Is The iPhone App Store Capping Out?
Some of the biggest headlines in regards to Apple’s iPhone over the last few weeks revolve around the app store.
Due to the fact that Verizon has been on an all-out assault against AT&T and their precious iPhone, AT&T has responded by promoting the amount of apps that are available on the iPhone. Just about every commercial you see these days throws out the number of 100,000 plus apps that they now have in the app store.
Unfortunately for both Apple and the iPhone, software programmers are getting more and more frustrated with the ability to make money from the Apple app store. In a story that was released on BusinessWeek.com over the weekend, several programmers were quoted in reference to how crowded the app store is that it is becoming tougher and tougher to make money because of the competition of so many applications in the same niche.
They also reported that there are well over 125,000 programmers that are currently registered to make applications for the iPhone. This number far exceeds those that are available to make applications for both Blackberry and The Droid. Many of these developers that have been in the game for quite some time are now breaking out and in addition to making their apps for the iPhone, are starting to develop apps for both Blackberry and The Droid.
While this was of course to be expected, it does not bode well for Apple and the iPhone. The app store has been their saving grace throughout this little battle and if the programmers who already have applications available for the iPhone make their products available for the iPhone’s competition, it is only a matter of time before those phones catch up in the amount of applications that they have available as well. With all the bad press that AT&T is receiving about their network coverage, the stories are only feeding the fire for people that are on the fence in getting either their first iPhone or going over to Verizon for The Droid.
Related posts:
- iPhone vs Motorola Droid: Let the battle begin
- iPhone App Store Coming Under Attack
- Droid Continues to Lose Steam Against the iPhone
Skype for iPad supports video calling and will be released very soon.
i love how these media outlets will try anything to badmouth the iphone. if the competition comes out with a new device, they call it an iphone killer. they hype it to death and then it gets released and drowns in the high water levels that it tried to create. now the iphone is too successful? really? is that the problem with the phone? i would really like to see that commercial…..
The iphone has 100,000+ apps that can do anything. the phone is a 32gb ipod touch, and portable internet station. the phone is the most successful phone ever released, so come on down and get a droid instead. after all, who wants a phone that is field tested, and customer approved? DROID!
lol the cell industry brought this upon themselves. for years they have been selling us crap phones to maximize their profits. then apple comes in and decides the industry is stale and needs to be rebooted. introducing the iphone. the first phone that gave customers a truly hassle free device that is intended to be more than just a phone, or a way to pass time. the iphone becomes a part of the persons everyday life. the phone is so easy to use that you’ll enjoy using it instead of just using it in passing. once the industry realizes this, they can start working on a phone that will hold it’s own. they won’t be able to make an iphone killer because it can’t be done. as long as they make a phone that is enjoyable to the customer, then they can coexist with, or even outsell the iphone. they can’t kill the iphone because the iphone will always be enjoyable so there will be no reason for it to die.
If developers are not making money on the iPhone then it is unlikely that they will make money on the Droid or Blackberry. It is true that there now may be fewer competitors for a developer on the Droid but it does not have the user base necessary to support profitable development. The pricing model is the biggest challenge for developers. There are some great apps on the iPhone like Dictionary.com and NeuroMobile and others but most are free.
wow. one could say the windows software market is too crowded and “wah” I can’t make any money and then argue that person should develop for the less crowded mac desktop application market, then someone would quip, “but the installed user base isn’t as large,” which would be the same argument one could use with the iphone software market being “too Crowded” then goto less crowded like windows mobile or android “but the installed user base isnt as large”
Bingo. Bango. Bongo. Exactly.
Programmers: Stop trying to make money. Make great
programs instead. Money is the reward for fine programming.
Apple did not invent the iPhone as a way to make buttloads of money. They invented a better phone. The phone became so popular that they began making money.
We do not need any more fart apps or hot girls apps or I want to get RICH overnight apps, we need great Apps that will sell themselves. I’t that simple.
well i dont care what nobody says about the iphone i still think they are the best
All this these comments about iPhone being the ‘most successful’ phone ever – is the complete American myth-machine baloney. BlackBerry HAS ALWAYS – AND CONTINUES TO OUTSELL iPHONE by a large margin. Why? Because it’s EXTREMELY USEFUL, whilst the iPhone is a TOY. Experiment 1: Take away everyones iPhones, result: probably some productivity gains (!) maybe a little less to talk about, Experiment 2: Take away everyones BlackBerrys: THE WORLD STOPS. I work in the field of mobile apps, I know them extremely well. iPhone apps are definitely better for a pile of reasons, but – the problem is 3rd party apps are not really good for that much. There is no real addictive need for restaurant finders, and fart apps. There is a hugely critical need for secure, reliable and seamlessly integrated seamless messaging like BlackBerry. HERE IS THE END GAME: BlackBerry is like ‘PC’ in the commercial, iPhone is like MAC. The joke of the commercial is on PC, but in real life the joke is on Apple: PC has 95% market share. BlackBerry will continue to totally dominate Apple as iPhone continues to fail to do the boring but important things that the most of us need it to do.