Discovery
Chris McClelland
Refresh, 17th August 2009
Labs

iPhone
image: apple.com

Your Market
40,000,000
iphones & ipod touches

App Store
image: apple.com

image: apple.com

image: apple.com

60,000
applications
300 Apps / Day

SUCCESS
image:
sunseekeryachts.com

www.firemint.com/
flightcontrol/

$485,000*
1 month March 24 to April 25.
$0.99
after Apple’s 30% cut
www.firemint.com/
flightcontrol/

POCKETGOD
http://
pocketgod.blogspot.com/

Pocket God
$350,000*
http://
pocketgod.blogspot.com/

But don’t forget

30,000 Downloads
ca. £12,000

http://www.43folders.com/2008/08/11/ideas
Idea to App

So many good ideas
get excited, get making

Signal from the Noise

keep it
simple

Apple formula, the Application Definition Statement
Differentiation + your Solution + your Audience
An easy to use photo editing and
organising application for casual &
amateur photographers

TYPE OF APPS

Commercial
Research
Open Source
For the Sake of it!

Utility Apps
Productivity Apps
Games

CATEGORIES
Games News
Entertainment Sports
Medical
Utilities
Reference
Productivity
Finance Travel
Photography
Music Books
Weather
Business
Social Networking
Health and Fitness Navigation
Education
Lifestyle

Redundant, Recycled,
Repeated

Unique Selling Point

Market Research
but don’t get too caught up on competitors

User Research
don’t forget who will be using it

COST

Pricing your App
$0.99
$4.99
$14.99

Free Applications
10x more downloads
used less
bad reviews

Free Applications
advertisements
AdMob
Medialets
PinchMedia
JumpTap
cost-per-click ads 11 to 12 ¢ per click*
* http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-ad-rates-way-below-expectations-2009-6

Development Costs
“iPhone app dev costs can be
anywhere from
$20,000 – 150,000”
Forrester Research
Apple, appssavvy, Bank of America, Cerado, Coca-Cola, Genex,
Mobclix, Moderati, Nike, Razorfish, Research In Motion, and Zippo.

What makes a Productivity /
Utility App Expensive
Web Services
User Interface Customisation
Cutting Edge Features