Comments on: Trouble in the (99-cent) App Store

By: jake blake, Salt City, Utah

jake blake, Salt City, Utah — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:46:43 +0000

$150-$200 per hour! come on I will develop software for you only $.99 per hour!

By: Vishy,Mumbai,Maharashtra

Vishy,Mumbai,Maharashtra — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:41:33 +0000

We run online iphone training classes at EDUmobile.ORG . This article totally misses the point. The truth is, today, you can get iPhone coders for less than $15 per hour. The talent is there. Just head over to Elance and see. Our students have dreams to setup and sell their own apps and games on the appstore – and this article is discouraging and completely missing the point. If you have an innovative app or game – you can still make a lot of cash.

By: tyler, austin tx

tyler, austin tx — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:13:50 +0000

i think there is alot of room for whatever people want. http://www.phodder.com makes websites into apps now. and i think why not. if the people want it let them have it. if not, they site in teh apple basement. no biggie

By: r alexander graham, buffalo, ny

r alexander graham, buffalo, ny — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:46:41 +0000

Will not a great application, that provides some unique utility that people desire, make itself known on its own, without needing to be featured by apple on any level? Why on earth do those who write programs make one to two hundred or more dollars per hour? Is the learning curve as steep and long as for a brain surgeon? Is real genius required for the programming of anything except the most massive and complex applications? Is there ANY good reason why, any of you would desire to deprive a poor indian person, the opportunity to rise in life by trading his programming skills for $10/hour, in order to protect some random american programmers right to make 100-200$? Is any business that does nothing of any real consequence, worth anything anyways? Does anyone know what specific IDEA is behind the coming internationally ubiquitous app-lication? Do you believe that it will simultaneously appear to be both supernatural, while positively obvious?

alexandergraham@mac.com

By: helmysty, purwokerto, indonesia

helmysty, purwokerto, indonesia — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:08:17 +0000

Dear John Holmdel NJ.

Please read my post carefully, I just suggest " Why developer not just start developing low-end apps, sell it for .99………etc."

So my point here is:

"Don't make high-end apps that cost so much money if they prefer high return, instead just make a low-end apps that required less resource so it required less money too (if they still want to building apps for App Store); otherwise just building your custom apps for another store or for your own store (so you could set up the price on your own comfort price

I don't even suggest selling apps at a loss at all. Coz I think building simple low-end apps doesn't cost so much money coz many developer do exactly that way. But if I had million t-shirts sold out at a nice profit, I would actually be very happy and start thinking investing a part of my profit for researching then manufacturing a better jackets and hope it would be best seller too..

So, are many developers out there selling low-end apps at a loss? I think not.

If many developers start loosing their money building cheap low-end apps maybe App Store not even growing big and bigger everyday, instead it will be growing down slow and slower everyday, shrink small and smaller every minutes coz there is no developer interested uploading their apps there.. and the Store completely CLOSED in a few months..

So my conclusion is : " No pain, no gain.. "

By: Jeff, Surprise Arizona

Jeff, Surprise Arizona — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:07:31 +0000

If a developer is taking a loss on an app do they qualify for a government bailout? Instead of charging more than .99 they should get a part of TARP! I would think the app business is "too big to fail".

By: Juan Carlos de Burbon, New York, NY

Juan Carlos de Burbon, New York, NY — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:19:52 +0000

Dear Mr. Hockenberry (and Chris the MBA):

The market sets the pricing. If you can't make a profit, don't develop it. If people won't pay you more than $0.99, then don't develop it.

It's the market, silly, not Apple.

Marketing 101.

By: Chris Dowd, San Diego, California

Chris Dowd, San Diego, California — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:41:36 +0000

I just downloaded MotionX and am surprised at the depth of the application. Surely the developer can't make a return. So my guess is that they are investing in their business for when there are 200 million iPhones.

Has anyone ever built a business, restaurant, computer store or other without making an investment?

Is it reasonable to expect profits to appear on day one or day seven?

I have dropped a note to MotionX and asked the question. They replied that "We are very happy with the opportunity". SO it probably means that they are losing money but that they are investing in the future?

I'm an MBA and the last time I checked, it takes investment upfront to build any business.

By: Paul London UK

Paul London UK — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:34:47 +0000

On reading all the posts and downloading many apps from free to $9.99. You definitely get more in the more expensive apps. I would happily pay for apps that are great!

However a lot of people here are comparing app design to electricians and doctors etc. Now heres the point they somehow miss. Your work is valued as a developer but in my opinion if you can make $70,000 off a simple app that would seem pretty good going no? Now a doctor cures a hell of a lot more than one person to earn that so in my opinion the software giants are so greedy, and it is good to see a challenge to that well done app store!

By: twunk thunk

twunk thunk — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:33:08 +0000

I'm am pretty good programmer (better than most based on my experience as developer and sysadmin) but can't get a job as a programmer because everybody trying to hire 'boy genius' for pennies on the dollar.

I've paid plenty for junk software from 'big genius SW houses' and now avoid paying for any SW as much as possible.

For that reason I love the app store and the predicament this Twit at twitteriffic finds himself in.

Hell, I'll even get around to writing iPhone SW myself.