I think its hard to ignore the advantages. Going above and beyond that will
help you immensely, but at least you don't have to replicate Apple work.

~~~
ashu
Well, I can't deny all of this because it's true. However, it is not very
useful ultimately since everything is relative. _Everybody_ on the App Store
gets these advantages. Yes, there is a central location to look for but when
you have thousands of apps and you are not in the top few, you are essentially
back to the user already knowing about your app.

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watmough
I think we're just seeing the start.

There are still lines for the iPhone at my local Apple Store in the Woodlands
mall, and I am one of the few people at my company that has an iPhone, and we
are an IT consultancy.

The iPhone has not yet taken off.

Things are going to get a lot hotter.

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zandercruise
so I thought, "wow, $2000 a day!, I want to try writing an app for the iphone"
then i realized i don't have a mac let alone an iphone =|

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wmeredith
The devil is in the details...

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icey
I'm still waiting to see the first iPhone mmog.

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felideon
You mean Aurora Feint?

<http://www.aurorafeint.com/>

[http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/07/iphone_apps_we_like_aurora...](http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/07/iphone_apps_we_like_aurora_feint_the_beginning-2.html)

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ibsulon
I like aurora, but unless there's something since I last updated it's just a
mediocre bejeweled clone right now.

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felideon
Good point.

So what would an interesting MMO on the iPhone be like? And how would you
account for lag, disconnects, etc.

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rtfa
It makes sense, actually. If you do programming full-time, your brain is too
tired to think about how to best market your product, etc. When I program too
much for too long, I feel like I turn into a machine myself, finding it hard
to interact with humans.

