This is a question a lot of people have actually asked me. Apple has done a great job of marketing their app store and according to some recent reports, there are more than 80,000 apps in the app store. A lot of people have made it big by selling their apps on the app store and this has actually fuelled a lot of interest among those who don’t even own an iPhone. Not only individual developers but even big game developers have started to embrace the Apple app store. Not exactly surprising considering the fact that some have even suggested that the app store is going to be as huge as the internet. As exaggerated as it may sound, the app is HUGE and it is able to reach to millions of customers each day. The keyword here is – convenience. It’s just too easy for any customer to browse the app store, search for some keywords, look at a few apps and decide to download it for a buck! And when there is enough interest the volume of customers who are downloading apps is enough to make a developer rich.
So if you are one of the aspiring entrepreneurs aspiring to take the plunge into the world of iPhone apps, let me tell you something – there are 2 ways of doing this. One is the traditional way – you get a mac, get an iphone, learn up objective C, learn up iPhone SDK and start writing apps and of course put it up for sale on the app store. Simple enough! The other way, the not so traditional way is to hire an iPhone apps developer. Certainly you will need to have a mac at the least since you will need to compile your apps and attach your “certificate” that Apple will issue to you when you register as an iPhone developer. But if you think that you even want to eliminate that investment there is a way to do this too! I will be revealing the techniques you can follow based on my interaction with my clients.
The traditional way!
Ok, this is how I started off. Luckily I did have the headstart of knowing objective C. But learning up the SDK is not really the most easiest thing that I have encountered. When I started off sometime in early 2008, there weren’t many blogs or books or tutorials except for some boring literature from Apple themselves. This is probably the reason why there were few developers around and the app store wasn’t really “booming” like it is now. But somehow I got through it thanks to some great blogs and books that I read.
Blogs/Websites that I recommend:
icodeblog
iPhone DEV SDK forum
Of course there are quite a number of other blogs written by developers including yours truly 
! I’ve always had a passion for books and there are a few books which helped me quite a bit on the way too!
Books that I recommend:
Beginning iPhone Development 3
The iPhone Developers Cookbook
If you need some basics then you can start reading the three part series on how to become an iPhone developer.
How to become an iPhone app developer – Part one
How to become an iPhone app developer – Part two
How to become an iPhone app developer – Part three
These are all great resources to get you started on developing your apps. Of course more than developing apps what is important is getting your market research done. Look at what apps are doing well, why are they doing well etc. Next thing you need to figure out is whether you want to put in your app as a paid app or as a free app. There are pros and cons for both which I will be discussing in the upcoming continuation posts of this series. I hope that you will find the above resources to be helpful for your next app development.
I will be discussing the non traditional way of entering the iPhone App business in my next post. Lookout for it! If you would like to be notified about my future posts, do consider subscribing to my RSS feed.
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#1 by Polprav - October 16th, 2009 at 03:47
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
#2 by matblogger - October 16th, 2009 at 12:36
Sure no problem!
matblogger´s last blog ..So you think you are a social media expert?
#3 by Alvin Lim - October 25th, 2009 at 00:44
hi there, came across your blog from google and glad to see another iphone developer from Malaysia. i’m actually starting out….and pretty much a newbie since i’m not familiar with Objective C. I’m more of a Java and Python guy =_=
but yeah, i feel it’s a good (and fun) place to go into.
mmm actually i have 2 questions. hopefully you can answer them. went thru some of your posts but din find any answer.
1- which one do you think i should go for? ipod touch or the iphone as the testing device? i jz bought macbook pro so….i do prefer to get ipod touch. LOL. cheaper! and the apps i’m interested to develop don really use camera and bluetooth function :T
2 – the apple developer program is stated $99 per year. but you wrote $99 one time fee? also, is it true that we need to fax in our payment details to apple? cannot find a fax =_=
hope u can help answer these 2 questions when u’re free.
really appreciate it.
Alvin Lim´s last blog ..Sometimes, shit happens
#4 by matblogger - October 25th, 2009 at 20:54
Hi Alvin,
Thanks for your comments. I have tried to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.
1. For development purposes I believe an iPod will suffice. Of course if you are looking to utilize the call functions, camera or bluetooth then you might want to get an iPhone.
2. Yes you are right, the fee for the developer program is US $99 per year and not a one time fee. And in my case I had to fax in the details to Apple. They sent me a form via email and I just printed it out, filled out the form and sent it to them.
Hope this helps.
matblogger´s last blog ..“Macs can get you laid”
#5 by Tanay Kumar Das - November 20th, 2009 at 01:11
Appealing business iPhone applications can include the capability to accurately monitor income and expenses, effectively organize details, tasks, and contacts, easily convert currency, and more. While there are several business iPhone apps, below is a list of the Top 11 best iPhone applications for businesses.
JustAddMoney Expense Tracker – this business application allows multiple users to track money in real-time. Users can enter receipts, checks, credit card purchases, and cash purchases at the moment of the purchase, customize income and expense categories, transfer money from one account to another, and generate financial reports. Because this is a multi-user application, users can share financial information and get updated instantly upon someone’s tracking entry. This is an ideal solution for businesses requiring constant updating of financial dealings, particularly if colleagues spend from the same account.
Mobile Password Safe – with the advances in technology, it is necessary to have a secure location to store multiple passwords. Mobile Password Safe allows only the user to gain access and passwords are decrypted into the browser, which means they can’t be hacked by third parties. This is the best iPhone application for business professionals with various accounts, codes for computer programs, and other hard to remember passwords. This application keeps passwords organized allowing users to specify labels, categories, and searches. It’s ideal for keeping business passwords separate from personal passwords and it is convenient and secure.
Goal-Tracker is designed to help the business professional reach his or her various goals. This application allows users to enter goals, hold themselves accountable, track progress, and separate and organize personal versus professional goals.
Currency Convert – this iPhone business application offers a quick and easy way to convert amounts of money between 23 currencies. Instant updating with the tap of your finger shows you up-to-date conversion rates on the go. Additionally, you can sort the currencies to keep your most used currencies on top for quick access and convenience.
ACTPrinter – this application is the most innovative and helps save the environment by not wasting paper. It allows a user to “print” any document from a Mac PC to an iPhone or iPod Touch. Essentially, it stores documents electronically so people can take documents with them on their phone and view them easily and conveniently without sorting through a stack of papers.
Timewerks – this is a time-tracking and invoicing application for all types of business professionals. From freelancers to consultants to lawyers to salespeople and contractors, users of this business iPhone application can track billable hours and create invoices. With Timewerks, you can manage and organize the time you spend on various projects and get detailed reports, easily filter through invoices, clients, work items, hours, etc.
iBeam – this application allows you to instantly send items such as contact information and photos directly to another iPhone. iBeam saves time and frustration by allowing iPhone users to instantly “Beam” information to each other as opposed to saying it, repeating it, and typing it into your phone or contact management system.
Ledger – with this, the best iPhone application for businesses seeking a money management application, you can record purchases, money transfers, loans, and receipts. Additionally, you can easily view transactions and details for all accounts, record simple or complex transactions, and edit account and transaction information.
TouchCall – iPhone users can conveniently, easily, and quickly find business information on the go. Say you need the phone number or address for a restaurant you were supposed to be at for a meeting and you’re running late, simply click the easy one-touch buttons on the interface and the information is provided to you.
Task2Gather – this application is ideal for maintaining all your business, personal, and family tasks. You can organize tasks, separate them, and share them with iPhone users and non-iPhone users. Additionally, the tasks are always accessible from your iPhone and your computer. Tasks can be divided into subtasks so you can delegate to colleagues.
Contact Hero – this business iPhone app is more than just a contact manager and online address book. You can collect, merge, organize and manage all your contacts from various contact management systems, such as Outlook, Gmail, or Yahoo!. You can manage your list of calls to make, keep a list of contacts you have made, and keep a detailed list of contact history for each contact. There are various ways to identify your contacts, for example numbers, colorful icons, or country flags. Also, you can schedule email messages to go out to any of your contacts at anytime in the future.
Tanay Kumar Das´s last blog ..My Phone Riches Review-Is it A Scam?