The Mac App Store Won’t Make You Rich • Hacker News Board

Re: The Mac App Store Won’t Make You Rich

#91

Post by kapeli » Tue, Jun 16, 2015, 6:45 PM UTC

This is complete bullshit. My app (Dash) has been in the Top Grossing on the USA Mac App Store at pretty much any rank.

There's a huge difference between climbing to the top and then instantly failing and actually staying at the top.

A full day in Top Grossing on the Mac App Store gives you something like this:

Ranks #10 to #20: at least $2-4k per day. Ranks #30 to #80: around $800-1k per day. Ranks #80 to #150: around $500-$800 per day.

All sums are after Apple's cut. They fluctuate a bit depending on the day of the week.

I make more than the mentioned $454 per day at ranks of around #200.

My revenue report from last year can be found here: https://blog.kapeli.com/my-year-in-review-2014.

Re: The Mac App Store Won’t Make You Rich

#92

Post by thebouv » Tue, Jun 16, 2015, 6:47 PM UTC

Karunamon wrote: post #38

thebouv wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not what all the articles and media are telling me. I can spend almost no time on an iOS app and make myself rich. Even kids can do it. According to the hype. So it must be true.

I'd be curious where you're getting any kind of hype that states "I can spend almost no time".

I'm curious how you haven't seen any miracle articles of the kids who just learn iOS programming in a week, spend a few hours on a game, and make serious cash. For the longest time those were coming out weekly, which always made my boss say "Why can't we do that?"

Re: The Mac App Store Won’t Make You Rich

#93

Post by s73v3r » Tue, Jun 16, 2015, 6:53 PM UTC

kapeli wrote: post #91

This is complete bullshit. My app (Dash) has been in the Top Grossing on the USA Mac App Store at pretty much any rank. There's a huge difference between climbing to the top and then instantly failing and actually staying at the top. A full day in Top Grossing on the Mac App Store gives you something like this: Ranks #10 to #20: at least $2-4k per day. Ranks #30 to #80: around $800-1k per day. Ranks #80 to #150: arou…

Don't you think that you're probably a special case, rather than a typical example?

Re: The Mac App Store Won’t Make You Rich

#94

Post by synthmeat » Tue, Jun 16, 2015, 6:53 PM UTC

kapeli wrote: post #91

This is complete bullshit. My app (Dash) has been in the Top Grossing on the USA Mac App Store at pretty much any rank. There's a huge difference between climbing to the top and then instantly failing and actually staying at the top. A full day in Top Grossing on the Mac App Store gives you something like this: Ranks #10 to #20: at least $2-4k per day. Ranks #30 to #80: around $800-1k per day. Ranks #80 to #150: arou…

I appreciate your transparency about your business model/data, amazing functionality and regular updates of Dash.app, no-bullshit attitude over maintenance of official docsets, and your involvement in the community.

Kudos all around and, while it ain't $2-4k, I hope you appreciate my sincere 'thanks' today.

Re: The Mac App Store Won’t Make You Rich

#95

Post by synthmeat » Tue, Jun 16, 2015, 6:55 PM UTC

s73v3r wrote: post #93

kapeli wrote: post #91

This is complete bullshit. My app (Dash) has been in the Top Grossing on the USA Mac App Store at pretty much any rank. There's a huge difference between climbing to the top and then instantly failing and actually staying at the top. A full day in Top Grossing on the Mac App Store gives you something like this: Ranks #10 to #20: at least $2-4k per day. Ranks #30 to #80: around $800-1k per day. Ranks #80 to #150: arou…

Don't you think that you're probably a special case, rather than a typical example?

He didn't imply he isn't - quite contrary - but simply indicating non-factual premises and conclusions of the article.

It's shit article.

Re: The Mac App Store Won’t Make You Rich

#96

Post by s73v3r » Tue, Jun 16, 2015, 6:56 PM UTC

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #56

ThomPete wrote: post #50

I have been lucky and is doing fairly well with Ghostnote on the mac app store. My product is also lucky to be the only one of it's kind as far as I am aware, which means no competitor and plenty of room to grow it. However I learned the hard way how dysfunctional the Mac App Store is mainly because Apple ignore it compared to the iOs app store and because their Sandboxing is so opaque it's hindering a lot of good in…

> top 5 in productivity apps. Mobile purchasing is ruled by iOS in the states, at least. Desktop purchasing, especially in regards to productivity, is ruled by Windows. Those fancy macs you see everywhere are little more than dedicated facebook machines. Those people are interested in your product, generally. Or if they are, it'll be for their work computer and paid for by the IT department. Do you have a windows ver…

"Those fancy macs you see everywhere are little more than dedicated facebook machines."

No more than any other Windows machine.

Re: The Mac App Store Won’t Make You Rich

#97

Post by kapeli » Tue, Jun 16, 2015, 6:59 PM UTC

s73v3r wrote: post #93

kapeli wrote: post #91

This is complete bullshit. My app (Dash) has been in the Top Grossing on the USA Mac App Store at pretty much any rank. There's a huge difference between climbing to the top and then instantly failing and actually staying at the top. A full day in Top Grossing on the Mac App Store gives you something like this: Ranks #10 to #20: at least $2-4k per day. Ranks #30 to #80: around $800-1k per day. Ranks #80 to #150: arou…

Don't you think that you're probably a special case, rather than a typical example?

Every app is a special case, yes. I was just saying that the numbers in the article are not real. Redacted (the app) didn't stay in the top grossing rank enough. It just climbed and fell.

Re: The Mac App Store Won’t Make You Rich

#98

Post by bdcravens » Tue, Jun 16, 2015, 7:00 PM UTC

ceejayoz wrote: post #51

bdcravens wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone purchase it for iPhone that hasn't made the investment elsewhere?

That's a bit of a goalpost move, isn't it?

In what sense? The question is would anyone pay $20 for an iPhone app and I'd say no, unless there's external value. (Though I did pay $49 or whatever back in the day for the TomTom app when it was the first GPS app available on the iPhone)

Re: The Mac App Store Won’t Make You Rich

#99

Post by kapeli » Tue, Jun 16, 2015, 7:13 PM UTC

synthmeat wrote: post #94

kapeli wrote: post #91

This is complete bullshit. My app (Dash) has been in the Top Grossing on the USA Mac App Store at pretty much any rank. There's a huge difference between climbing to the top and then instantly failing and actually staying at the top. A full day in Top Grossing on the Mac App Store gives you something like this: Ranks #10 to #20: at least $2-4k per day. Ranks #30 to #80: around $800-1k per day. Ranks #80 to #150: arou…

I appreciate your transparency about your business model/data, amazing functionality and regular updates of Dash.app, no-bullshit attitude over maintenance of official docsets, and your involvement in the community. Kudos all around and, while it ain't $2-4k, I hope you appreciate my sincere 'thanks' today.

Thank you! <3

Re: The Mac App Store Won’t Make You Rich

#100

Post by ceejayoz » Tue, Jun 16, 2015, 7:22 PM UTC

bdcravens wrote: post #98

ceejayoz wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a bit of a goalpost move, isn't it?

In what sense? The question is would anyone pay $20 for an iPhone app and I'd say no, unless there's external value. (Though I did pay $49 or whatever back in the day for the TomTom app when it was the first GPS app available on the iPhone)

The question was "Who would pay $29.99 for an iPhone App?" I gave an example of a popular one, as do you with TomTom. Disqualifying it because it's most useful coupled with a desktop version is the goalpost move.