If you own or have had a chance to play around with the
Apple iPhone you probably already understand the appeal of
the phone and its user interface. And it’s not just the
navigation and sleek interface that is the draw, it’s also
the incredible number of applications that can be purchased
and downloaded from the App Store. With literally thousands
of applications being offered for the iPhone you can spend
countless hours previewing and downloading applications.
Making money with an app
Is there really any serious money to be made selling
iPhone apps? There sure is, if your app achieves popularity
among iPhone app buyers. If your app appeals to just 1% of
iPhone app buyers you could realize tens of thousands of
dollars in revenue even after Apple takes their 30% cut.
There is also no rule that says you have to sell your app.
Many companies are developing apps for free distribution as
customer service tools. For example, a leading insurance
provider recently released an app for their customers to
submit claims via their iPhones. If your company is thinking
about creating an app for distribution via Internet or
intranet you may want to consider buying into the iPhone Developer Program.
What you need
First and foremost you need a good idea for an app.
You’ll also need to make sure that your good idea wasn’t
someone else’s good idea last month. The only way to really
do that is to thumb through the app store looking for a
match with your idea. Of course, that doesn’t guarantee
someone isn’t currently developing that same app as you
though there is no way to know if that is the case.
Once you have your stellar idea your next step will be to
become a registered iPhone developer which can be done at http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/start/
register/. Registration gains you access to the iPhone
SDK as well as other development, community and
documentation tools.
Next you will need the tools to develop your app. All
iPhone development must be done in Apple’s Xcode
environment. Once you are registered you can download Xcode
for free at http://developer.apple.com/technology/xcode.html.
Install Xcode and the iPhone SDK then you will have
everything you need to begin developing.
