Who writes iphone apps?

Posted this in the essential iphone apps thread, but no one seemed interested. I have an idea for app that does not yet exist and really want it made just for my own use, but also think it would make money in the store if correctly executed. However, I have no mac and no previous programming experience, so what's the best way to farm this out? Anyone done this? Or made their own?
 
1. If you have an idea then when it does hit the store, if it's good then within a couple of months there will be carbon copies of it unless it has IPR and you can protect it globally.

2. As a 'business model' it sounds like you want someone to develop it without payment and then support it (as warrantee requires this) as you're not the named developer then you're also no liable for any legal aspects (not that I'd suspect you'd get that for the price range of the apps). So are you prepared to give up all rights to the developer so he/she can recover their costs from the sales at the store?

Just a couple of points.

You will need someone to develop it, the risk you have is that you have no experience to select an "able" developer. Also you will need to bear the financial risk - all the developers would ask that you pay their costs up front and then pay a % of the income for maintenance. Note the developer has the code.. the developer has the account to iTunes.. the developer in all purposes owns it should any of this go against him (ie you don't pay etc) so you need contracts etc drawn up by legal people that know what they're doing (and you know it too).

In short, in a company startup they hire someone with the knowledge todo this. Failure todo this usually results in a failed product..
 
NickK said:
1. If you have an idea then when it does hit the store, if it's good then within a couple of months there will be carbon copies of it unless it has IPR and you can protect it globally.

2. As a 'business model' it sounds like you want someone to develop it without payment and then support it (as warrantee requires this) as you're not the named developer then you're also no liable for any legal aspects (not that I'd suspect you'd get that for the price range of the apps). So are you prepared to give up all rights to the developer so he/she can recover their costs from the sales at the store?

Just a couple of points.

You will need someone to develop it, the risk you have is that you have no experience to select an "able" developer. Also you will need to bear the financial risk - all the developers would ask that you pay their costs up front and then pay a % of the income for maintenance. Note the developer has the code.. the developer has the account to iTunes.. the developer in all purposes owns it should any of this go against him (ie you don't pay etc) so you need contracts etc drawn up by legal people that know what they're doing (and you know it too).

In short, in a company startup they hire someone with the knowledge todo this. Failure todo this usually results in a failed product..
Click to expand...

I dont really think there is any way to protect it, as it is a utility app. So really no IPR and I think could very easily be copied. Which I guess means it has limited shelf life, but I'd just like to see it out there really.

I was kind of hoping to be able to split the 'project' straight down the middle with someone who could code the app itself without upfront payment and then we'd both collect 50/50 (whatever that may be) from the store sales, but as you mention this might come up with some problems, although I'd be very happy to do this with someone from OcUK if anyone is out there?

Do you think I would be better just going through something like MEDL AppIncubator and be happy for anything I get, rather than trying to approach an independent developer? It seems like everywhere else will require a large startup sum.
 
Hmm there's also the tehnical viability - ie is what you want todo actually possible (rather than feasible). The reason I say this is that the iPhone application is effectively placed in it's own sandbox and can't touch other apps or apple software except through the SDK APIs (otherwise your app gets rejected).

I don't mind talking over the idea in private and give you pointers but I'm not really looking to get into developing applications atm.

You have an idea - have you created a specification for it? i.e. how you'd expect the user to interact as a set of "use cases"? The developer and you should then go through these as flesh/discuss the technical feasibility and the priority. These are sort of a storyboard of each way you'd attempt to do something. The number of features, complexity and other aspects can get large but that's the point - get you to stop and think things through..

There's the aspect of graphics too and usability - most individuals that are developers aren't graphic artists and the result can (a) be amateur looking and (b) have the usability that only a geek with wind point south-west on a wednesday morning could understand. :D
 
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Burned_Alive said:
Do you think I would be better just going through something like MEDL AppIncubator and be happy for anything I get
Click to expand...

I would read their T&C carefully..

SUBMITTER will receive 25% of all gross revenues (Gross Revenues are proceeds received by MEDL after app store commission is taken out) generated AFTER the “break even” point for their application (break even is defined as cost paid by MEDL (or born by MEDL in any way) to develop and market application.
Click to expand...

So you don't get anything until they've covered their development costs.. and you don't have any say over those costs prior to signing the contract. This means they can create an inflated cost, cream off the top and you only get 25% of profit afterwards - they get 75% of the money once they've covered their costs...

...lets say that again...

If an app costs them £5K, they quote a price of £10K for costs.

Your app makes £15K, so you see nothing until the application has got to 10K (however long that takes). Then on the remaining 5K, you get 25% (1,250) and they get 75% (3,750).

So out of your 15K you make 1,250, they make 8,750 profit..

There's also timelines too - how long do they maintain the product in the app store? What happens if the application does not break even? Are you liable to pay their costs minus the current sales or do they bear all risk?

After you submit it - who owns the IPR and the code base?


If you want someone just to build it and make a bit of dosh, then sure MEDL sounds one way to go about it. However I get the feeling that you wish this to give a decent return..
 
NickK said:
Hmm there's also the tehnical viability - ie is what you want todo actually possible (rather than feasible). The reason I say this is that the iPhone application is effectively placed in it's own sandbox and can't touch other apps or apple software except through the SDK APIs (otherwise your app gets rejected).

I don't mind talking over the idea in private and give you pointers but I'm not really looking to get into developing applications atm.

You have an idea - have you created a specification for it? i.e. how you'd expect the user to interact as a set of "use cases"? The developer and you should then go through these as flesh/discuss the technical feasibility and the priority. These are sort of a storyboard of each way you'd attempt to do something. The number of features, complexity and other aspects can get large but that's the point - get you to stop and think things through..

There's the aspect of graphics too and usability - most individuals that are developers aren't graphic artists and the result can (a) be amateur looking and (b) have the usability that only a geek with wind point south-west on a wednesday morning could understand. :D
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, I will probably take you up on that and run it by you. I essentially have the whole app designed in my head and could put this down on paper easily enough. I have actually wondered if it is technically viable, due to the fact that it hasnt been done yet.

NickK said:
I would read their T&C carefully..



So you don't get anything until they've covered their development costs.. and you don't have any say over those costs prior to signing the contract. This means they can create an inflated cost, cream off the top and you only get 25% of profit afterwards - they get 75% of the money once they've covered their costs...

...lets say that again...

If an app costs them £5K, they quote a price of £10K for costs.

Your app makes £15K, so you see nothing until the application has got to 10K (however long that takes). Then on the remaining 5K, you get 25% (1,250) and they get 75% (3,750).

So out of your 15K you make 1,250, they make 8,750 profit..

There's also timelines too - how long do they maintain the product in the app store? What happens if the application does not break even? Are you liable to pay their costs minus the current sales or do they bear all risk?

After you submit it - who owns the IPR and the code base?


If you want someone just to build it and make a bit of dosh, then sure MEDL sounds one way to go about it. However I get the feeling that you wish this to give a decent return..
Click to expand...

Interesting thoughts, certainly an angle I hadn't really considered. I believe they would own the IPR and code.

I think I'm realistic, if I could code myself then I might expect a decent return but unfortunately it's not in my skillset. So I'd kind of just like to see the app out there, if I can make any money doing it then brilliant and if it can make a lot of money then even better!
 
Lol just reread the post... that could be "flesh out"... it's late and my brain has long since departed!! My email is in trust btw.
 
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Also with MEDL, just discussing "submitting" the idea means you agree that they own the idea. So if they choose to reject it or wait till later, then you can't take it elsewhere.
 
To the OP, why don't you give an idea what sort of things your app will have to do, without giving away your secret sauce? 3D graphics, 2D graphics, connecting to a server somewhere, using GPS etc. Someone on here maybe able to help
 
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