Gain fame and fortune: become an iPhone app mogul
Posted 02.26.2009 at 12:21 pm
20 Comments
Hackintosh Tools of the Trade
Dave Prochnow
See part two on coding your App.
Love it or hate it, it's tough to argue about the success of the Apple App Store. While this venture might be a successful cash cow business model for Apple, how does business fare for the app developer? Pretty good, it turns out.
One of the poster children for successful app development is Joel Comm. Or, as he is better known, the developer of iFart. The sales claims for this little app blew away the competition, with sales of 113,885 downloads during a two-week period in December 2008.
Those are some pretty sobering statistics to digest while standing in the unemployment line. So what's a poor (read: really poor) developer to do? Why, make your own app, right? Not so fast, bucko.
Making an Apple iPhone/iPod Touch app is not a venture that should be undertaken lightly. There are two significant investments that you must be willing to make:
- Financial investment: you will need an Intel-based Mac computer with Mac OS X 10.5.5 Leopard for developing your app, as well as a couple of test devices (preferably both an iPhone and an iPod Touch). Plus, you must be a registered member of the Apple iPhone Developer Program, which costs $99 for the basic edition.
- Time investment: even the simplest iPhone app will take a considerable amount of time to develop. Yes, you could blow a simple app out your posterior in about two weeks' time, but a true sales contender could take a couple of months for development, testing, and distribution.
Granted, there are a couple of corners that you could cut for reducing development costs. You could be a rogue developer and rely solely on the iPhone SDK iPhone Simulator for your app testing. You could harvest the extensive library of Apple sample apps for your code. You could just "blow on your arm" for your app content. Even after all of these cost-saving efforts, however, you are still going to need an Intel-based Mac and a subscription to the Apple iPhone Developer Program.
Hackintosh mini Me: Dave Prochnow
First things first, though; let's build a machine that's able to support the iPhone SDK app development environment. No, we aren't going to create the illegal kind of "Hackintosh," a non-Apple-branded Mac OS X clone computer -- rather, we are going to bundle the lowest-possible-cost Mac computer development platform. Be forewarned, this project will void your warranty.
My first attempt at creating an iPhone app dev system was housed on a 16GB CompactFlash media card. There are many sites that will guide you through this process. Unfortunately, this system wasn't stable enough to reliably code a major iPhone app.
My second attempt at creating an iPhone app dev system was a complete success. Furthermore, the investment (on my part) was minimal, because I already had many of the components on hand. Here is the complete laundry list for building your own Apple-based iPhone app dev system Apple-based from scratch.
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I have a great idea for an iphone app, but I have school and other stuff to do, is there a place to find iphone app developers?
from Laurel, MS
when is part 2 going to be coming out??
becerra, i'm an iphone developer, whats your idea?
I have some ideas for an app? How do you create them?
greiss122, I have some ideas I would like to speak to you a about, can i get some contact information. Do you have a portfolio of work?
Here is my idea:
make an app that allows you to use the inteface of different kinds of iPods: like a picture of a nano, and you can circle your finger on the button and it would scroll. Also allow them to play music and stuff like it would look like on a real nano.
Interesting article - I started my development with a Mac mini as well since I thought it would be the cheapest option. Eventually, I had to get a laptop though.
@monkeywhizdube - that is a pretty cool idea. Have you had any luck getting a developer to help you?
- MattjDrake
- http://howtomakeiphoneapps.com
Looking for someone to help with a killer app idea for a fun and challenging mathematical game that could hold big potential.
Hi Greiss22
Re: Pet-friendly lodging application for iPhone
We are the largest publisher of pet-travel information. We would like to investigate converting our database into an iPhone app.
Please contact me as soon as you can.
Harvey Barish
barish1@earthlink.net
Hi i have a good idea for a app, is there anybody who can help me build it? i beleve that this is a fab idea and is a deffo must... cheers Scott.
How about free as the cost to make an iPhone app. And how about you develop it and get apps for Blackberry, Samsung, LG and Nokia too.
Try eyemags.com to create you own apps for free and download them for free too. The apps are content apps and therefore simple, but if that suits your idea then it might suit you.
I would be interested in developing an iPhone App for my website. Could you contact me at AJSherr@comcast.net if you can do this work or have suggestions for finding an individual who can create Apps. Thank you
Blog Post
We are pleased to announce NewAppIdea.com (www.newappidea.com). NewAppIdea is simply a meeting place where people with new app ideas can connect with expert app developers.
After reading article-upon-article about people turning their app ideas into app store success stories, we became frustrated with our inability to find a developer to turn our own app ideas into a reality. We also sensed that we were not the only people out there with great ideas and searching for app developers. From that experience NewAppIdea.com was born.
There’s no cost for those with app ideas or app developers to become members of the NewAppIdea.com community. Users simply post their app ideas on NewAppIdea.com, app developers bid on the opportunity to develop those ideas, and users can pick and choose which developer they want to work to create their apps.
We welcome you to visit and comment about our site.
The NewAppIdea.com Team
New App Idea | App Idea Development
Hi - I, too, am interested in bids to develop an iPhone app - but mine would be less interactive, and more informational/reference. I wrote and published a book that is completely copywrited, called "Set Up to Fail: 100 Things Wrong with America's Schools." Each page is a synopsis of a different school problem. Many people hate schools and so might find this of interest. It would be similar to the app for "100 Ways to Motivate Others," "The Louvre," and various horoscope apps. Don't know if many would pay for it, but not sure how you make money on free apps - linking to future purchase? You may contact me at loftuskp@aol.com. Thanks.
Check out www.bigforge.com. Use LocalBeacon to build your app, no programming, no apple review time, have you app ready for download in just a few minutes. Full social networking (facebook, Twitter) integration in apps. Easy to build from websites!
Hey! I’ve taken this tutorial to another level. Check out this link on your iPhone or browser. I’ve taken what the api gives, and expanded it a little more.
Welcome to gucci2sale.com, in here, you can find all kinds of fashion replica Gucci handbags
I am looking for an App developer as I have and app idea that could yield significant income. The app is not currently available after doing significant research. This could be built for worldwide use. Thanks for your comments.
Greiss 122, would love to talk with you. I have a great idea for an app, but don't know where to start. Please contact me so we can discuss. dw32730@yahoo.com
The hype about app makers making a ton of money has spawned an industry of people seeking to strike it rich. Often we come across folks who don't have a clue as to how their app (idea) will help solve a user's pain point (or entertain users). They are cluless with regard to marketing the app. They seem to be living under a rock. If you have an iphone app idea, please research if there's a market for the app, learn how much it costs and how long it takes to make an app. If it doesn't sound promising, don't waste your time and money. There are better opportunities to pursue.
Raj
www.impigertech.com
Also check out www.PhoneFreelancer.com if you have an iPhone app idea but don't know how to program it yourself. Its a site that hooks you up with an iphone developer for free.