Comments on: Two Scenarios

By: Webb

Webb — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:48:41 +0000

Great read, and I totally agree. Home builders only want to build great houses so their reputation will grow and they can build more. Although I wonder if any of these dev companies ever see a great opportunity and offer some kind of deal…I know I would.

Months back I was considering using a dev company to create an app (I’ve since decided to pursue the project independently) and was surprised to hear that they NEVER take interest in the back end. Seems kind of like a waste of talent to me…only building apps for other people and their ideas…but maybe that’s just the “contractor’s mentality” at work. I guess it’s easy to argue both ways. Still, there must be some ideas where the developer stops and says whoaaa I want in on this one!

By: Erik

Erik — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:59:22 +0000

Sorry when I was rereading my post “your problem sounded much more aggressive than I intended. What I wanted to say was “What I think you are objecting to…”

By: Erik

Erik — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:55:42 +0000

I think the root of your problem is the fact that the middle man receives more profit than the originator of the product. Compensation for investments often hinges on risk.

The variable rates of compensation boil down to the old parable would you rather have a bird in the hand or two in the bush? The developer has no risk, and a fixed profit. Whereas the middle man or idea man is risking losing whatever they paid the developer for a potentially unlimited profit. As was pointed out this situation is actually better for the developers since most apps are doomed to fail.

It is funny that the first post mentioned the gold rush. Lots of people went out looking for the motherlode, but the storekeepers selling picks and shovels were the ones who consistently got rich.

By: Chris Coyier

Chris Coyier — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:06:59 +0000

@Don – Great points. Ideas really are the lifeblood of advancement. Although is the idea itself “worth” anything? Hard to say. I still kind think all the “worth” is in doing something with it.

By: Don Carroll

Don Carroll — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:00:11 +0000

While I would agree with the end result of your logic (insofar as the app developers are concerned), I would hate to think I agree with your reasoning.

Every good thing, every common thing, and even all of the bad ‘things’ are initially ideas. Be it good or bad, the idea is the fundamental building block, not the code that makes it work. It very much does take good execution to back the idea up, but without ideas, we’d still be banging skulls with rocks.

Even the notion of a ‘web’ was only an idea at one point, and one could argue we haven’t technically executed it as well as we could have (or will) yet.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:45:24 +0000

Does Apple have any sort of set up on their end to allow people to split profits equally? Or does one party have to be responsible for making a direct deposit into the other’s bank account? I for one wouldn’t want to have to follow up with the company for years afterward making sure I’m getting my share.

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:32:20 +0000

Above it seems you are talking about iPhone apps that only make money from the actual sale of the app?

Not ones that complement a business, e.g. dominos order pizza from your iPhone etc.

In scenario one as well developing a successful app is highly preferable to developing a flop as it means you can get more work to your agency at a higher price.

Cool aussie iPhone app dev company http://mogeneration.com/

By: Jon B

Jon B — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:27:21 +0000

I don’t know – I guess you’d have to go back and define what “quality” entails in an app. Is it a combination of the UI, number of bugs, usefulness, etc or does it at some point depend on the marketing, price and trends associated with that type of app? If I develop a great app, built on on a great idea but it ends up with terrible promotion, is overpriced or in a pool of too many competitors, I can’t imagine that I’d have ripped anyone off because of my development – if the deliverable is quality.

By: Tim Wright

Tim Wright — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:27:20 +0000

@Chris valid points. So you’re it as is the same concept as if the development for something like Plurk was outsourced to a firm (to unnecessarily restate something )?

I dunno, I think the firm has their place as an external entity unless they do the app for free or invest in the business in some way (other than the time they were paid for).

If firms are actively seeking shitty apps then, yea, that’s pretty immoral. I’m sure the market will eventually weed that out. Esp. when the Nexus One starts ripping huge market share away from Apple (prediction, it’s a hot phone)

By: Cedric Dugas

Cedric Dugas — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:23:18 +0000

Well, it is no different of business that are doing websites,

Most of them create websites for companies and do not launch web applications themselves,

I get your point, but there is certainly a viable market for people that want iphone app for promotion purpose or an intern application

Of course this platform is not open, and if the iphone become less popular, well your pretty much screwed up as a iphone app developer