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App Rot

marco.org

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Re: App Rot

#21

Post by x0x0 »

baddox wrote: post #6

I use my iPad at least an hour a day before falling asleep, and I am pretty happy with the apps. The YouTube app seems to be under heavy development, and while they often break little things, they also fix and add stuff quickly. I really enjoy YouTube on the iPad and I spend a lot of time there. Likewise, the Google Maps app is great on the iPad. Most of what I said for YouTube applies to Google Maps. Twitter and Twe…

do you have an iphone? In my (sample size me, so 1) survey (=P), tablet usage plummeted after I got a nexus 5 and my phone screen wasn't so damn tiny

Re: App Rot

#22

Post by coldtea »

kayoone wrote: post #5
justinpaulson wrote: post #3

I always thought this was an interesting topic. I think it really leaves the door open for developers. I remember thinking a few years ago that most of the app ideas I had were already implemented, but now when I look for those apps I see that a lot of them have grown stagnant and opened the door for new players in the same space. On the OP though, I think it is unfair to bash apple so much. Most of the apps I find a…

Those apps are abandoned because its increasingly hard to reach any visibility (and thus success) in the App Store, even if you sell for a ridiculously low price. The risk on not even making back what you invested in time to create a really good and polished app is immense when looking at the stats. So yeah, there is room for new guys to find out its not a sustainable business these days, unless you have a superb app…

>Those apps are abandoned because its increasingly hard to reach any visibility (and thus success) in the App Store, even if you sell for a ridiculously low price.

Not necessarily. Lots of very celebrated and nice selling apps are abandoned just as well. This, for example, was a top seller in its day, and was all but left to rot:

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2009/09/the-best-camera-iph...

I have lots more example of similar abandonment. Some developers went in for cashing out, and couldn't bother afterwards.

Re: App Rot

#23

Post by josephlord »

nl wrote: post #17

This is interesting and it begs the question: is now (finally) the time where HTML5 app development makes sense - at least for some applications? The technology is pretty good, and the single code base for iPhone, iPad, Android and Web makes it as tempting as it ever has. More importantly, now it lets you diversify your sources of revenue. That wasn't important when it was easy to make money in the AppStore, but - ma…

Assuming that you don't have a hot on your hands even tripling[0] the profit doesn't make you that much. If you do get a hit you can get it properly ported or spend the time to do that.

That means that if the chances of getting a hit product are at all assisted by going native it is probably the right move. Having said that for puzzle games and things the HTML route may be the best and if your experience is JS that may be a reason to go that way too.

[0] Suspect truth is lower.

Re: App Rot

#24

Post by tonyedgecombe »

nl wrote: post #17

This is interesting and it begs the question: is now (finally) the time where HTML5 app development makes sense - at least for some applications? The technology is pretty good, and the single code base for iPhone, iPad, Android and Web makes it as tempting as it ever has. More importantly, now it lets you diversify your sources of revenue. That wasn't important when it was easy to make money in the AppStore, but - ma…

It isn't really a technology problem.

Re: App Rot

#25

Post by olalonde »

0x0 wrote: post #4

Seems like the centralized app store model with week-long reviews and free-to-play IAP-addiction-reliefs has lead to a proper race to the bottom. When you have to peddle your wares in a crowded spot next to a million clones which are free or $1-2, with no proper way to do trials or paid upgrades, and you also have to take the full risk of development upfront with a chance for being rejected during final review, it se…

What's IAP (IAP-addiction-reliefs)? Sorry, I'm a bit slow today... "In App Payment"?

Re: App Rot

#26

Post by jacquesm »

olalonde wrote: post #25
0x0 wrote: post #4

Seems like the centralized app store model with week-long reviews and free-to-play IAP-addiction-reliefs has lead to a proper race to the bottom. When you have to peddle your wares in a crowded spot next to a million clones which are free or $1-2, with no proper way to do trials or paid upgrades, and you also have to take the full risk of development upfront with a chance for being rejected during final review, it se…

What's IAP (IAP-addiction-reliefs)? Sorry, I'm a bit slow today... "In App Payment"?

In-App-Purches.

Re: App Rot

#27

Post by golergka »

> Top lists reward apps that get people to download them, regardless of quality or long-term use, so that’s what most developers optimize for.

Actually, that's where the in-app purchases come in. As every free2play game developer will tell you, the key to good monetization is updating your app and engage the community. Produce new content, throw seasonal promotions and sales, fix bugs, keep the game alive.

That's exactly because you care about the overall LTV of the user, not the download event — and, as free2play developer, my task is not to lure the user to pay $1 to download it, but to convince the user to pay while he's already in it. There are developers that buy installs for $10 a piece from a certain sources, and they make a great profit out of it — just because once the user gets there, he'll pay more. Not because anyone will force him to; it's impossible to force the user to do anything, we don't a gun to his head — but because he wants to.

May be the app developers, too, will finally go to the same route?

Re: App Rot

#28

Post by yoodenvranx »

I really wish there would be a section in all app stores which shows a randomized list of "good" apps. I am not sure about exact criteria, but thede should be a good way to discover good and often downloaded apps which are not in the top 10.

Re: App Rot

#29

Post by thaumasiotes »

coldtea wrote: post #19

TL;DR; 1) In a store with close to 1 million apps, a lot of them aren't actively developed anymore or updated to the latest iOS. (DUH!) 2) Hard work and effort are not automagically rewarded with large sales. (DUH!) 3) Not all hundrends of thousands or millions of app programmers competing with each other can live by their app income alone. In fact, few can. (DUH!)

> 3) Not all hundrends of thousands or millions of app programmers competing with each other can live by their app income alone. In fact, few can. (DUH!)

This doesn't deserve your "DUH!". It reflects the fact that making these apps is easy. If it were so difficult or time-consuming that hobbyists starved trying to get an app done, everyone in the app store would be living on their app income.

Re: App Rot

#30

Post by Ntrails »

walterbell wrote: post #7
0x0 wrote: post #4

Seems like the centralized app store model with week-long reviews and free-to-play IAP-addiction-reliefs has lead to a proper race to the bottom. When you have to peddle your wares in a crowded spot next to a million clones which are free or $1-2, with no proper way to do trials or paid upgrades, and you also have to take the full risk of development upfront with a chance for being rejected during final review, it se…

Why aren't developers choosing to build PC apps instead? Stardock said that their worst-performing PC game earned more revenue than most iOS or Android apps for which they could obtain revenue numbers. On PCs, it is still possible for developers to sell from their own website, without paying a 30% fee to a platform app store. PCs may be a numerically smaller (hundreds of millions vs. billions of devices) market, but…

I don't know what steams cut is, but I suspect most indie developers are willing to pay it for the benefits it can offer in terms of distribution
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