How Do You Make an iPod App?

The first thing to look at when embarking on any product development or entrepreneurial venture is your goals for the project. Having a vision of what you want to achieve at the outset is an important barometer that will confirm whether the development process is heading in the right direction. When I consult with people who have ideas for iPhone and iPad apps, the question they most frequently ask is, "How much can I expect to make?" Unfortunately, this is difficult to answer. The following factors are unique for each application: Cost to produce, Popularity, People responsible for managing its success. All of these factors contribute to the financial success of your app. Base your expectations on this knowledge and on the documented proof that a wide variety of people are making profitable apps every day: Non-technical "idea people" and entrepreneurs such as the Gabi founders; Independent developers such as Lima Sky and Drift lab; Educators such as Montessori um; Writers such as Sarah Young; Mid-size entertainment companies such as Electronic Arts and Zynga; Large sports and entertainment companies such as MLB and Disney. Good advice on where to start is different today than it was two years ago, when you could launch an app without much promotion and still have a fair shot at getting seen. Today, App Store competition is fierce, and dozens of new high-quality apps are being launched every day. This competitive environment means that ideas must be evaluated and refined to achieve maximum success in the App Store. Have your idea evaluated. Evaluating anything in which you are not an expert is difficult. For example, if someone had an idea for an innovative design for a child's car seat, would that person be qualified to evaluate their own idea? Probably not. They would need to seek out the advice of someone who knows the child car seat niche. That expert would shed light on how to make the idea even better based on their specialized knowledge of the industry. Does your app solve a unique problem? People want to be able to do a lot of things while on the go. Successful apps often solve a problem that is unique to the mobile context. Does the app serve a niche? Find a niche with ardent fans (pet lovers, for example), and create an app that caters to it. Does it make people laugh? This is a no-brainer. What happens with funny apps? They get shared - a lot. Are you building a better wheel? Are there existing successful apps that lack important features or design elements? This is tricky because those developers might already be working on such enhancements. But if you get to market first, you have a good shot.