Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I must be crazy

splinter.com.au

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 130 posts

Re: I must be crazy

#11

Post by jere »

bhousel wrote: post #5

>I’m going to make, market, and hustle my iPhone apps like my life depends on it Why can't I find a link or description to them anywhere in your post? I’m the breadwinner with a wife and daughter to support, My wife is due to have our second child in 8 weeks, We’re currently building a house, and the builder’s bills will soon arrive I may be the only person to say it, but I don't think quitting your day job at this t…

I just noticed a subtle link to apps on the top right of the site: http://splinter.com.au/pages/apps

I'm a little less concerned now that I see he has actually made some apps, but it still kind of freaks me out just reading this post.

Re: I must be crazy

#12

Post by jmitcheson »

Where in Australia are you? There are some good meetups for startup guys. Join one of them; it will make it easier for you socially I think. I'm going along to Silicon Beach Melbourne tomorrow night.

Re: I must be crazy

#14

Post by cageface »

I’m going to make, market, and hustle my iPhone apps like my life depends on it.

I've been doing exactly this for the last year and I'm very close to switching my focus back to web development. From what I can tell the easy money in the app store is long gone and conditions do not favor the lone developer now. I have two iPad apps that frequently appear in the "What's Hot" list for music and if the revenue they generate is any indication most of us would be better off working as fry cooks.

The web gives you so much more insight into your potential customer's behavior that I think that alone might make it a better bet for a solo dev.

If you do decide to go solo I'd strongly recommend you hire a professional designer. Aesthetic standards are very high now and from what I can see pretty graphics matter a lot more to the typical iOS app buyer than features.

Re: I must be crazy

#15

Post by hopeless »

Amy generally doesn't advise leaving your day job either (disclosure: I've been through her 30x500 course).

Having said that, I'm in a similar situation (sole bread winner, 2 kids) and I'll probably be handing in my notice this week too. It's partly because the job was causing me debilitating levels of depression that I just couldn't work in my spare time. I'm planning to work as a freelance rails developer (got my first client on board already) and work on my 30x500 product.

I found Jonathan Fields' book 'Uncertainty' quite enlightening and motivating.

Re: I must be crazy

#16

Post by chubs »

bhousel wrote: post #5

>I’m going to make, market, and hustle my iPhone apps like my life depends on it Why can't I find a link or description to them anywhere in your post? I’m the breadwinner with a wife and daughter to support, My wife is due to have our second child in 8 weeks, We’re currently building a house, and the builder’s bills will soon arrive I may be the only person to say it, but I don't think quitting your day job at this t…

You're totally right. And also, some have pointed out (quite correctly) that amy and patrick recommend starting out on the side, so let me explain further:

* I have enough savings to last a few months if i sell my motorbike

* I'm reasonably well connected and, if all goes badly, getting an ios contract/job in a few months time won't be hard

* I already have a dozen apps on the app store, bringing in between $100-$150 daily

* Due to a recent house move, i'm unable to code on the train any more which used to be brilliant, so my part-time efforts have dwindled.

As for the apps, I really need to make a promo-page for them, the best i can currently give you is here: http://apps.splinter.com.au/

Re: I must be crazy

#17

Post by revorad »

cageface wrote: post #14

I’m going to make, market, and hustle my iPhone apps like my life depends on it. I've been doing exactly this for the last year and I'm very close to switching my focus back to web development. From what I can tell the easy money in the app store is long gone and conditions do not favor the lone developer now. I have two iPad apps that frequently appear in the "What's Hot" list for music and if the revenue they gener…

Distribution seems to me the big advantage of mobile apps.

How's your experience been with getting users for your mobile apps? How does it compare to your experience with web apps?

Re: I must be crazy

#18

Post by chubs »

davidw wrote: post #4

I seem to recall that patio11 built BCC up in his spare time before making the leap. In other words, grab the next vine before you let go of the last one...

You're absolutely right. Maybe i should explain further: I do actually have some moderately successful apps on the app store.

Re: I must be crazy

#19

Post by hopeless »

tocomment wrote: post #9
Schwolop wrote: post #7

Good on ya mate! I'm a fellow Aussie who's just done the same thing - six days to go until I can build my robots full time.

Whoah Robots? Tell us more please.

It's funny how we still have that reaction to robots, when 30years ago it was assumed that we'd all have them living in our homes by now!

Re: I must be crazy

#20

Post by cageface »

revorad wrote: post #17
cageface wrote: post #14

I’m going to make, market, and hustle my iPhone apps like my life depends on it. I've been doing exactly this for the last year and I'm very close to switching my focus back to web development. From what I can tell the easy money in the app store is long gone and conditions do not favor the lone developer now. I have two iPad apps that frequently appear in the "What's Hot" list for music and if the revenue they gener…

Distribution seems to me the big advantage of mobile apps. How's your experience been with getting users for your mobile apps? How does it compare to your experience with web apps?

The #1 problem with the app store for a developer is that it's a total black box. I have no idea how my users find my apps, how they choose them over other apps, or even which aspects of my apps page are most or least effective in enticing them. Contrast this with the kind of insanely detailed analytics you can get on the web now and it's like flying blind.

I suspect most of my users have found my apps via posts I've made on dedicated music-making forums but I can't say for sure.

I haven't tried selling a web app yet but I did port my iPad synthesizer to the desktop and that seems to generate a lot more traffic without much effort on my part.

Post reply on HN