Video Spotlight: Am I Ready to Build an App?

Are you thinking about building a business around mobile development? This talk by Outware Mobile Director Danny Gorog is an insightful look at the many challenges of surviving in the App Store ecosystem.

Danny Gorog (Outware Mobile) – One More Thing Conference 2011 from One More Thing on Vimeo.

Select Quotations

Good apps take a long time to release and they may take a lot of maintenance, a lot of care, and a lot of effort afterwards.

You’ve got to spend money on design. You’ve got to get great designers. . .If you’re not a designer, you need to budget for it, and if you haven’t, give up.

If you’re not a developer, you have to seriously consider what you bring to the table. . .enter these things as a partnership. . .you can’t do anything if you’re not a developer.

To make a business out of an app in the app store is still a really hard thing to do.

About the Speaker

Danny Gorog is the Director of Outware Mobile, an Australian mobile consulting company that has produced work for the Herald Sun, Penguin Press, the Australian Department of Justice, and the Australian Department of Energy. Danny is also an author whose work has been published with Macworld Australia, Home Magazine, and ABC Science Online.

Editor’s Note

At first glance, many of the quotations above from Danny’s talk may seem discouraging. In the context of his full presentation, I found them to be well-placed nuggets of realism.

Too many app developers set out to publish in the App Store with gold fever, and the sad reality is that most of history’s gold miners end up with nothing but rock and dirt. Don’t be one of them!

Build awesome apps because you’re passionate about what you’re working on and are realistically able to invest your energy, time, and money without making extreme cuts to your standard of living.

About the Venue

The talk in the video above was given at the 2011 One More Thing conference in Melbourne, Australia. According to the web site, “One More Thing is a one-day conference where Australia’s leading independent, self-started iOS developers will share their experiences.” You can find all of the talks from the conference on Vimeo here.