December 3, 2010 | 5 Comments

Question about iPad App development

I cannot go into too much detail, but I’m involved with a group that is starting to look into building an iPad app, and by sharing the high-cost of development – we hope to create a top-notch product. From what I’ve seen so far, the slick apps can cost between $100-$200K upfront.

The idea we have, is to create an app that each member of the group can ‘brand’ and sell individually. Also, all of the data in each ‘branded’ app is unique to each member.

The question I have is this…is this kind of app development feasible? To my way of thinking, it’s like each member has their own database and customized front-end, but sharing the same infrastructure. Put another way, similar to a 3-tier application with each having their own presentation interface and database(s).

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Author:Craig Berry

Craig Berry is a Catholic web developer and musician.
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  • Brad

    First, I’m not understanding the upfront of $100k-$200k? The developer sign up with Apple is $99/year. Second, it depends on the app product and the data collected for potential market demand. Is it speculative or do the numbers show a very real demand for the product? Third, what is the pricing and breakeven point in terms of time frame?

    The part I would be leary of with the iPad itself is the fact that only about 1/3 of owners have even downloaded an app. So the question becomes how are people really using the device and is app development a reasonable investment at this time?

    • Anonymous

      Yeah…I’ve paid the developer fee and have developed a couple REALLY BASIC iphone apps…but this is a whole different beast.

      It’s going to require some heavy duty infrastructure to house the data and at a minimum we’re going to need developers with a few different skillsets. Pretty specialized stuff.

      RE: your question of ROI…well…good question. 😉 Technically, this isn’t a ‘for-profit’ initiative.

  • Brad

    First, I’m not understanding the upfront of $100k-$200k? The developer sign up with Apple is $99/year. Second, it depends on the app product and the data collected for potential market demand. Is it speculative or do the numbers show a very real demand for the product? Third, what is the pricing and breakeven point in terms of time frame?

    The part I would be leary of with the iPad itself is the fact that only about 1/3 of owners have even downloaded an app. So the question becomes how are people really using the device and is app development a reasonable investment at this time?

    • http://catholicservant.com Craig Berry

      Yeah…I’ve paid the developer fee and have developed a couple REALLY BASIC iphone apps…but this is a whole different beast.

      It’s going to require some heavy duty infrastructure to house the data and at a minimum we’re going to need developers with a few different skillsets. Pretty specialized stuff.

      RE: your question of ROI…well…good question. 😉 Technically, this isn’t a ‘for-profit’ initiative.

  • Reviewingposts

    In hindsight, the Ipad seems to be a decent device with a solid user base.