The Business of iPhone App Development (eBook)

As the founder of Electric Butterfly, strongDave Wooldridge/strong has been developing award-winning web sites and software for 15 years. When he's not creating Mac and iPhone apps, he can be found writing. Dave is the author of emThe Business of iPhone App Development: Making and Marketing Apps that Succeed/em and has written numerous articles for leading tech publications, including a monthly software marketing column for emMacTech Magazine/em. Follow Dave on Twitter @ebutterfly.

Title Page 1
Copyrigh Page 2
Contents at a Glance 3
Table of Contents 4
Foreword 10
About the Authors 11
About the Technical Reviewer 12
Acknowledgments 13
Chapter 1 Seeing the Big Picture in a Crowded App Store Marketplace 14
Why a Business Book for iPhone Developers? 15
Tackling the New World of Mobile Marketing 15
Rest Easy—This Is Not Your Typical Business Book 16
Planning Your Own Success Story 16
How to Use This Book 18
Chapter 2—Doing Your Homework: Analyzing iPhone App Ideas and Performing Competitive Research 19
Chapter 3—Protecting Your Intellectual Property 19
Chapter 4—Your iPhone App Is Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool 19
Chapter 5—Money for Nothing: When It Pays to Be Free 19
Chapter 6—Exploring New Business Models with In-App Purchase and Affiliate Programs 20
Chapter 7—Testing and Usability: Putting Your Best Foot Forward 20
Chapter 8—Get the Party Started! Creating Prerelease Buzz 20
Chapter 9—Keys to the Kingdom: The App Store Submission Process 20
Chapter 10—Increasing Awareness for Your iPhone App 21
Getting Started with Your First iPhone App 21
Already in the App Store? It’s Never Too Late to Boost Sales 22
Developing iPhone Apps for Clients 23
Ready to Dive In? 23
Chapter 2 Doing Your Homework: Analyzing iPhone App Ideas and Performing Competitive Research 24
Fulfilling a Need 24
Discovering Untapped Markets 25
Enhancing the Mobile Experience 27
Competing with Similar Apps 29
When to Avoid Over-Saturated Categories 30
Assessing the Competition 32
Alternative App Directories for Competitive Research 34
Analyzing App Ranking Statistics 35
Mobclix 35
MajicRank 36
APPlyzer 37
App Store Metrics by 148Apps.biz 38
Top App Charts 39
Yappler’s App Store Stats 39
Other Resources for App Ranking Statistics 39
Finding Inspiration in Your Competitors’ Customer Reviews 39
Learning from the Mistakes of Others 40
Going Beyond the App Store’s Customer Reviews 41
Taking Your Competition for a Test-Drive 42
Defining Your Differentiator 43
What’s in an App Name? 44
Registering Web Site Domain Names 47
Building a Unique Identity for Your iPhone App 48
Making Progress 48
Chapter 3 Protecting YourIntellectual Property 49
What Is Intellectual Property? 50
Determining Your Intellectual Property Strategy 50
iPhone Apps Are Different 51
Developing an iPhone Specific Game Plan 51
Copyrighting Your App 53
How to Obtain a Copyright 53
Limitations of Copyright Protection 54
Filing Trademarks for App Icons and Logos 54
How to Get a Trademark 55
Picking a Protectable Trademark 55
Trade Secrets 57
How Do You Establish a Trade Secret? 57
Nondisclosure Agreements 58
Limitations of Trade Secret Protection 58
Patents 59
Is Your Invention Patentable? 60
Avoiding the On Sale Bar 61
How to File a Patent 61
Filing a Provisional Patent Application Yourself 61
Addressing Intellectual Property in Contractor and Employee Agreements 62
Hiring Contractors 62
Hiring Employees 63
Inbound Licensing of Third-Party Intellectual Property 64
Document Your Inbound Licenses 64
Know What You Are Getting 64
Avoid Viral Licenses 65
Don’t Use Apple’s Trademarks 65
Creating a Custom End User License Agreement 66
The Purpose of a EULA 66
Warranty Disclaimers 66
Limitations of Liability 67
Apple’s Default EULA? 67
Apple’s End User License Agreement 67
Reasons to Use Your Own Agreement 68
How and When to Pursue Legal Action 68
First Steps Toward Dispute Resolution 69
Prelitigation 69
Litigation 70
Summary 71
Chapter 4 Your iPhone App Is Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool 72
Getting Your Foot in the Door: First Impressions Are Everything 72
Playing by the Rules in Apple’s Sandbox 74
Apple’s iPhone Human Interface Guidelines 75
Application Submission Feedback 76
Creating an Effective App Icon and Logo 76
Designing a Custom App Icon 76
Don’t Forget About a Logo 82
Maintaining a Consistent Brand Identity 83
Interface Design: Think Like a User, Not a Developer 85
The Immense Value of Prototyping 86
Drawing Your Ideas on Paper 86
Beautiful Mock-ups in Illustrator and Photoshop 88
Other Software Tools for Designing Mock-Ups 88
Paper Prototyping 89
Moving to Interface Builder 90
Pushing the Envelope with a Custom Interface 91
The Comfortable Familiarity of UIKit 94
Icons and Images Within Your App 96
Toolbar Colors 96
Background Colors and Images 96
Toolbar Button Icons 97
Designing for Accessibility 97
Vischeck 98
Sim Daltonism for Mac OS X 98
Tips for the Artistically Challenged 98
Graphics and Icons 99
Fonts 100
Audio and Music 100
Professional Design Services 101
How You Like Me Now? Encouraging User Reviews Within Your App 102
Check Out This Cool App! Tell a Friend with In-App Email and Social Networking 105
In-App Email 108
Twitter and Facebook Connect 113
Earning Your Stripes 116
Chapter 5 Money for Nothing: When It Pays to Be Free 117
The Benefits of Free to Promote Paid Versions 118
Choosing a Path: Lite Version vs. In-App Purchase 119
Playing It Safe: Lite Version Restrictions 120
Lite Version Must Be a Fully Functional App 120
Lite Version Cannot Contain Crippled Features 120
Lite Version Cannot Remind User to Buy Paid Version 121
Lite Version Cannot Time Out or Disable Features 121
Lite Version Cannot Be Referenced As a Demo 121
Can a Free Lite Version Really Boost Paid App Sales? 121
They Won’t Buy the Cow If the Milk Is Free 122
Perfecting Your In-App Sales Pitch 125
Bulletproofing Your Lite Version 130
Migrating Data from the Lite Version to the Paid Version 131
Syncing with the “Cloud” 131
Transferring Data via URL 131
Securing Market Share: Give It Away Now, Up-Sell Later 134
Monetizing Free with In-App Advertising 136
Taking a Hard Look at the Numbers 137
When to Use In-App Advertising 138
Which Ad Network Is Right for You? 139
AdMob 139
AdWhirl 140
Google AdSense for Mobile Applications 141
Greystripe 141
Medialets 142
Mobclix Mobile Ad Exchange 142
Quattro Wireless 142
Tapjoy 143
iVdopia 143
VideoEgg 144
Building a Business with Ad-Supported iPhone Apps 145
Strength in Numbers: Building Synergy with In-App Cross-Promotion 146
Setting Up Shop 148
United We Prosper 149
Rolling Your Own Solution 151
Enthusiasm Is Contagious: Get Your Users Talking with Third-Party Social Platforms 152
Shifting Gears 154
Chapter 6 Exploring New Business Models with In-App Purchase and Affiliate Programs 155
Loyalty Pays: Existing Users Make the Best Customers 156
Supporting the Long Tail: Monetizing Continued Development 156
The Challenge of Changing User Perception 157
When and How to Use In-App Purchase 159
The Power of Simplicity 160
Presentation Is the Key to Success 165
Finding the Sweet Spot 166
Configuring In-App Purchase in iTunes Connect 167
Setting Up an In-App Purchase Test User Account 167
Creating In-App Purchase Items 169
Reference Name 170
Product ID 170
Type 171
Price Tier 171
Cleared for Sale 172
Language 172
Screenshot 172
Managing Your In-App Purchase Items 173
Preparing Your Test Device 173
Tapping into the Store Kit Framework 174
Setting Up the Basics 175
Step 1: Does the Consumer Allow In-App Purchase? 177
Step 2: Fetch Available In-App Purchase Items 178
Step 3: Requesting a Purchase 181
Step 4: Receiving Payment Status 182
Step 5: Providing Access to the Purchased Content 183
Restoring Paid Content 185
Delivering and Managing In-App Purchases 185
Unlocking Built-in Content 185
Downloading Content from Your Server 187
Finding Help in the Cloud 190
Mining Additional Revenue with Affiliate Programs 191
Digging for Gold 194
Chapter 7 Testing and Usability: Putting Your Best Foot Forward 196
Preventing the Majority of One-Star Reviews 196
Avoiding Common Pitfalls 197
Soliciting Direct Feedback 198
Preventing User Frustration with In-App Help 200
Planting Knowledge Seeds with On-Screen Tips 201
Instructional Videos: The Double-Edged Sword 202
Show, Don’t Tell, with Integrated Demos 204
In-App Web Help: A Little HTML Goes a Long Way 206
Provisioning: Setting Up a Development Device 215
Step 1: Establishing Your Test Device in Xcode Organizer 215
Step 2: Verify That Apple’s WWDR Certificate Is Installed 216
Step 3: Launch the Online Development Provisioning Assistant 217
Step 4: Request a Development Certificate 219
Step 5: Generate and Install Your Provisioning Profile 220
Step 6: Download and Install Your Development Certificate 222
Step 7: Run Your Xcode Project on Your Test Device 223
The Limitations of Wildcard App IDs 225
Managing Multiple Provisioning Profiles 228
Beta Testing: Navigating the Complexities of Ad Hoc Distribution 229
Step 1: Acquire the Device IDs of Your Beta Testers 230
Step 2: Request a Distribution Certificate 232
Step 3: Install and Backup Your Distribution Certificate 234
Step 4: Generate and Install an Ad Hoc Distribution Provisioning Profile 235
Step 5: Configure Your App for Ad Hoc Distribution 236
Step 6: Create the Entitlements File 240
Step 7: Compile Your iPhone App 241
Step 8: Distribute Your App to the Beta Test 242
Knowledge Is Power: Tracking App Usage Through Analytics 242
Answers from the Source 243
Evaluating the Players 245
Sitting Pretty 246
Chapter 8 Get the Party Started! Creating a Prerelease Buzz 247
The Final Countdown: Preparing for Lift-Off 247
Marketing Requires an Audience, So Invest the Time to Find Yours 248
Crafting Your Elevator Pitch 248
Additional Prerelease Marketing Materials 250
Company Logo (High-Resolution) 250
App Icon and Logo (High-Resolution) 250
Screenshots 251
Optional Video Trailer 251
Dedicated Web Presence 253
Your iPhone App Deserves a Well-Designed Web Site 253
Establishing a Web Site Infrastructure 254
Format Wars: Blogs vs. Custom Sites 254
Domain Name Benefits 255
SEO Tactics 256
< title>
description and keywords < meta>
Keyword-Rich Text 257
Keyword-Friendly URLs 258
Maintaining Valid Links 258
XML Sitemap 258
Tracking Web Site Traffic 259
Anatomy of an iPhone App Web Site 260
App Brand Identity 262
The Quick Pitch: What Is It and Why Should I Care? 264
App Store Identity Badge 264
Buy Button 265
Pricing 265
Screenshots and Video 267
Additional Details 269
Social Media 270
Your Blog, RSS Feed, and Email Mailing List 273
Customer Support and Contact Information 276
Company Identity 276
Cross-Promote Your Other Products 277
Downloadable Extras 277
Before Selling, Start Collecting 279
Why Site Compatibility with Mobile Safari Is So Important 280
“I’m Ready for My Close-up, Mr. Viewport” 281
Using Browser Detection to Deliver Targeted Content 282
JavaScript 284
PHP 284
Dynamically Replacing Flash with iPhone-Compatible Content 285
JavaScript 285
PHP 286
Home Screen Bookmarking Made Beautiful 286
Let’s Make Some Noise: The Power of Blogs, Twitter, and Social Networks 287
Blogging 287
Syndicating Your Blog Content 288
Inviting Comments 288
Host Your Own Blog or Use a Third-Party Blog Service? 289
Twitter 289
Gaining Followers 290
Customizing Your Profile 292
Keywords and Hash Tags 295
Retweet Appeal 296
Twitter Lists 297
Managing the Pipeline 298
Facebook 298
Creating a Facebook Page 299
Connecting with Fans 300
Import Blog, Output Twitter 301
Other Social Networks and Bookmarking Sites 303
Commenting on Forums, Groups, and Blogs 304
But Not Too Much Noise: Maintaining a Professional Reputation 304
Everyone Loves a Winner: Collecting Prerelease Press and Testimonials 306
Preparing a Hit List 306
Establishing Relationships 307
Offering Exclusives and Advance Ad Hoc Builds to Secure Coverage 308
Passing the Baton 310
Chapter 9 Keys to the Kingdom: The App Store Submission Process 311
The Politics of Pricing 312
Analyzing Similar Apps 312
Room to Maneuver 313
Sustaining a Long-Term Business 313
Perceived Value and Consumer Resistance 315
Improving App Discovery: The Art of Keywords and Names 316
Assigning Keywords 316
The Name Game 318
Perfecting the Sales Pitch of Your App Description 320
What Is It? 320
Awards and Testimonials 321
Features and Benefits 322
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: The Importance of Screenshots 323
Choosing the Primary Screenshot 323
When a Screenshot Is More Than a Screenshot 324
Preparing Your Application Binary for the App Store 326
Step 1: Verify Your Distribution Certificate Is Still Installed 327
Step 2: Generate and Install an App Store Distribution Provisioning Profile 328
Step 3: Configure Your Xcode Project for App Store Distribution 329
Step 4: Compile Your iPhone Application 330
Are We There Yet? Submitting Your App in iTunes Connect 331
Ensure Your Contracts and Payment Settings Have Been Processed by Apple 331
Step 1: Add a New Application in iTunes Connect 332
Step 2: Submit Your App’s Metadata 333
Application Name 335
Application Description 336
Device Requirements 336
Category 336
Copyright 336
Version Number 336
SKU Number 337
Keywords 337
Application URL, Support URL, and Support Email Address 337
Demo Account 339
End User License Agreement 339
Step 3: Assign a Rating to Your App 340
Step 4: Upload Your App Binary, Large Icon, and Screenshots 342
Step 5: Set the Availability Date and Price 343
Step 6: Supporting Multiple Languages 345
Step 7: Confirm and Submit Your App for Review 345
Submitting App Updates 346
Managing Your Own Expectations 347
Try, Try Again: Dealing with App Store Rejections 348
Approved! Making It to the Promised Land 349
Analyzing Your App Store Sales Statistics 349
AppFigures 350
AppSales Mobile 350
AppStore Clerk 350
AppStore Sales 350
AppViz 350
Heartbeat 351
My App Sales 351
TapMini from TapMetrics 351
Other Resources for App Store Statistics 351
Rev Your Engines 351
Chapter 10 Increasing Awareness for Your iPhone App 352
Dedicating As Much Effort to Marketing Your App As You Put into Developing It 352
The Art of Crafting Effective Press Releases 354
The Essential Ingredients of a Press Release 354
The Virtual 24/7 Press Room 359
Who to Notify and How? 360
Issuing Promo Codes: Soliciting App Reviews on Influential Blogs and Review Sites 364
Providing Review Materials 364
Obtaining Promo Codes 366
Publicity Requires Planning and Patience 367
Using Promotions and Giveaways to Improve App Discovery 369
Timing a Good Sale to Rejuvenate App Downloads 372
Contemplating Sponsorships and Product Placement Deals 373
Connecting with Customers: Delivering App Updates and Quality Support 376
Additional Tips for Sustaining Momentum in the App Store 378
Banking on the Prestige of Awards and Endorsements 378
Share Your Knowledge 379
Participating in Interviews and Podcasts 380
Can Advertising Sell Apps? 380
Looking Toward the Horizon 382
Index 383