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My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report

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Re: My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report

#31
Hi Pierre, competitor here :) As to your query about

Perhaps a good alternative is to create two apps: one free with IAP and one paid (but I don't know if Apple is still OK with this).

We do this with our primary education maths apps[1], one version unlocked fully and paid (marketed as 'for schools') and one with a certain amount of content free and more unlock able with IAP. Apple have not had a problem with this.

[1] http://eurotalk.com/apps/en/age3-5/maths/

Re: My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report

#32
post #29

A local school recently voted to introduce iPads into schools. Immediately following the vote, there was a huge backlash from the parents about why the school thought it was a great idea to give a platform for messaging and gaming to their kids. I wish more parents and educators actually understood the benefit and potential of computers in classrooms. Thank you for helping the cause in a huge way!

The issue in schools is that older kids are smarter that the teachers and can fool them to do what they want on the iPad Or simply they can the hack the device to do what they want - there was a big story in LA schools about this - but I believe it is learning as well no ? I remember I learnt a lot about security and Unix when I was hacking the network of my university 20 years ago :-)

Re: My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report

#33
post #31

Hi Pierre, competitor here :) As to your query about Perhaps a good alternative is to create two apps: one free with IAP and one paid (but I don't know if Apple is still OK with this). We do this with our primary education maths apps[1], one version unlocked fully and paid (marketed as 'for schools') and one with a certain amount of content free and more unlock able with IAP. Apple have not had a problem with this. […

yes it is still an open question for me. There are many big brands that don't do this - why ? I think everybody is experimenting in kids'app world - it's not clear as in games where (consumable) IAP are very profitable.

Re: My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report

#34
Hey Pierre,

Thank you for this post. First, because I use your apps with my kids and they love them. Almost certainly one of the reasons your applications sell is because they are very good. It was recommended to me by a relative who is a teacher and I know she recommends it to others. These types of applications are the reason I purchased a tablet device: I am a very stingy person, but if a tool will engage my children in learning, I am happy to separate with my cash. (we use the app with our kids together)

Second of all, it is just good to have this perspective on the market potential for a well made app. I'm disappointed about the Android market, I hope it improves.

Re: My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report

#35
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think my luck is that I was here at the beginning of the /marketiPad. I was not thinking the market would grow so much. Using the Montessori name was not a big marketing plan actually (I was really dumb about marketing 3 years ago - just check the name of my company, it is really not good - especially for the US Market!). It was just because the concept was coming from a Montessori activites my homeschooled daughte…

I'm not familiar with Montessori and the search results regarding what it is are confusing. Is it a company that produces educational products that haven't been "digitized" or a theory/method?

It's not a company, it's a teaching method/movement. The word Montessori is the name of it's originator (died 1952,) and it is used freely by anyone who uses the method:

In 1967, the US Patent Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled that "the term 'Montessori' has a generic and/or descriptive significance."[24] Therefore, in the United States and elsewhere, the term can be used freely without giving any guarantee of how closely, if at all, a program applies Montessori's work. The ruling has led to "tremendous variation in schools claiming to use Maria Montessori’s methods."[25]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_method#Use_of_Monte...

Re: My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report

#36
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think my luck is that I was here at the beginning of the /marketiPad. I was not thinking the market would grow so much. Using the Montessori name was not a big marketing plan actually (I was really dumb about marketing 3 years ago - just check the name of my company, it is really not good - especially for the US Market!). It was just because the concept was coming from a Montessori activites my homeschooled daughte…

I'm not familiar with Montessori and the search results regarding what it is are confusing. Is it a company that produces educational products that haven't been "digitized" or a theory/method?

I went to a Montessori school from about age 3-5. The classroom was organized into stations. It was a bit like doing a workout circuit going from machine to machine, but the stations were educational.

Some of the activities I remember are:

- Pouring water from a pitcher into cups.

- Learning to tie shoes. There was a frame with laces, where you would tie the knots 5 times.

- Learning modular division - The teacher would ask what is 25/7, and you would have a bead board and a sack of beads and discover the answer is 3 R4

- Ordering tuning forks by pitch

- Reading station

Re: My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report

#37

Hey Pierre, Thank you for this post. First, because I use your apps with my kids and they love them. Almost certainly one of the reasons your applications sell is because they are very good. It was recommended to me by a relative who is a teacher and I know she recommends it to others. These types of applications are the reason I purchased a tablet device: I am a very stingy person, but if a tool will engage my child…

Thanks ! Yes it's not a secret that the best way to market app is word of mouth but the issue is really to get a large user base so that it works. Happy to read that you play with your kids with my apps - I'm always thinking about that when I do an app because it is very important for me.

Re: My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report

#38
post #33
post #31

Hi Pierre, competitor here :) As to your query about Perhaps a good alternative is to create two apps: one free with IAP and one paid (but I don't know if Apple is still OK with this). We do this with our primary education maths apps[1], one version unlocked fully and paid (marketed as 'for schools') and one with a certain amount of content free and more unlock able with IAP. Apple have not had a problem with this. […

yes it is still an open question for me. There are many big brands that don't do this - why ? I think everybody is experimenting in kids'app world - it's not clear as in games where (consumable) IAP are very profitable.

I think it's mostly because it's harder to market two apps than one. From my experience (I'm also developing educational apps for kids), what makes an indie iOS app a success is more and more determined by Apple's decision to feature it, and going up in rankings. With two apps, it'll be twice harder to get in the top 10, and you'll have to choose between one of them to be featured.

Re: My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report

#40
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yes it is still an open question for me. There are many big brands that don't do this - why ? I think everybody is experimenting in kids'app world - it's not clear as in games where (consumable) IAP are very profitable.

I think it's mostly because it's harder to market two apps than one. From my experience (I'm also developing educational apps for kids), what makes an indie iOS app a success is more and more determined by Apple's decision to feature it, and going up in rankings. With two apps, it'll be twice harder to get in the top 10, and you'll have to choose between one of them to be featured.

Our Maths stuff has not been featured (not counting What's Hot, which is algorithmic as far as I can tell), yet it has hit top grossing in the category in a few major stores.
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