Internet World- Selling apps on itunes/google play

[LeafLover]

After 15 years of being in the medical field and owning a related business for 10 years of that. Now, I'm interested in trying something completely different. I'm considering building apps. I'm a medical person- not a programmer/web developer/etc. But, I do have access to these people and they are willing to work with me. I can't provide any technical expertise but What I do have is ideas and I love to build and execute. I've been reading books on internet startups to help educate myself about the business of internet apps. I like to think I'm adept at reading things myself and applying what I learned.

I'm throwing this out there to gain insight from those who have done this. For those of you who have sold apps on itunes/google play, what is the process like? What are the terms to sell there? Cost? Etc. Etc. Any advice overall?

Any insight would be much appreciated.

[thechenman]

I've not done this myself, but I do know a few people who do this. No one does it for a living though. It's more of a hobby for them. I can tell you that the Android route is much easier than the Apple route. Google lets you post up just about anything. Apple has a long approval process. You have to pay to submit your apps for Apple to review as well, though the fee is nominal. There are also so many great free apps out there, that you really have to have something special to get people to buy and download your app. And if you're charging only $0.99 a app, your going to have to sell a lot of downloads. I mention this only because it seems like you would have to pay a programmer to code for you. Still best of luck!

[DrunkenMonkey]

I've not done this myself, but I do know a few people who do this. No one does it for a living though. It's more of a hobby for them. I can tell you that the Android route is much easier than the Apple route. Google lets you post up just about anything. Apple has a long approval process. You have to pay to submit your apps for Apple to review as well, though the fee is nominal. There are also so many great free apps out there, that you really have to have something special to get people to buy and download your app. And if you're charging only $0.99 a app, your going to have to sell a lot of downloads. I mention this only because it seems like you would have to pay a programmer to code for you. Still best of luck!

Good information David, but I have to pick a few nits: what so you mean no one does it for a living? It all depends on what your product is. Tell the people who work for Evernote that no one does it for a living. A big part of their business is writing these apps for phones. And while it's true that they don't make money from the apps directly (in their case the app is free), they do make a good bit of money from subscriptions to their premium services, and the apps are an essential part of making their services desirable for customers. There are many companies that are profitable that wouldn't be without their apps, even if the app itself doesn't cost anything at all. It's a fascinating thing for many businesses to get into.

[thechenman]

Good information David, but I have to pick a few nits: what so you mean no one does it for a living? It all depends on what your product is. Tell the people who work for Evernote that no one does it for a living. A big part of their business is writing these apps for phones. And while it's true that they don't make money from the apps directly (in their case the app is free), they do make a good bit of money from subscriptions to their premium services, and the apps are an essential part of making their services desirable for customers. There are many companies that are profitable that wouldn't be without their apps, even if the app itself doesn't cost anything at all. It's a fascinating thing for many businesses to get into.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. When I mentioned that no one does it for a living, I meant no one that I know personally. Sorry about the confusion.