IOS app success is a lottery: 60% (or more) of developers don't break even

Re:IOS app success is a lottery: 60% (or more) of developers... by cageface on Friday May 04, 2012 @07:10PM (#3930733)

I have two iPad music apps in the store that both had long stints in the "what's hot" section and one was as high as #13 in the US music category and #7 in the UK.

When I consider how much time they took to write I would have been much, much better off spending that time on oDesk contracts at $20/hr, and don't even talk about what I could have made on a real developers salary in that time.

Selling your own apps now is a fool's game. Apple trumpets the successes because it helps them sell hardware.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:IOS app success is a lottery: 60% (or more) of developers... by notJim on Saturday May 05, 2012 @05:51PM (#3933390)

Did you make too few sales, or not enough money per sale?

Perhaps the iPad music category is too niche, unless you can justify a high price-point.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:IOS app success is a lottery: 60% (or more) of developers... by cageface on Saturday May 05, 2012 @08:26PM (#3933698)

Hard to say. As other people have reported, total profit seems to be loosely correlated with price. I sell more at lower price points but total revenue is similar.

Some music apps make do really well but they're generally much less complex and technical than mine.

[ Parent | on HN ]