Why I'm Missing the iPhone gold rush
jeff-vogel.blogspot.com
jeff-vogel.blogspot.com
This developer inspires me:
"I have 41 cheap and simple (but useful) apps on the App Store right now and have been growing my catalog since late July. Each app took me less than a day to do. Some days I've cranked out five apps (and no, they are not the stupid "Countdown till Easter, Countdown till Christmas" apps). I easily have pulled $10k/month for the last 6 months in a row, quit my day job, and now do iPhone stuff full time. I have no employees, no costs (besides tax), minimal no-cost marketing, and no time schedule. I work MAYBE five to ten hours per week on this stuff."
I did a little research because I keep seeing that quote posted (which is from Dec. 08, before another 10k apps were on the store). I found his company and products:
http://www.ethanproductions.com
Mostly random saying generators, annoying sounds, picture shows, and a bunch of useless shit that's just not sustainable in the long-term. It's obvious to me his #1 intention was to rush a bunch of junk to the store simply to turn a sale, and nearly every app is rated 1 or 2 stars. He may have been getting $10k a month off unsuspecting customers in the past, but I highly doubt he'll see annualized sales over $100k. And I doubt he's still getting $10k in revenue.
If this is something that "inspires" you, then maybe you should reconsider your priorities if you have hopes of being the type of entrepreneur/hacker that wants to make a meaningful impact in the world.
I think inspiration does not always have to take 100% of the original story - part of it can do it (e.g. it's hard to replicate someone's exact formula) - this reasoning is along the lines of if you compare yourself to another person - you should compare everything, not just the job, etc. (e.g. making it logically absurd to compare yourself to another human being).
This is something that takes time to build and structure for true sustainability, period. You have to plan for more than a years worth of work if you're really interested in having that type of stream from the AppStore as it matures and pollutes. There will be cases of one-hit wonders for indie shops (especially in video games) and the major blogs will cover it, but make no mistake about it — it takes work.
The developer who was making $10k a month is likely no longer making that amount. He also has a reputation of producing 'junk' applications by his former and future customers (star ratings mostly 1-2), and will have an extremely difficult challenge in the coming months IMHO. So in a sense, his greed and desire to cut corners has poisoned his long term sustainability.
My company and partners are looking at the upside of our product revenue across 3-5 years, not 3-5 months. We're maintaining 4 premium apps (+ 1 junk app), and have roughly 4 new apps we'd like to introduce this year. Our existing products have features that will take over a year to build in and mature, but we're in this for the long haul. This seems to be in line with the thought and actions of the companies that inspire us such as TapTapTap, AppCubby, Polar Bear Farm, Tapbots, Tapulous, and Smule to name a few.
It's two different approaches to building a revenue stream, I know our approach will last longer once it's well established.
It's the high level of crap that keeps me going; I have to be able to do better than that.
1. Make a multi-player, network enabled version of Risk.
2. Point me at the technologies I'll need to make it myself.
Currently, the only Risk in the market is called Lux Touch. As such, it's great -- but there's a lot of room for improvement. It only supports a single player vs computers, doesn't save game states, and only has the generic Risk map.
http://sillysoft.net/lux/touch/
(I am just a periodic addict)
Works in mobile safari.
You'll need to be invited to a game to play, which I can do, but I dont really play much anymore.
Incase?
Or, more likely, one of the ad networks.
The iPhone is the best platform to develop games right now and it will get better.
Early settlers will get the best land.
See you in a couple of years looking for a 500 sqft one-bedroom flat in iPhone land.
Where is the evidence that "early settlers get the best land"? To the contrary, iPhone apps seem to be largely hit-driven; their revenue streams dry up once they fall off the charts. I'm guessing that the author's contention is true: that most iPhone games do not pay off for the time invested.
Once you develop a beautiful game it will be there for a week, a month, or a year from now, even a decade or more.
There might be some cheap knock offs which can sell but there will be few professional looking apps that can last forever and those who get the early lots will be the real winners.
"most iPhone games do not pay off for the time invested." again, one week of work may be worth thousands of dollars if you know where to dig.
Like everything, there will be people raking millions and the majority won't see a dime. When the AppStore hits the billion download mark, one billion dollars will be in the pockets of the few who used their brains, and not those who waved the pioneers from the sidelines as they passed by while heading west.