Programmers at Ubermind are diversifying their app store loyalties. Once the company's mobile-phone software developers trained all their attention on making applications for the Apple iPhone. No longer.
The 34-person team at Ubermind, maker of the popular iLightr app that creates a virtual flame on the iPhone screen, recently began building apps for a rival mobile-phone operating system. They're now releasing two apps a month for devices based on Android, the software backed by Google, in addition to the five monthly apps they release for the iPhone. "We have no plans to abandon" the iPhone, says Ubermind CEO Shehryar Khan, who says his company's sales have doubled in the past year thanks to iPhone apps. "But we are not going to put all our eggs in one basket."
Of the more than 125,000 programmers registered to create apps for the iPhone, a growing number are branching out to build apps for Android and other operating systems. The Apple App Store is still growing, with an inventory that recently surpassed 100,000 games, e-books, calendars, and other apps. It remains the largest downloadable mobile app store by a wide margin. But the larger the App Store gets, the harder it is for developers to make money from it. That, combined with sometimes long approval times and dismay over Apple's gatekeeping decisions, has led some developers to branch out or switch allegiances altogether.
When the App Store made its debut in July 2008, it was the first. Now developers can choose among plenty of operating systems. Apart from Android, there's BlackBerry App World for Research In Motion devices. Carriers are opening their own stores, too. The App Store's share of mobile app downloads may slip to 20% in 2014, from 70% this year, according to consultant Ovum.
"We Are in This to Make Money"
Android is garnering much developer attention. In October, the number of apps in development for Android jumped 94%, from September, while iPhone app volume rose by a mere 4%, according to mobile analytics firm Flurry. The number of devices running Android is surging, too. By 2012, Android is expected to become the second most popular smartphone operating system after Symbian, leapfrogging BlackBerry, Microsoft Windows Mobile, and the iPhone, according to Gartner.
With Android Market, developers can publish apps in a matter of minutes, without going through a review. And developers say it's a lot easier for users to find an app among 12,000 on Android Market than by rooting through more than 100,000 on the App Store. "We love the iPhone, but we are in this to make money," says Craig Hockenberry, principal at Iconfactory, creator of the hit iPhone Twitter application Twitterific. "It's hard to make money [in the App Store]." Hockenberry recently began investigating making apps for Android, though he hasn't turned his back on the App Store.
At the outset, developers stuck with Apple in part because it's a hassle learning to write code for a new system. But technologies such as Ideaworks Labs' Airplay software make it easier for developers to create apps for multiple systems at the same time. That kind of software "will definitely change the game," says Will Stofega, program manager at consultant IDC.
Ideaworks recently did away with fees for independent iPhone app developers. "We want to send a message to iPhone developers: There's lots of other hardware worth looking at" besides the iPhone, says Ideaworks CEO Alex Caccia.
As other operating systems gain traction, Apple could lose part of its competitive advantage, says Charlie Wolf, senior analyst at Needham & Co. "Their whole advertising pitch is the apps," Wolf says. "The real issue is: Are developers making enough to stay loyal to the platform?"
Apple App Store: Rejection and Delay
For many, the answer is no. To start with, application prices are falling. Iconfactory's Twitterific app now costs $4.99, compared with $9.99 a year ago. Large game makers such as Electronic Arts (ERTS) can spend more on marketing than can smaller design shops. Moreover, developers are making fewer sales, with products lost among the more than 100,000 apps. Larva Labs makes iPhone apps such as PhotoTwist, which lets people warp and twist photographs, but the company can no longer break even on new apps. "Every other app we wrote after [PhotoTwist] got less interest than the previous one," says Matt Hall, co-owner of Larva. "We've spent more time on unique features for these apps." Larva Labs now focuses on Android, he says.
Frustrations over the App Store's lengthy and often arbitrary approval process are also turning developers off. In March, Ubermind received three app rejections in one week alone. Developer SMobile Systems waited a year to win approval for its iPhone app, designed to make iPhone content more secure. Recently hundreds of consumers signed a petition asking Apple to publish two DJ apps that have been held up in the review process. "We are really starting to rethink our options," says Russell Haglof, whose Pajamahouse Studios created a DJ app that's been in review for more than two months. "If you are starting to make a business with a partner that can take two months with no response, it's not a healthy relationship," he says. Unsure of when their apps would hit the store, developers can't market them in advance of release, or even advertise release dates.
Developers say Apple is trying to improve its review process and make it easier for consumers to discover new apps. The company now maintains an online system that lets developers track the status of software making its way through the review process. (No mobile app store is without problems: Developers on Android Market try to game the system by updating their apps daily, thereby boosting their rankings on the site, for example.)
As the leader, Apple has cause to keep as many developers as possible on board. If the App Store loses its allure, so does the iPhone. "It's Apple's game to lose," Wolf says.
COMMENTARY: I have been very critical of Apple's iPhone review process, which often takes months. Apple has also treated their iPhone developers rudely by dragging out payments months as well. This has been another gripe by iPhone developers which this article forget about.
I am finally pleased to hear that iPhone developers plan on developing apps for other smartphone platforms like Android, Symbian and RIM. And it is about time, too. I could use some for my Verizon phone.
Apple iPhone app developers almost have this lemming-like loyalty for Apple. Remember those early Apple "Big Brother" commercials? Hmmm. Sure looks like Apple is the real "Bro" and has been taking advantage, and finally there is a rebellion of sorts brewing in Cupertino.
I have warned Apple iPhone app developers that Apple was quickly morphing into this corporate master, with little respect for their developers. The problem is the iPhone app developers themselves. There are just too damn many of them. Too damn many apps. No wonder nobody is making any money anymore.
In a previous post I did the math, and the average Apple iPhone app makes about $11,000. That's average, across the board, but I will bet you that 20% of those developers, if you believe in the 80/20 rule, are the only ones actually making money off their apps.
No wonder Apple is taking advantage. They don't give a damn. Apple has more iPhone app developers that they will ever need. And the majority, the other 80%, are not making money. When you have 100,000 apps in the Apple App Store, you can get lost. Just how many GPS, casino games, Facebook and Twitter feed apps do you need?
You cannot overlook Apple's huge success. It has been absolutely phenomenal--one success after the other, the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone, and those apps. It fires me up when I hear the:"little people" are being taken advantage of.by their corporate master, the very company that they have helped to build.
People, it is decision time. Should you stay with Apple and put up with all those hassles, inconveniences and lost profits, or move to greener pastures. I think the answer is obvious. However, I wish to caution you. Google is not that much better.
Talk about a corporate master. Google is as bad or worse than Apple. Right now Google offers developers a free ride, of sorts. No lengthy review process, and an opportunity to make more money. BUT, at some point, Google will lay down the law and will become Apple-like. So developer's be weary. .
Courtesy of an article dated November 22, 2009 appearing in BusinessWeek
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