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Starting up my second start-up, in the mobile space. Doing customer discovery right now, so it's a bit early to talk about it, but I have high hopes (and no, i

by alex_c 17y ago

Starting up my second start-up, in the mobile space. Doing customer discovery right now, so it's a bit early to talk about it, but I have high hopes (and no, it's not making iPhone apps). There are a lot of opportunities in mobile if you don't focus on the app store. Other than that, doing iPhone and (soon) Android consulting to pay the bills.

tocomment 17y ago
Any tips on finding "opportunities in mobile if you don't focus on the app store."? Also how does one get into iPhone consulting. Do you still get paid if your client's app gets rejected?
- alex_c 17y ago
  Think B2B, for example. The iPhone (and the others - Android, Palm, Blackberry), combined with the app store model provide two things: 1) users effectively get a handheld computer which always has internet access, and 2) developers get much more access to these mobile devices than carriers have traditionally allowed. Pick an industry - what does this allow them to do that they couldn't before? (ideally, something that is difficult to do with a simple mobile version of a website). Chances are they're hearing a lot about this iPhone thing, but don't really know what to do about it - can you help them figure it out? As for consulting, I started out with a bit of luck, a company I was subletting office space from wanted an app made. Past that, referrals are priceless. And yes, this hasn't come up yet, but they absolutely pay if the app gets rejected - you get paid for the work you do, not for the success (or failure) of the app. Most clients are curious (and fearful) of the approval process, and it's very valuable if you can guide them through the submission process and likely pitfalls - but approval is not ultimately your responsibility.
  - cpher 17y ago
    Sorry for the newb question, but are you saying that ANY app developed for the iPhone (including a custom app for a client) must go through the App Store before being installed on their phones? I'm asking because we have a web-based intranet app that we could create an iPhone-based version of, but it's only useful to the client. So, there's no reason to put in on the App Store. But it sounds like you're saying all apps must go through it. (Edit: I don't own an iPhone so this is new territory for me)
    - rdouble 17y ago
      There's a way to do it but you need to be an approved "enterprise" developer. Nobody I know has actually completed the process. This PDF has more info: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Enterprise_Deployment_Guide.pdf http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Enterprise_Deployment_Gu...
      - cpher 17y ago
        Thanks for the link. After reading the deployment notes, I'm kind of shocked that they make it so hard to deploy custom apps that you have no intention of selling via App Store. It sounds like a web-based app tailored to the iPhone is the way to go.
    - jpierce420 17y ago
      Wow, you can't even load your own apps onto iPhone? Damn, I knew Apple was closed-minded, but this takes the cake. If you spend that much money for that monstrosity, you ought to be able to put what you want onto it, you know, like all other phones i'm aware of. Holy Crap. Just another reason I'll never buy one. Can someone confirm this? I'm having trouble even believing that. If this were true, how do you test it, with only an emulator?
    - alex_c 17y ago
      For small deployments, you can use "Ad-hoc" distribution - users have to jump through some minor hoops (give you their device UUID, then drag the app file into their iTunes and sync to the iPhone), but it works. It's mainly aimed at distributing copies for testing or reviewing before an app hits the app store, and I think there's a limit to how many copies you can distribute this way (100 different devices? Don't remember 100%, I'd have to look it up). You can also physically install the app yourself from your development machine if you get their device (again, there might be a limit on the number of devices, since you have to register each one). As rdouble mentioned, there's also the enterprise program. And, of course, there are jailbroken devices with third party app "stores". I don't have much experience with these, but jailbroken iPhones are supposed to make up a significant percentage of users - might not be as useful for business use, though.

by alex_c 17y ago

tocomment 17y ago

Any tips on finding "opportunities in mobile if you don't focus on the app store."? Also how does one get into iPhone consulting. Do you still get paid if your client's app gets rejected?

alex_c 17y ago
Think B2B, for example. The iPhone (and the others - Android, Palm, Blackberry), combined with the app store model provide two things: 1) users effectively get a handheld computer which always has internet access, and 2) developers get much more access to these mobile devices than carriers have traditionally allowed. Pick an industry - what does this allow them to do that they couldn't before? (ideally, something that is difficult to do with a simple mobile version of a website). Chances are they're hearing a lot about this iPhone thing, but don't really know what to do about it - can you help them figure it out? As for consulting, I started out with a bit of luck, a company I was subletting office space from wanted an app made. Past that, referrals are priceless. And yes, this hasn't come up yet, but they absolutely pay if the app gets rejected - you get paid for the work you do, not for the success (or failure) of the app. Most clients are curious (and fearful) of the approval process, and it's very valuable if you can guide them through the submission process and likely pitfalls - but approval is not ultimately your responsibility.
- cpher 17y ago
  Sorry for the newb question, but are you saying that ANY app developed for the iPhone (including a custom app for a client) must go through the App Store before being installed on their phones? I'm asking because we have a web-based intranet app that we could create an iPhone-based version of, but it's only useful to the client. So, there's no reason to put in on the App Store. But it sounds like you're saying all apps must go through it. (Edit: I don't own an iPhone so this is new territory for me)
  - rdouble 17y ago
    There's a way to do it but you need to be an approved "enterprise" developer. Nobody I know has actually completed the process. This PDF has more info: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Enterprise_Deployment_Guide.pdf http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Enterprise_Deployment_Gu...
    - cpher 17y ago
      Thanks for the link. After reading the deployment notes, I'm kind of shocked that they make it so hard to deploy custom apps that you have no intention of selling via App Store. It sounds like a web-based app tailored to the iPhone is the way to go.
  - jpierce420 17y ago
    Wow, you can't even load your own apps onto iPhone? Damn, I knew Apple was closed-minded, but this takes the cake. If you spend that much money for that monstrosity, you ought to be able to put what you want onto it, you know, like all other phones i'm aware of. Holy Crap. Just another reason I'll never buy one. Can someone confirm this? I'm having trouble even believing that. If this were true, how do you test it, with only an emulator?
  - alex_c 17y ago
    For small deployments, you can use "Ad-hoc" distribution - users have to jump through some minor hoops (give you their device UUID, then drag the app file into their iTunes and sync to the iPhone), but it works. It's mainly aimed at distributing copies for testing or reviewing before an app hits the app store, and I think there's a limit to how many copies you can distribute this way (100 different devices? Don't remember 100%, I'd have to look it up). You can also physically install the app yourself from your development machine if you get their device (again, there might be a limit on the number of devices, since you have to register each one). As rdouble mentioned, there's also the enterprise program. And, of course, there are jailbroken devices with third party app "stores". I don't have much experience with these, but jailbroken iPhones are supposed to make up a significant percentage of users - might not be as useful for business use, though.