They could just close the app store then. (sarcasm) The market is saturated. But it's also huge, and things move faster then before.
The chances of making a successful mobile app are almost nil
11–20 of 26 posts
Re: The chances of making a successful mobile app are almost nil
#12Just like websites, viral effects play a major role for apps. Both people inviting people, as well as media outlets writing about you. That's how you get your stuff out there, in a market where there is huge long tail.
I agree, unfortunately getting published seems really difficult. I released a Mac app and wrote to every Mac publication I could find - probably 30 - and never received a single response. The app had/has some rough edges and could use some more polish, but it was fairly novel.
Re: The chances of making a successful mobile app are almost nil
#13Your changes of being successful making unsuccessful mobile apps for other people are almost 100%
Re: The chances of making a successful mobile app are almost nil
#14One of the lessons is to move early on new platforms, it's much easier to sell an app in a store with hundreds items than millions and when rank is influenced by sales those early sales really add up. Some of the earliest apps I bought are still listed as top paid apps. The challenge is choosing the right next platform to bet development resources on... Any recommendations?
Looks like crypto is becoming a "platform". Worth looking into.
Re: The chances of making a successful mobile app are almost nil
#15One of the lessons is to move early on new platforms, it's much easier to sell an app in a store with hundreds items than millions and when rank is influenced by sales those early sales really add up. Some of the earliest apps I bought are still listed as top paid apps. The challenge is choosing the right next platform to bet development resources on... Any recommendations?
Alexa!
Are you making apps for Alexa? What are you making? Do you think it's worth it to learn without ML/AI knowledge?
Re: The chances of making a successful mobile app are almost nil
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
Alexa!
Are you making apps for Alexa? What are you making? Do you think it's worth it to learn without ML/AI knowledge?
Alexa Skills don't require any AI/ML knowledge of you; that part's already handled, so getting onboard is very easy. Disclaimer: work on Alexa.
Re: The chances of making a successful mobile app are almost nil
#17It’s not any easier or harder to make money as an independent mobile developer than any other kind of independent developer.
I made a living as a “mobile developer” back in 2008 doing Windows Mobile for a company. I believe in two years if I actually wanted to,I could go from not knowing how to develop for any modern mobile platform, to finding a job as a mobile developer making more than 99% of the independent developers.
Re: The chances of making a successful mobile app are almost nil
#18This was all true 5 years ago. When the App Store was announced, I bought a Mac and learned Obj-C and wrote a few apps. The most successful took off out of nowhere because someone wrote an article about it. It was on the top charts in my category and it paid for my truck, but not enough to retire on. It was a great ride while it lasted. I still get a little residual now and then from it. Maybe enough to buy lunch onc…
Agreed. And sadly, starting about 5 years ago schools started churning out kids that had studied app development, marketing and business models.
And they're still churning them out...
Re: The chances of making a successful mobile app are almost nil
#19It’s not any easier or harder to make money as an independent mobile developer than any other kind of independent developer. I made a living as a “mobile developer” back in 2008 doing Windows Mobile for a company. I believe in two years if I actually wanted to,I could go from not knowing how to develop for any modern mobile platform, to finding a job as a mobile developer making more than 99% of the independent devel…
In my experience, the job market for mobile is significantly smaller, at least in my neck of the woods. Also, working for someone else, even as a contractor isn't ideal. Ideally we would want to own our own product, but as the article states, that's no longer a cottage industry.
Re: The chances of making a successful mobile app are almost nil
#20It’s not any easier or harder to make money as an independent mobile developer than any other kind of independent developer. I made a living as a “mobile developer” back in 2008 doing Windows Mobile for a company. I believe in two years if I actually wanted to,I could go from not knowing how to develop for any modern mobile platform, to finding a job as a mobile developer making more than 99% of the independent devel…
In my experience, the job market for mobile is significantly smaller, at least in my neck of the woods. Also, working for someone else, even as a contractor isn't ideal. Ideally we would want to own our own product, but as the article states, that's no longer a cottage industry.
Why is that “ideal” for everyone? My ideal is knowing that I’m going to get paid every two weeks and sleeping well not caring if the venture I work for goes belly up knowing that I can get another job quickly.
When considering risks, the payout from working for a company is greater. Most of the popular mobile apps require a team of engineers, marketers, and funding.