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The App Store bubble: How much does an App earn today?

33 points by mythz 16y ago

TableandBoard 16y ago
Great App article...stay on the App train before the burst @TableandBoard.com
devmonk 16y ago
That sales/earnings ($0.00) for Word Mate don't look that great. I guess the point of the post ends up being that there was a time when some apps that produced various sounds or provided translations would make money (and maybe similar new apps still would if they had smart or cool-sounding names), but a Scrabble word-finder app in the current day and age won't earn squat.
- weaksauce 16y ago
  You understand that the app has been out for one day and it's free until the 20'th of September right? How much it will sell being a clone of scrabble is up in the air right now though.
  - dinedal 16y ago
    It's not a clone of scrabble, it's a cheat sheet for scrabble.
    - weaksauce 16y ago
      ah... I could see the words with friends people using it then.
      - joeld42 16y ago
        there's a ton of words-with-friends cheat apps in the app store already
    - mortenjorck 16y ago
      I think the app is in need of a better icon. I assumed it was a game.
- mattmaroon 16y ago
  The biggest problem with mobile app distribution is that if it doesn't work, he's just done. Updates don't boost you up the app store, and all of the downloads from word of mouth and blog reviews don't add up to a hill of beans. Unlike on the web, or Facebook, where you could simply improve the product, he's screwed if it doesn't take off quickly.
  - catch23 16y ago
    You can always take it down and re-upload under a different name and you'll be on the "new" page for a short amount of time again.
    - mattmaroon 16y ago
      You don't get enough from the new page to make it worth the effort it in my (rather limited) experience.
ryandvm 16y ago
Ah - another Schrodinger's Earnings post. Write up your experiment to determine how much money your app can earn. Then get the story picked up by as many high profile sites as possible. Looking at the story determines the outcome of the experiment. Beautiful.
- irrelative 16y ago
  Also, decry made up statistics in the post, but then claim to define new trends by using a sample size of 1.
HappySushiCo 16y ago
An App Store bubble burst would probably be the best thing to happen to the App Store - the sooner the better. 1) A bubble burst weeds out apps that don't have enough intrinsic value to the customer in the first place (E.g. T-pain, fart apps, and so on) 2) Devs, entrepreneurs, and investors will be forced to evaluate and form actual business plans/models as opposed to "let's throw an app out there and make some money" 3) An app won't always be and shouldn't be the end all and be all of a startup business plan - it's another platform that allows you to reach out to more customers
- tjr 16y ago
  For my first app store submission, I wrote a trivial program with little intrinsic value. It was accepted, but I later felt embarassed by it. I pulled it from the store (twice, actually) but received emails from people asking me to put it back. What do you do when users seem to actually want software with little intrinsic value?
  - lacker 16y ago
    What do you do when users seem to actually want software with little intrinsic value? Keep iterating and maybe you will become Zynga!
  - mattmaroon 16y ago
    You realize that value is a subjective term while on your way to the bank to cash the check.
- Zev 16y ago
  1) A bubble burst weeds out apps that don't have enough intrinsic value to the customer in the first place (E.g. T-pain, fart apps, and so on) You might not like the T-Pain app, but the code behind it is likely a hell of a lot better than that of a fart app. Other then that, agreed.
  - callmeed 16y ago
    Totally agree. The T-Pain app is technically impressive and I'd say, has entertainment value.
orblivion 16y ago
Is this a bubble in the same sense? The dot com bubble was in the form of companies who made a lot of investments, predicting that there were customers (not to mention a business plan). In the case of the app store, end users are parting ways with their money here and now. That's not to say that there won't be a malinvestment of time; the supply should increase to the point where there aren't as many customers per app, so eventually people won't make it as easily. But the whole thing isn't based on a flawed assumption, the customers really are there.
protomyth 16y ago
I think we are in for another jump when they expand Ping to the App Store / App Developers. The self promotion possibilities tied directly to the "buy now" button are going to be pretty interesting.
wallflower 16y ago
The more interesting post would be how his old app is doing financially. http://www.appannie.com/translate-y-the-language-translator/ranking/#view=grossing-ranks http://www.appannie.com/translate-y-the-language-translator/...

33 points by mythz 16y ago

Great App article...stay on the App train before the burst @TableandBoard.com

That sales/earnings ($0.00) for Word Mate don't look that great. I guess the point of the post ends up being that there was a time when some apps that produced various sounds or provided translations would make money (and maybe similar new apps still would if they had smart or cool-sounding names), but a Scrabble word-finder app in the current day and age won't earn squat.

weaksauce 16y ago
You understand that the app has been out for one day and it's free until the 20'th of September right? How much it will sell being a clone of scrabble is up in the air right now though.
- dinedal 16y ago
  It's not a clone of scrabble, it's a cheat sheet for scrabble.
  - weaksauce 16y ago
    ah... I could see the words with friends people using it then.
    - joeld42 16y ago
      there's a ton of words-with-friends cheat apps in the app store already
  - mortenjorck 16y ago
    I think the app is in need of a better icon. I assumed it was a game.
mattmaroon 16y ago
The biggest problem with mobile app distribution is that if it doesn't work, he's just done. Updates don't boost you up the app store, and all of the downloads from word of mouth and blog reviews don't add up to a hill of beans. Unlike on the web, or Facebook, where you could simply improve the product, he's screwed if it doesn't take off quickly.
- catch23 16y ago
  You can always take it down and re-upload under a different name and you'll be on the "new" page for a short amount of time again.
  - mattmaroon 16y ago
    You don't get enough from the new page to make it worth the effort it in my (rather limited) experience.

ryandvm 16y ago

Ah - another Schrodinger's Earnings post. Write up your experiment to determine how much money your app can earn. Then get the story picked up by as many high profile sites as possible. Looking at the story determines the outcome of the experiment. Beautiful.

irrelative 16y ago
Also, decry made up statistics in the post, but then claim to define new trends by using a sample size of 1.

HappySushiCo 16y ago

An App Store bubble burst would probably be the best thing to happen to the App Store - the sooner the better. 1) A bubble burst weeds out apps that don't have enough intrinsic value to the customer in the first place (E.g. T-pain, fart apps, and so on) 2) Devs, entrepreneurs, and investors will be forced to evaluate and form actual business plans/models as opposed to "let's throw an app out there and make some money" 3) An app won't always be and shouldn't be the end all and be all of a startup business plan - it's another platform that allows you to reach out to more customers

tjr 16y ago
For my first app store submission, I wrote a trivial program with little intrinsic value. It was accepted, but I later felt embarassed by it. I pulled it from the store (twice, actually) but received emails from people asking me to put it back. What do you do when users seem to actually want software with little intrinsic value?
- lacker 16y ago
  What do you do when users seem to actually want software with little intrinsic value? Keep iterating and maybe you will become Zynga!
- mattmaroon 16y ago
  You realize that value is a subjective term while on your way to the bank to cash the check.
Zev 16y ago
1) A bubble burst weeds out apps that don't have enough intrinsic value to the customer in the first place (E.g. T-pain, fart apps, and so on) You might not like the T-Pain app, but the code behind it is likely a hell of a lot better than that of a fart app. Other then that, agreed.
- callmeed 16y ago
  Totally agree. The T-Pain app is technically impressive and I'd say, has entertainment value.

orblivion 16y ago

Is this a bubble in the same sense? The dot com bubble was in the form of companies who made a lot of investments, predicting that there were customers (not to mention a business plan). In the case of the app store, end users are parting ways with their money here and now. That's not to say that there won't be a malinvestment of time; the supply should increase to the point where there aren't as many customers per app, so eventually people won't make it as easily. But the whole thing isn't based on a flawed assumption, the customers really are there.

protomyth 16y ago

I think we are in for another jump when they expand Ping to the App Store / App Developers. The self promotion possibilities tied directly to the "buy now" button are going to be pretty interesting.

wallflower 16y ago

The more interesting post would be how his old app is doing financially. http://www.appannie.com/translate-y-the-language-translator/ranking/#view=grossing-ranks http://www.appannie.com/translate-y-the-language-translator/...