iPhone Apps FAQ
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This InfoBeans FAQ tries to answer some very common and basic questions regarding development of iPhone apps, their cost, distribution and copyright.
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iPhone Apps FAQ
- 1. InfoBeans Mobile Development Prac6ce iPhone Apps and their development FAQs
- 2. << About Aim of this presenta6on • iPhone is a rela6vely new pla>orm and many of us are not aware of the pla>orm, its capabili6es, the way Apple works and so on. This presenta6on aims to help answer some of these ques6ons 10/10/09 2
- 3. << FAQs What is an iPhone app? • An iPhone app is a program that runs on your iPhone. It enables you to accomplish a certain task • They could be u6lity apps, games, enterprise apps, entertainment apps, apps to access your bank account etc • As Apple says – there is an app for everything • Some popular apps are – Facebook – social networking – Doodle Buddy – drawing – Pandora Radio – radio on your iPhone – Yelp – restaurant reviews 10/10/09 3
- 4. << FAQs How do I get these apps? • Install iTunes (soTware from Apple) on your Windows or Mac computer • You create an account on iTunes 10/10/09 4
- 5. << FAQs Why should I build an iPhone app in the first place? • It has become a great new marke6ng and distribu6on mechanism that can give your business a whole new way of transac6ng business and geXng your brand known in front of millions of users • iPhones are the market leaders in the smart phone segment • The iPhone user group is the most influen6al buying demographic – Students – Execu6ves and professionals – Enthusiasts • The iPhone has become a great device to surf the internet, play games, interact with social networks and transact business • The iPhone has unique features that your app can take advantage of • Most apps made for the iPhone also run on the iPod Touch, thereby further increasing the market you are catering to 10/10/09 5
- 6. << FAQs How do we build an iPhone app? • iPhone apps are built using technologies from Apple – Cocoa framework – Objec6ve C – Tools supplied by Apple to develop, test and distribute 10/10/09 6
- 7. << FAQs What do I need to tell you, if I want to start building an app? • To start building an app – Sign an NDA with us – we want to protect your idea – Talk to us about your idea – Enumerate the features that you would like to see in your app – We will get back to you with what it would take to build the app – Enlist a budget – Priori6ze the features that are cri6cal • Once we receive the informa6on from you, we will give you a budget and 6me line • We will work with you at each of the above steps to achieve your business objec6ve • We do not have a set “requirements” template. We encourage you to just write your idea as either a mind map or a bullet list 10/10/09 7
- 8. << FAQs Who submits the app to the App Store? • We can, or you can • We will gladly help you submit the app to the app store • You can use our account, but we recommend that you use your account – it is just befer, cleaner and gives you more control • If your app is a paid app, you have to use your own account. We will s6ll help you submit the app to the App Store • It generally takes a couple of hours to actually submit the app 10/10/09 8
- 9. << FAQs Do you charge a recurring fee? • No, we do not • Our fee is a one 6me fee, that covers the cost of design and development or whatever we commit to you in the SOW. • Once we do our part of the work, there are no recurring fees that we charge our clients • If you want us to do extra work – feature addi6on, maintenance etc, we will let you know in advance what the costs will be 10/10/09 9
- 10. << FAQs Do you sign an NDA? How do I protect my idea? • Yes, we will gladly sign an NDA – and actually encourage signing it • This is a mutual NDA that protects all stakeholders • We will not run away with your idea – it is not how our business works. We build apps for our clients. We very rarely put our own apps on the App Store • We will not disclose your idea to anyone outside our organiza6on • We have a reputa6on at stake and we will do all to maintain our stellar reputa6on 10/10/09 10
- 11. << FAQs How much will it cost to build my app? • Again, it depends, on what you have set out to build • It can cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars • We will gladly give you a discount if – You agree to prominently credit us in your app and your website – You contract with us to build more than one app • Talk to us – we will help you build an app well within your budget. Our clients are oTen surprised by our pricing. You could be as well! 10/10/09 11
- 12. << FAQs How do I distribute my app? • Once your app is built, you submit it to the App Store for review and approval from Apple • Once Apple approves, it appears on the App Store in iTunes • It can be downloaded from there • You can send your friends a link to the app • You can put the link on Facebook, Twifer etc and let the world know about your app 10/10/09 12
- 13. << FAQs Is my idea already on the App Store? How can I find out? • Search on App Store (in iTunes, top right, there is a search bar) using keywords that could be related to your idea • You will know if an app like yours already exists • But do not stop there – See if your app can be built in a befer manner – See if you can market your app befer – if you do not know about that app, chances are that it is not marketed properly • Talk to us – we might be able to help you differen6ate your app or build something that is befer, or even give you 6ps on how to market your app befer 10/10/09 13
- 14. << FAQs Do you help in marke6ng the app? • Yes, we do • We can help you create a marke6ng strategy around your app • What’s more, we will help you with your idea to – Make it viral – Incorporate marke6ng elements that can help your app generate direct or indirect business – Integrate your app with your exis6ng website to reinforce your distribu6on mechanism 10/10/09 14
- 15. << FAQs What happens aTer the app is submifed to the App Store for review? • Apple reviews the app and will approve it or reject it • It generally takes anywhere between 7 – 28 days (some6mes more, some6mes less) to get a response • Apple might get back to you asking for more informa6on • Apple review policies are not known, but they oTen do check for bugs (app crashing), copyright infringement, explicit material (adult content) etc • We, as developers of the app do not have any control on the approval process – we can just guess • If your app is straigh>orward and does not violate any copyrights and does not have any adult content, it should get approved 10/10/09 15
- 16. << FAQs What does Apple charge for submiXng the app? • Nothing • You do need an account on the Apple AppStore for which there is a one 6me $99 fee. • You can upload any number of apps aTer you get this account 10/10/09 16
- 17. << FAQs Is there a recurring app hos6ng fee that Apple charges? • No • You do not get charged anything for free apps • For paid apps, apple gets 30% of the cost of the app, each 6me it is downloaded. You get 70% 10/10/09 17
- 18. << FAQs How do I know how many 6mes my app has been downloaded? • Apple provides you monthly, weekly and daily reports • They also provide you with other informa6on like loca6on the app was downloaded from, date and 6me etc 10/10/09 18
- 19. << FAQs Will my app be approved by Apple? • Most likely it will • Some of the reasons it might not be approved are – Explicit adult content – Bugs – Trying to recreate the iPhone func6onality in your app to circumvent their own apps – Use of unpublished APIs • This is not an exhaus6ve list. Apple is not consistent in its approval policies • We cannot guarantee it, no one can 10/10/09 19
- 20. << FAQs What if my App is not approved by Apple? • Well, hard luck • Apple some6mes gives reasons for why it has not been approved. We can help you analyze the situa6on and work with you to find a solu6on • There is only one genuine Apple App Store, so you cannot really take your applica6on elsewhere 10/10/09 20
- 21. << FAQs How do I know if my idea is feasible or not? • We help you do a free ini6al feasibility study • In most cases, we can tell if your main idea is feasible or not before we start the app • If we cannot determine feasibility earlier on, we will let you know upfront how much it will cost to determine feasibility and then proceed to build the app 10/10/09 21
- 22. << FAQs Can the same app be used on other mobile phones? • The exact same app cannot be used as is on other mobile phones • But we can help you port the app to other pla>orms like the Blackberry, Android or Windows Mobile • Generally the cost of por6ng is lower than the cost of building the first app, as you can reuse the logic and some por6ons of the code as is 10/10/09 22
- 23. << FAQs What is the difference between a web app and a na6ve app? • A web app runs inside a browser and always needs an ac6ve internet connec6on. It is wrifen in HTML and JavaScript • A na6ve app runs on the mobile opera6ng system and takes advantage of the hardware’s features. For the iPhone it is wrifen in Objec6ve C 10/10/09 23
- 24. << FAQs My app needs to talk/interact with my external website/database. Is that possible? • Yes, it is possible. The app can talk to another website/ database • It is done, mostly by building a webservice that accesses the data for the iPhone and sits on your server • iPhone apps can also consume RSS feeds, XML data and hfp feeds 10/10/09 24
- 25. << FAQs Can I create a lite and a paid versin of my app? Would it cost a lot more? • Yes you can and in many cases you should • The lite version allows you to give your customers an opportunity to try out your product before they decide to by. This is a good idea to promote sales and en6ce users to buy • If built correctly, the cost should be incremental, rather than a whole lot more • Talk to us. Once we know your requirements, we would be able to give you a befer answer 10/10/09 25
- 26. << FAQs How do we manage updates to the app? What happens if I wanted to add a new feature? • Updates are built and posted to the Apple App Store for review • Apple can approve or reject an update • It takes 6me for Apple to approve or reject an app • One should update the app for feature addi6ons and bug fixes • Many people update the app for geXng fresh data into the app, but that should be avoided • Apple does not charge for submiXng updates to the app 10/10/09 26
- 27. << FAQs Once you develop the app, who owns the app? • You own the app • We hold rights to the app only 6ll we are paid in full • Once we receive our payment, all rights are automa6cally transferred to you as the owner of the app • You can choose to modify the app at will once you own the app’s source code 10/10/09 27
- 28. << FAQs Will I get the source code to the app? When? • You own the app, it is your source code • As soon as you pay us, the rights to the app are transferred to you and we send you the source code • You can modify the source code at will 10/10/09 28
- 29. << FAQs Will you help me upload the app to the the App Store • Yes, we will • We will use your account to upload the app to the App Store for review by Apple • You will have to provide us your account creden6als • Please note that we have no control over the review and approval process itself. That is in the hands of Apple 10/10/09 29