14 DAY TRIAL // You have a computer and most probably you have iTunes installed on it, right? Just click on the icon and go to the AppStore. What you see there are not just pretty pictures of apps that can do almost anything and amazing games. Those are products made and sold by developers.
As Mac or iPhone users, most of us have probably thought about becoming a developer. I'm pretty sure we all have an idea about what would make a great app or how we could improve something that runs on the phone. But we don't always have the knowledge to do it. These words are coming from a person who is not a developer, but who is working with developers and writing about apps all day long.
Enough room for everyone
It's never been a better time to become a developer. You may think that all the great ideas are taken. That may be right. When it comes to iOS or OS X apps, there's something for everyone. However, that doesn't mean you cannot reiterate and create a better app that does kind of the same thing as another existing app.
Take Podcast players, for example. Apple has one that's free and the major networks or broadcasters have created their own. However, new ones show up all the time. Downcast, Castro, or Pocket casts didn't stop developer Marco Arment from creating and polishing Overcast.
The newest podcast player in the App Store got some traction because the developer did something cool and unexpected. In the app's settings he included a menu that recommends all the other podcast players. No charge, no preferred app. Just a list of Podcast players that gets randomized every time you enter that menu.
Why would someone do that? Because there's enough room for all of them. Yet, there are currently over 1.2 million apps in the App Store
Here's the money
Apple often publicizes the figures the developers make. In a recent report, Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, said that the developers had earned $15 billion (€11.2 billion).
The numbers are really impressive. Did you know that consumers are downloading 800 apps per second and there have been 75 billion downloads from the AppStore alone? The idea is that the more iPhones and Macs Apple sells, the more customers you can get as a developer. Sure, not all these apps are free and the consumers may go for a free app instead of your paid app. But you can still make money using Google Ads or other monetization practices like in-app purchases.
The Apple way of becoming a developer
I was talking to a friend who is an awesome Windows developer. His new app is out, but the customers are not that eager to try it. In order to make and distribute an app you need to run a website, have a secure payment method in place, and advertise your app by yourself. Most importantly, in order for your app to be considered safe, you need to buy a signing certificate for over $120 (€89.63).
He was not delighted to find out that Apple is asking for a yearly fee of $99 (€73.94) just to be part of the developers program. Yet for that fee you get a place in the Mac App Store. There's no need to create a website and no payment system because everything is handled by Apple.
Also, your app gets promoted by the company and the users that already have an iTunes account can purchase it with just one click. If that was not enough, Apple gives away the signing certificate for free. So for less than the price of a regular signing certificate you get all of the above.
If you are thinking of becoming a developer, why not choose to have your app on iOS and OS X?