Cover every aspect of the app industry, from app idea generation through to marketing and performance monitoring. With this book you''ll receive complete, reliable, up-to-date, and professional information and guidance. Learn iOS App Distribution is every developers thorough and accessible guide to successfully distributing apps. For readers who already know how to code and create apps, this book explains how the app industry works, how it is evolving, and what the key trends are. Rather than focus on the well-covered aspects of working with Swift and Xcode, you''ll instead discover what it takes from a commercial standpoint to bring an app together and get it successfully out to customers. All the key technical aspects are simplified for you with non-technical backgrounds, and vast amounts of information are condensed into easy-to-understand visuals. What You''ll Learn Review how the app industry nuances and how it works Analyze app statistics and key market trends Position an app appropriately within the industry Improve app performance and related products and services Who This Book Is For App designers, UI/UX design professionals, coders, app marketers, game designers, asset designers and app publishing companies. The book is also suitable for inventors and non-tech readers unfamiliar with the industry but interested in investing in apps
About the Author Hagop Panosian Educated as an architect, Hagop understands the impact new technologies can have on an industry He believes that the more advanced aspects of new technologies should be made accessible to non-tech professionals, especially given the changes technological advances are bringing to every aspect of life and the workplace To drive his vision, Hagop made a career shift from architecture to technology authorship and education He currently advises app startups on topics such as pitching, fundraising and managing growth He lives with his wife and two children in Yerevan, Armenia Hagop can be contacted on his personal website, www.hagoppanosian.am xxi About the Technical Reviewer Charles Cruz is a mobile application developer for the iOS, Windows Phone, and Android platforms He graduated from Stanford University with B.S and M.S degrees in engineering He lives in Southern California and runs a photography business with his wife (www.bellalentestudios.com) Charles can be reached at codingandpicking@gmail.com xxiii Acknowledgments This book is the product of effort on my part combined with inspiration and support from family and professional guidance and editing from the team at Apress I owe a debt of gratitude to my parents, who dedicated their lives to giving their kids a childhood that was better than theirs had been They succeeded In the mid-eighties, they invested in a computer for my brother and me when no one else where we lived thought it was important, which made self-driven, tech-savvy self-learners out of us My brother contributed greatly to this book by making sure I didn’t get into financial hot water while I took the time to write it, and also served as the main reader persona I wrote this book with him in mind as my audience This book is also a product of the love and patience of my wife and kids, who are the force that drives everything I every moment of the day It’s easy to believe in yourself when your family believes in you so much! Finally, a big thank you to Aaron Black, Jessica Vakili, and everyone else at Apress who contributed to making a quality product out of my efforts I’m inspired and humbled by their professionalism and look forward to working with them on new projects! xxv Introduction Welcome to one of the most incredible technological innovations of the past decade The app industry was born on July 10, 2008, when Apple first “opened the doors” to its App Store to allow iPhone users to download apps onto their devices According to rewrite (www.ca.com/us/rewrite.html), an online journal by CA Technologies and Wired magazine, within a space of just seven years, by 2015, the app economy grew into an industry worth an estimated $143 billion; created at least 627,000 jobs (just through the iOS App Store); created 54 percent job growth for iOS developers between 2012 and 2014; xxvii xxviii Introduction generated app downloads that are expected to grow to just under 300 billion by 2020; and generated annual app revenue that is expected to grow to $77 billion in 2017 and over $100 billion by 2020 through the iOS App Store alone The app revolution has created whole new sectors of the U.S and global economies, with new markets, marketing channels, and professions that did not even exist just a few years ago It has opened up new ways for vendors to reach and interact with customers and empowered and entertained billions of smartphone users Most important, it has created a way for resourceful and ingenious entrepreneurs and people-next-door to make millions with their creativity and inventiveness by giving them access to a huge market Without a doubt, there have been very few times in history when access to markets and wealth has been as easy as it is today for anyone with a good idea and marketing smarts The immensely transformative power of the app industry in its infancy was the reason I became interested in apps several years ago, when a friend suggested I put aside what I was working on and shift to developing apps As a self-learner, I spent many months trying to learn how the app business works and how apps are built, combining tidbits of actionable information wherever I could find them Eventually, it became obvious that what was available out there to help self-driven outsiders like me learn app development could be grouped into two broad categories: tech books by techies for techies, and the “make millions overnight with no money down, no coding, and no effort” books that sold a dream with little actionable information At the same time, there were countless bits of expert advice, tips and tricks, best practices, and insights spread across countless books, e-books, blog entries, and articles written by authors whose expertise was evolving alongside the industry itself Clearly, there was a need for a book that combined the fundamentals and best practices of app design, development, and distribution to produce a one-stop shop for both insiders and outsiders that was more than just an introduction to the business—a book that would contain everything about the app-publishing industry a newcomer would need to know That was the inspiration behind this book Who This Book Is For There are, of course, many excellent books on app development, app design, the app business, and everything in between, but there was one thing that struck me: they were unlikely to appeal to, or meet the needs of, a very specific and quite large group of people who are very much Introduction xxix interested in apps as an investment opportunity but (wrongly) believe it takes a great deal of tech savvy to succeed in the app business They may also be frustrated by not having one place in which to find easily absorbable, straight-to-the-point, actionable information and guidance about how to navigate through the app jungle and be in a position to understand the market they will be competing in They want to know how to make informed decisions about whether or not to invest in apps, how to pick the right type of app They also want to know how to set a budget and create an investment plan, and how to measure the success of a project and get a return on their investment Eventually, the research for this book grew to represent value not just for investors pursuing returns, but for other groups of readers as well While writing it, I’ve had a very specific list of potential readers in mind, as you will see later Despite the differences between them, these reader personas share a common characteristic in that they have little interest in coding, either because they already are accomplished coders or because they plan to get others to code their apps As a result, there is not a single line of code in this book There are many great books on coding for apps already out there This book is about everything else The reader categories that follow care most of all about understanding every aspect of the industry and knowing enough to make informed decisions instead of simply blindly trusting the experts Some of them, like coders and digital marketers, care mostly about complementing what they already know and keeping up with the evolution of this amazing industry The Whiz Kid is a master of code He knows everything about how to code iOS apps and has already coded a few basic games He wants to be an app-distribution pro The Newbie knows next to nothing about the app business, except for the apps she uses, some of which she likes so much she’s curious about how they’re made Plus, she’s thinking about getting into app design xxx Introduction The Investor is interested in apps as an investment opportunity and wants to know what returns he can expect from apps as compared to other investments He also wants to decide whether to establish an app design company or work with one to create a portfolio of apps The Pro Coder is interested in improving his career prospects by going beyond the code to learn about app design and marketing, possibly as a prelude to becoming an independent app professional The Educator teaches students about the app industry from a design, coding, or marketing perspective and is looking for a book that contains both the basics and the latest in the industry The Researcher wants a book he can refer to for useful data and additional sources and information for his work, and as a way to keep up with the industry The Student is studying apps as part of a course on business, coding, or marketing and wants a book that succinctly explains the fundamental concepts and processes of each of these aspects of the business There is something for all of these groups in Learn iOS App Distribution, and despite their different viewpoints on the same subject, there is something common to all of them: the coding aspects matter less to them than everything else does They either already know how to code or plan to outsource the coding part for their apps, or have other, great books on coding and don’t feel the need for another one As the author, I felt that what was needed was a book about the big picture that is thorough enough to allow readers to go beyond the basics and make informed decisions about navigating their way to success Assumptions This book assumes the following: You know next to nothing about the app business or industry (so, we’ll look at everything from the beginning) You want straight-to-the-point knowledge that is condensed but easy on the brain and actionable You want to feel like an expert after you read this book, or at least earn respect from the experts when you talk to them These three elements have informed the content and tone of Learn iOS App Distribution Introduction xxxi What Is App Distribution? What is app distribution exactly, and how does it differ from app development or app publishing? For the purposes of this book, app publishing is the complete process of creating apps and releasing them onto the market App development is the process that combines ideation, design, and coding App distribution, as Apple defines it, is a very specific phase in the app publishing process that combines testing, submission, and release This is how Apple defines app distribution on its own online App Distribution Guide (https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/ IDEs/Conceptual/AppDistributionGuide/Introduction/Introduction.html): Although iOS app distribution is the main focus of this book, we will be looking at the whole app publishing process in detail, including what happens after app release What This Book Is This book combines information from three main sources: my own knowledge, Apple’s own guidelines, and best practices and content from respected developers and companies Each of these sources contributes a very specific kind of knowledge that, when combined with the others, forms the best and most actionable information you can find anywhere I have put in this book everything that I wished was there for me to learn when I first started exploring the app business I want this book to make you an expert literally overnight by giving you all the information you need to make informed decisions and make your mark in the app business xxxii Introduction What This Book Is Not This is not a coding book Coding is beyond its scope, and it is not a coincidence that there is not a single line of code in this book Learn iOS App Distribution is designed to meet a different need This book is also not a “fast track to riches” guide designed to foster false hopes as a selling point As far as I am concerned there is no fast track to riches in this or any other business Only determination and commitment can produce an opportunity for wealth This book is structured to introduce readers to the app industry, allow them to talk comfortably with the experts overnight, and choose which corner of the industry works best for them Learn iOS App Distribution is intended for readers who have an interest in app development but have no interest in code-heavy books or books that wander beyond the basics What’s in This Book Learn iOS App Distribution consists of 15 chapters that are sequenced logically, starting from an introduction to the app industry through the complete process of app distribution to app marketing and performance evaluation Each chapter is a complete introduction to the fundamental principles, activities, and processes of different aspects of the app development process These chapters make sense when read in sequence, but the reader can also return to each of these chapters separately later on Chapter 1, “The Smartphone Landscape,” is an introduction to the devices that host the apps we use We’ll look at how smartphones and iOS devices have evolved and how they are distributed worldwide We’ll take a closer look at what types of iOS devices are available and how many people use them all over the world In Chapter 2, “The App Landscape,” we look at apps as entities: what they are, where they begin and end, and what the top apps in the app stores are Chapter 3, “The App Ecosystem,” looks at who does what in the app industry, dividing them into three fundamental groups: those who influence an app before release, those who influence it after release, and appreneurs (app entrepreneurs) who develop and publish apps as a business Chapter 4, “App Economics,” is about how apps make money, what the available and popular monetization models for apps are, and how return on investment is measured in the app world In Chapter 5, “Imagine Your App,” we’ll look at how app ideas are generated, what the most effective processes are, and where to find inspiration ... are, and where to find inspiration Chapter The Smartphone Landscape © Hagop Panosian 2017 H Panosian, Learn iOS Application Distribution, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4842-2683-4_1 CHAPTER 1: The Smartphone... who influences that app as it evolves from a concept into a product? © Hagop Panosian 2017 H Panosian, Learn iOS Application Distribution, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4842-2683-4_3 23 24 CHAPTER 3: The App... an app? How can I measure the ROI (return on investment) of an app? © Hagop Panosian 2017 H Panosian, Learn iOS Application Distribution, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4842-2683-4_4 37 38 CHAPTER 4: App Economics