31–40 of 59 posts
I'm only a college student, and I'm excited to join the fray.
I know its a bit trendy, but I am making a living off of iPhone apps. I don't have any smash hits but have been maintaining a fairly consistent income since I published my first app last December. Right now I am trying to ramp up the number of apps I have and my goal is to match my previous salary at a "hot, young internet startup" in the valley (which is in the throws of death, i think) This was my first experience…
I'd love to write an iPhone app, but I don't have a Mac. I really wish Apple would open up development for *nix/Windows users.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd love to write an iPhone app, but I don't have a Mac. I really wish Apple would open up development for *nix/Windows users.
If you're going to undergo the effort of writing an app, it seems that the cost of getting a Mac Mini is peanuts compared to that.
What else do I need to do iPhone dev? Won't I need some sort of actual device aside from an emulator?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you're going to undergo the effort of writing an app, it seems that the cost of getting a Mac Mini is peanuts compared to that.
I bought a Mini for ~ USD $700 (and got a free-but-for-tax printer!) to test my own desktop application (JotBot, a time-tracking tool). What else do I need to do iPhone dev? Won't I need some sort of actual device aside from an emulator?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I bought a Mini for ~ USD $700 (and got a free-but-for-tax printer!) to test my own desktop application (JotBot, a time-tracking tool). What else do I need to do iPhone dev? Won't I need some sort of actual device aside from an emulator?
Pick up an iPod Touch - it runs pretty much all of the apps that the iPhone does, but you're not stuck with the monthly charge from AT&T. I'm using a Mini for iphone/ipod dev work, and the ipod touch works great.
Mac mini's are great, or pick up an old model macbook. I would also highly recommend the book "Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X".
I'm trying. I wrote AutoScreen ( http://www.16software.com/autoscreen ) about a year ago, and I'm getting 2-3 sales a month -- the majority of those sales seem to come from small businesses -- with $0 in advertising (can't afford it, to be honest). I've been kept fairly busy adding new features for my users, but it's time to focus on another app, because 2-3 sales/month is definitely not enough to survive on. For me,…
Honestly, if I was a customer I would have closed down the page within second not even trying to figure out what you're trying to sell. I hope you take this as constructive criticism. Good luck!
1. Most products have a short self life. Think of all the iPhone apps. In 5 years we will probably be on the 3rd version and there will be lots of new features. If the application critical it is likely that the feature will be built into the iPhone at a later date or a free version will come out. If it isn't then it will reach market saturation and then the sales will die off.
2. You can make the sales increase by releasing a new version and fixing bugs. Depending on the application this can extend it's life by a number of years. You will also need to learn how to market your application. Do you want to spend time learning about internet marketing, seo, mailing lists, adwords, etc? Some people find it fun. Other people hate it.
3. Think of all the applications that you were using 5 or 10 years ago. How many are you currently using that you paid for?
4. From what I've seen there are two different ways that you can try to make money. Either make a product that people really need NOW and try to hit a home run and make a couple of hundred thousand dollars and if possible sell it to someone else before you reach market saturation. Or try to make try to link the product to a service. If you can make a service and make $10 profit then you only need 500 subscribers and you'll make a good living.
I know its a bit trendy, but I am making a living off of iPhone apps. I don't have any smash hits but have been maintaining a fairly consistent income since I published my first app last December. Right now I am trying to ramp up the number of apps I have and my goal is to match my previous salary at a "hot, young internet startup" in the valley (which is in the throws of death, i think) This was my first experience…
There's been a lot of press about these blockbuster iphone apps that rescue poor developers from poverty and change their lives. That's all well and good, but I think there is a more realistic middle ground that people should be aware of.