

IPhone Development Costs - malbiniak
http://osxdaily.com/2010/09/07/iphone-development-costs/

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gte910h
Eh, I hear this all the time: It costs 30k min to do an iPhone app! Etc.

My company does mobile development (see profile for email) all day long.

The issue is _letting your dev tell you what can be done inexpensively_ and
starting with that. The hourly ranged mentioned in the article fits exactly
what we charge (although on the lower side), however the time required is way
off base. If you come with fully developed wireframes, etc, they're sure to
include 3-10 things which would take quite a bit longer than an alternative,
or will contain lots of things better put in a version 2 product. What you
want is no approval requirements based designs with a developer you like the
past work of.

Mobile is not an easy platform. It has lots of constraints that normal PC's
and the Web do not have to deal with, and so it's harder to train qualified
devs for it still. However, the projects created on this platform can be done
economically with the correct guidance.

If you try to run the project too completely, try to be too involved, you can
very well get the prices and timelines in that article.

Even if you have the cash to spend 30k on the App: My suggestion, get
something done for the 7-10k range which satisfies part of your original
vision, release, then work on adding more. Iterate on the design you got in
the first version, after you can get solid quotes on the changes in it, and
after you have some revenue to justify additional expense.

~~~
Aqua_Geek
The average rate first mentioned is roughly what we charge as well.
Personally, I think it's absurd that people are willing to fork out that much
money on an app. The gold rush is over, people; look at the recent analyses:
most apps don't make that much money, so unless you're app is "revolutionary"
enough to make it to the lucky Top 100 or it serves some greater purpose than
making you money (ie the Obama app)...

"Mobile is not an easy platform. It has lots of constraints that normal PC's
and the Web do not have to deal with, and so it's harder to train qualified
devs for it still." Personally, I find it much easier to do development for
iOS than for regular Mac OS X. Yes, there are constraints and the workflow is
quite different, but once you get over those I have found it to be a much
easier system to understand.

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kls
_Outsourcing has it’s own pros and cons, and I’ll leave it up to you to decide
if it’s a worthwhile approach for your apps development._

That is pretty bad advice. Baiting with the "outsourcing is cheap" but not
citing the statistical increase in failed projects is a disservice to those
looking for genuine information.

Worse yet taking an easy exit like "I'll leave it up to you to decide" is
punting the responsibility of disclosure. You should either not mention it, or
inform you readers that outsourcing required intricate detailed knowledge in
technical development, or one can loose control of the project, which directly
translates into a higher risk of failure and total loss of investment. It is
also your duty to inform your readers that recovery of funds is impossible due
to the disparity of legal systems and protections afforded under international
law. AKA, if you get ripped off you have little recourse and the recourse you
have is more expensive that the money lost, in regards to sub $200,000
projects.

~~~
zmoazeni
Why is it the author's duty to tangent that far? I'm not a fan of outsourcing
myself, however even I can't deny there are both Pros and Cons that are
evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

It sounds like you're wanting to the article to stray from the original
content and either enter into an anti-outsource rant or ignore an elephant
that everyone knows is in the room.

~~~
kls
Actually the article states that it is cheap and does not address any other
aspects. My point was that it could be viewed as biased and it is a disservice
to due diligence. You infered the rest. It is obviously an elephant that
countless businesses fail to see because the failed project still stream in
day by day.

