Lets say you have an idea for an iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad application. You talked with all your family and closest friends who all say its a great idea that either has not been done or is much better than the others out there. You decide you are going to go for it. So…. now what? This is the question I hear a lot, “So how do you… what do I…. where do I… , I don’t know where to start!” Let me see if I can’t help you out.
Lets take a look at the process of getting from point A (I have an idea) to point B (My app is on the iTunes Application Store):
Step 1: Get yourself enrolled in the iPhone Developer Program.
For some of you you are probably asking, “Why? I am not a developer!” The answer is, the iPhone Developer Program does more than just give you the tools to develop an application. The most important thing it gives you is access to iTunes Connect. iTunes Connect is where you will actually submit your completed application for review and posting to the iTunes App Store. Here you also setup your bank account that you want your millions to be deposited into as well as view reports of how many times your app is downloaded.
If you are wanting to develop an app yourself, the iPhone Developer Program gives you access to such things as the iPhone Developer Program Portal, the Apple Developer Forums, the Developer Support Center and, oh yeah, the iPhone SDKs, which includes the iPhone Simulator.
The cost of the Standard iPhone Developer Program is only $99. Also, unless you are a large company who is only going to be developing apps for internal use you do not want the Enterprise iPhone Developer Program. To get the SDKs and start developing for the iPhone Simulator you can sign up and get a free login. But until you pay the $99 you will not have access to iTunes Connect, to submit applications for download, or the iPhone Developer Program Portal, where you can setup your actual iPhone to test the application from.
Step 2: Get your app developed
If you are a developer and have not developed anything in Objective-C and XCode before, this can seem quite daunting (trust me, I was a Microsoft developer for years, I understand the learning curve). The good thing is there are many great resources available to those who are just starting out. There are some great books such as those written by Jeff LaMarche and David Mark (some of my personal favorites). There are also some free videos available on iTunes from Stanford University, just open iTunes and search “iPhone Stanford” and they will be the first thing you see. There are also classes on iPhone Development springing up like the one I am teaching in March (shameless plug, I know).
But what if you are not a programmer? Well fear not my not so geeky friend. Companies that perform custom iPhone development are springing up everywhere. The trickiest part is deciding who to use. The biggest thing is to look at their portfolio. Do they have applications on the app store that you can look at and see some of the work they have performed. Try to look past what the application does and look at how it does it. The developers may have just been creating their client’s idea. So ask questions like: Does the application look good? Not to cluttered? Is it easy to use? Can you use it without instructions? Does it have any of the features you want your application to have? Now that you know that they can actually do the development, the second thing to do is get in touch with them. Communication is extremely important. Especially if the company is not local where you can meet face-to-face. You want to make sure that what you pay for is what you get. Ask yourself questions like: Are they easy to speak to? Do they offer multiple solutions to your problems? Do they ask you knowledgeable questions? Also, if you are concerned about the safety of your intellectual property, ask them for a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). This is pretty standard so don’t feel bad, you are not doubting anyones trustworthiness.
When it comes to hiring a company to do the development, remember the old adage “You get what you pay for”. Now, are there companies that are overpriced? Yes! Are there companies who are just low balling to get the job? Yes! But there are also companies that are good at what they do and are worth the money. For fear of sounding bias, I am not going to tell you what you should be paying for an app. But if you want us to put together a quote for you feel free to give us a call or email (another shameless plug, I know).
Step 3: Get your app on the iTunes Store
Now you’ve got a squeaky clean new app all built and ready to rock the mobile world, but first its review time. You may have heard some grumblings about Apple’s app review process. Try not to worry too much. Apple tries hard to work with you to get your app on iTunes. Keep in mind, they get a 30% cut of your application’s profit, so yes they do want your app to go through. Before you ever get to this point you should have done your research to know if this kind of app has been rejected before. Spend some time on Google and see if anyone has been denied for the same idea. You don’t want to spend lots of money on the next Fracture (look up “Fracture iPhone” on youtube. All apps like this have been rejected.) just to get to the review process and be turned away. If you do get to the review process and are rejected they will tell you why. In most cases you should be able to fix those problems and then resubmit. The majority of applications are accepted and it only takes an average of 4-5 days. Depending on the release date you enter when you submit, your application will hit the iTunes App Store after it is approved.
Step 4: Market your application
With over 130,000 applications currently available on iTunes, what will make yours get noticed. You can’t rely on “if you build it, they will come”. While this has worked for some, you should be more proactive. One of the easiest things is to do some gorilla marketing. This means, tell all your friends, family, coworkers. Blog about it, facebook, MySpace, and Tweet the heck out of it. Another great tool is to make a demo video of it and post it on YouTube. There are also iPhone app review websites popping up like crazy. Try to get in touch with as many of them as possible and get them to do a review of your app. Build a companion website that gives lots of information including testimonials from people who have used the application. These are just a few of the ways you can get your app noticed.
Step 5: Sit back and rake it in!
Okay, so this step is not guaranteed. It is hard to predict how an app will perform. People are fickle. But, we have all heard the stories of apps like Trism and iShoot where the people that made them have quit their day jobs.
I hope that I have been able to answer at least some of the questions you may be having. Please feel free to contact us or comment with any questions.