Case Study – an Australian iPhone application

Graham Dawson BSc, PhD - Physics/Meteorology & Oceanography IT - Oil & Gas Industry Own software development co – Astrology

desktop applications MS Windows 2008 – reskilled in web dev – PHP MySQL AJAX

etc Consulted Pollenizer re some Web 2

startup ideas (www.pollenizer.com) Suggestion by Pollenizer for iPhone app

Uses PHP/MySQL backend

Hired designer for layout – HTML/CSS

Released 22nd July 2008

Apple “Staff Pick” Uses AdMob

advertising banner Typically few hundred

hits per day

Considered outsourcing Obj-C, but didn’t

Spent about 30 days learning Obj-C and developing app

Acquired about a dozen beta testers via Pollenizer / Mogeneration network

Major UI revamp after feedback from beta tester with design skills

Released 1st Nov 2008

29,000+ sales so farTypically 30-50k weather queries per

day100,000+ weather queries during

heatwavecf. BoM – typically 1-2M page hits per

day

User review ratio Ocarina – 1 per 500 iFart – 1 per 400 Wobble – 1 per 200 Oz Weather – 1 per 150

Typically 1 per 300Gives a rough idea of total sales for

any app

Pay US$99 to become a registered iPhone developer

Send supporting identity proof docs to Apple

You will be emailed when approvedUse iTunes Connect to provide further

details – tax, banking, legal agreementsDaunting bit is applying for reduced rate

of US tax withholding. Don’t Panic!

When submitting your app you need App binary (Xcode) Large artwork of icon (512x512) Up to 5 screenshots Plain text app description Email support link Website link Choice of price point

Use iTunes Connect or other toolsDaily & Weekly reports of sales &

upgradesSales split by region / currencySales day periods are US Pacific

time

App ranking – in own category, overall, per country

Number of reviews, average star rating

Same information for any direct competitors

Own app usage stats eg. server queries, bandwidth

Other Analytics Data eg. Pinch Media

Apple uses 4 or 5 week accounting monthsEmail you when accounting reports

available for each of 7 different region/currency

GST is included with AUS sales, despite being omitted from accounting reports

Promise to pay within 45 days of end of month – typically sooner – by EFT

Payment may be withheld for any region until sales accumulate to $US250

No time-limited demos – only free or lite allowed – not suitable for all types of apps

No repeat/subscription payments by users Hence ongoing server/support costs after

one-off payments App approval process a bit obscure User reviews are a minefield for the

sensitive Downward pressure on app pricing Increasingly crowded market

Graham DawsonEmail – gpdawson@ajnaware.comTwitter - @gpdawsonWebsite – www.ajnaware.com