Dropbox did, indeed, buy Orchestra, the company that developed Mailbox, and hired their fourteen employees to keep the business running. So, how did a company with fourteen employees put an app at the App Store in February, and sell for as much as $100 million in March?

The short answer? They had the right idea at the right time, and got it to market. Obviously, it was a bit more complicated than that, but the company, called Orchestra, took action when they needed to and were rewarded for it.

Orchestra has actually been around since 2011, when their first app, called Orchestra To-do, was named the productivity app of the year by the App Store. Their app begun when one of the founders made the observation that many people use e-mail as a “to-do list.”

They developed Orchestra, used it in their own lives, and still got sent tasks via email. They decided, as they say on their website, to “put email in its place,” and started on Mailbox. Two months after a soft launch, and only one month after its debut in the App Store, Mailbox was producing a daily volume of 100 emails.

Currently, Mailbox is only available for iPhone and Gmail, but they state numerous times in interviews and on their website that their goal is to make the app available for all who want to use it.

So, one month after their introduction in the App Store, their app was delivering at least one million emails each day, they had goals to expand the app, and they had a crew of fourteen people. They knew they wouldn’t be able to develop other versions fast enough, so they ended up taking Dropbox’s offer, and combined operations with them, for that aforementioned fee of $100 million or so.

What did the developers of Mailbox have that you don’t?

We hope that every Android, iPhone and iPad developer out there is excited after hearing this story, because when they started with their first app in 2011, the developers didn’t have a lot that you don’t have. They were brilliant at fundraising, though, and raised $5.3 million as a start-up company.

We won’t pretend to know how to raise $5.3 million, but we can develop your app for a lot less money than that. When you work with us at SmarterApps, you are working with a company that already has infrastructure in place.

Most of all, there are a lot of things they had that you also have. The mechanics of developing this app were really simple. They found a problem and solved it. They found a need and provided a product that filled that need. This is classic Internet marketing 101, but it is something that is essential to any product’s success in the marketplace.

The next big “hump” for many is getting the product to market. Developing an app on your own, especially for the Apple App Store, is difficult, because there are a lot of regulations. You have to build a lot of things into your app that can be problematic for those without experience, and cause their app to be rejected numerous times for numerous tweaks before finally getting accepted.

At SmarterApps, we have a lot of experience at getting apps into the App Store. We know what they want included, and we know what not to do. When one of our clients submits an app to the App Store, it is approved the first time. That saves a lot of time, money and effort that could be spent marketing and publicising your app.

Can we guarantee that your app will be the next one to fetch a $100 million offer from one of the “big boys?” Of course not. But we can help you turn your ideas into iPad, iPhone, or Android apps. And once your app is in the App Store or Google Play, anything can happen.

And that brings us to the last thing Orchestra did that you can do: they took action. If the co-developers hadn’t taken action when they were thinking about email being a to-do list, they never would have progressed to their current app. We all have ideas, but the best idea in the world doesn’t do any good if you don’t take action.

Call 1300 650 253 today; your dream is waiting.

However, Zynga’s relationship with Facebook changed considerably on March 31st, and they are concentrating on their website, their own game platform, and the platforms that have the most potential for future growth, iOS and Android.

Their new Top Ten game is a free app called “What’s the Phrase.” The game is a lot like the US TV show called Wheel of Fortune, and has been compared to Scrabble and Hangman. Users spin for consonants and “buy” vowels until they guess a phrase.

The last app they had in the top ten of Apple Store was Bubble Safari, which was there on 15th December, 2012. What’s the Phrase was the next Zynga app released in the Apple Store, which means they have no problem getting their apps into the top ten.

Zynga is entering a crucial year. Since their massive hit with Farmville, critics said that their entire business model was based on Facebook continuing to allow them to use false “viral” advertising that was seen as “spam” by many, because it paid users to invite their friends.

Now, Facebook has tightened the reins on Zynga’s advertising, and they are looking for better ways to produce revenue. According to the Huffington Post, their main priority is “porting Farmville to mobile devices” allowing players to switch between computers and mobile devices without losing data.

So, what does this mean to you, an iPhone, iPad, or Android apps developer? The best short answer here is to summarise what is happening with Zynga in one sentence. Facebook’s most successful app developer is concentrating on mobile devices, and has had their business model affected by Facebook’s policies.

The obvious trends here are that mobile devices are overtaking computers in popularity, and that a very successful company is going to start paying more attention to Apple, Android, and mobile devices.

You should do the same. Right now is the time to act on your app idea. Call 1300 650 253 today.

Although they don’t involve paid advertising within the app, they do involve using the app itself as a free advertisement for a paid product. Those who are or have been involved in Internet marketing will recognise this strategy, as it has been used often with great success. Here are a few ways to adopt this strategy into free apps without it coming off as “advertising.”

One strategy is to offer an inexpensive game as an add-on to a free app. Popular free Japanese mobile messaging app LINE offered an inexpensive puzzle game, and made $1 million in revenue in two weeks. This strategy of “piggy-backing” a paid app is a great way of using the free app to generate revenue.

Another variation of piggy-backing is called the “Freemium” model. With this app, you make a free version and give the user the option of downloading a paid “premium” version with more features. The advantage here is that the free portion of the app becomes an advertisement for the paid version, without being obtrusive. A great example of how Internet marketers have done this for years is free dating sites, who offer upgrades in service to paying customers.

If you don’t have your own product to piggy-back onto your app, you can piggy-back someone else’s app onto yours, on a commission basis. This is similar to how a lot of affiliate marketers work on the Internet; offer something free that includes an offer for someone else’s product.

Most of us in English-speaking countries think of our own country first, and the rest of the English-speaking world second. We often forget that the rest of the world exists. That could be a mistake, and it could cost you a lot of money. In October 2, 2012, the country that generated the highest amount of app revenue in Google Play was Japan, at 29%. The U.S. was second at 26%, but Korea came in third at 18%.

A partial list of other countries that are growing in a very fast rate: China, Taiwan, Thailand, Russia, Mexico, and Brazil. While we’re not saying that you need to make an app specifically for any of those countries, it could be very lucrative if you did. At the very least, you should try to make your app friendly and attractive to those countries.

If you have a popular app, you can monetise it with licensing and physical merchandise. The obvious example here is Angry Birds. Then again, it is every app developer and app builders dream to build the next Angry Birds. Your app doesn’t have to be as popular as Angry Birds, but if it does become popular, don’t overlook the possibility of potential income through licensing or merchandise.

You can also turn advertising into entertainment. This strategy, while requiring a degree of finesse, is a great way to use the traditional advertising model without actually appearing to use the traditional advertising model.

For example, DreamWorks worked their film Madagascar into an app called Talking Tom Cat, which has been installed more than 600,000,000 times. Instead of a traditional advertisement, they designed nine-second, interactive applets, which were activated by beating Talking Tom Cat five times. This attained a click through rate slightly over 9%.

Before advertising, overt or covert, works, your app has to be downloaded. If we had to choose between improving our monetisation rate and increasing our number of installations, we would definitely increase the number of installations first. That being said, we recommend a combination approach; build your installation base and then tweak your advertising to maximise your ROI.

Many of those who’ve decided to develop or build apps for a living are coming into the app industry from various business and sales backgrounds. While many things that work in the retail, wholesale, and service industries don’t work on the Internet, many of them will.

Just like a couple of the examples we’ve given, a simple tweak or “angle” added to a traditional sales technique can turn into a groundbreaking and creative mobile app sales technique. One of the greatest advantages to marketing through apps and on the Internet, as opposed to traditional methods such as newspapers, television, and radio, is that you have a lot more wiggle room. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Call 1300 650 253 for more information.

A great example of making huge amounts of money for solving a simple problem is from the makers of an app called Droplet. The company is from Birmingham, England, and the app allows users to make payments via text message. Droplet has just acquired Airparks and Chiltern Railways as their first two national accounts.

When they created the app, they released a beta version in Birmingham; 60 merchants and 2500 users have signed up so far in Birmingham, and have given nothing but positive response to the app. The national accounts were announced at the launch of their London operation.

Steffan Aquarone and Will Grant, creators and developers of Droplet, have a rather lofty goal: to “change the way the world uses money.” The developers think that payments made by phone should be free because it doesn’t actually cost money to move digits across the Internet. Their mission is to produce a climate in which all payments are free.

Droplet eliminates the need for credit card machines for transactions between any company and any user who both have the app. This not only eliminates a process for which companies usually charge money, but it also allows the user to make payments more quickly, more easily, and in a more secure fashion, because their financial details are not being transferred over the Internet.

The owners of Droplet intend to expand to other large cities in the UK, including Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, and Bristol.

We do not know how they’ve decided to monetise this app, but we admire their business model and their goals. Think of all the things that you bought and all of the apps that you’ve downloaded. Then, ask yourself how many of them you bought because they solve a problem for you. If those apps be used for longer than a week, how many of them were your problem solving apps?

Call us at 1300 650 253 today; let’s get you into the problem solving business.

The tablet is seen by many as the perfect hybrid device. It is not as big and clunky as a computer, but it has a much bigger screen and more ease of operation than a smartphone. Apple’s iPad series has been extremely successful, but their practice of marketing to the high end limited their market share, as it didn’t appeal to the middle of the market.

In 2012, Google and Samsung developed the middle to lower end of the market with the Nexus and Galaxy series. In addition, Apple introduced their iPad Mini, and lowered the price point of their basic iPad, thus making it more readily available to that segment of the market.

The end result is that tablets had a record year in 2012, and sales are forecast to continue their rise in a steady pattern which could allow them to overtake smartphones in the production of app revenue by the year 2018.

According to an analysis performed by ABI Research, tablet apps are currently forecast to reach $8.8 billion in revenue for the current year, while smartphones are expected to produce $16.4 billion in app revenue. This works out to a combined $25.2 billion in app revenue.

Currently, Apple still holds a big lead on Android in app revenue. Apple is projected to produce 65% of this year’s revenue, while Android’s share projects to 27%, with all other mobile platforms combined producing 8% of app revenue.

According to Aapo Markkanen, senior analyst at ABI, the current state of the market sets up perfectly for tablet apps to make a strong showing in the future. He credits the bigger screen on apps, combined with the availability of low-cost tablets, as the two biggest factors in the rise of tablet apps. According to Markkanen, “Smartphones paved the way…but in the end we believe that it’s the tablets that will prove the more transformative device segment.”

Markkanen sees tablets as having the potential to open the market to demographic groups that he currently sees as “underserved,” such as the elderly and children. Markkanen also feels that opening these markets will provide what he calls “very significant social benefits.”

So, what does this mean to you, if you are an Android or iPad mobile app developer or builder? The short version: it means that you should be really excited. We all knew that smartphone apps are becoming more and more popular as more and more people bought smartphones, but the rise of the tablet app has just upped the ante considerably.

While smartphones are a market unto themselves, the tablet represents a new and unique market. As people replace their laptops with tablets, the market will demand apps that take over many of the functions of the laptop. There’s also a chance that for many, the tablet will eventually serve as both the main computer and the main smartphone for many users.

We’re not really going out on much of a limb by saying that the tablet has the potential to “blow up” the app market until it dwarfs anything we have seen so far. There’s going to be a lot of demand for apps for both Android and iPad in the future, and a lot of app developers are going to make a lot of money if they manage their contributions to the market effectively.

For now, we expect a further spike in the sale of Android tablets, and forecast that apps which appeal to the middle to lower end of the market will be the most lucrative. We’re not saying that a high-end app, if done correctly, won’t make a lot of money, but we are saying that the middle to lower end of the market should see increased demand.

If you are considering developing an Android or iPad app, we would recommend asking yourself the following questions. What are people using their computers for now that they might be using their tablets for later? What smartphone applications could become even more popular on a tablet? How will the increased visibility due to the size of a tablet screen affect the appearance of a smartphone app?

If you would like to take advantage of this market opportunity, call 1300 650 253.

While we are always happy to see someone develop a really great paid app, we are proponents of distributing free apps and monetising them. It takes a lot more luck for a paid app to generate thousands of downloads than it does for a free app to generate thousands of downloads. Once a user has downloaded a free app they see that app every time they turn on their device.

One of the best ways to monetise in-app from within is to sell virtual currency within a game app. The Simpsons game is a great example of this. Users can buy quantities of 132, 300, 900, or 2400 doughnuts, which help the users play the game more easily. There are many very successful apps that use this strategy, including Marvel War of Heroes, Clash of Cans, and Candy Crush Saga.

The currency allows players to buy more of whatever they need, better equipment, or reach hidden levels of the game. The reason this works so well is that it takes advantage of the desire of many users to win by giving them the option to spend money to make the game easier to win, or to reach higher competency levels.

The one caveat here is that this is technique is dangerous to use on apps that are attractive to children; many children run up huge tabs for their parents with in-app purchases. On the other hand, there’s a little bit of child in all of us, and those who are the most competitive at playing games are the most likely to spend more money to attain higher levels of competence.

The model is easy; make an attractive game app, give it away to as many people as possible, and wait for the revenue to roll in. It isn’t always quite this simple, but it can certainly seem that way if executed correctly.

Call 1300 650 253 to get started today.

Download Swizzle From The Appstore

When Apple released the iPad mini and the fourth generation iPad in October 2012, it helped them keep their lead in the tablet market. However, the market has become quite competitive, due to a host of various Android tablet releases, and the entry into the market of the Microsoft Surface tablet. Apple’s next move, according to industry experts and insiders, is projected to be a 9.7 inch iPad 5, which will be thinner than previous generations of iPads.

The iPad 5 is projected to be a lot like the iPad 4, but thinner. Since the iPad 4 had a new processor, the A6X, which is reported to be nearly twice as fast as that in previous iPads, and its new lightning connector, we project that we will see both on the new iPad 5. The same touchscreen technology used on the iPad mini, known as the “GF DITO” OR “GF2,” is expected to be the touchscreen of choice for the new model.

There is possible “wiggle room” for the processor, which may turn out to be an improved version of the A6X. Apple may use one LED bar, subtracting one from the current iPad; this will reduce weight and also allow the iPad 5 to run on a smaller, thinner battery, due to reduced power consumption. According to Jeremy Horwitz of iLounge, the iPad 5 will feature either very thin or non-existent bezels when used in the portrait mode, and barely enough room for the home button, front camera, and sensors.

Some case manufacturers have already come up with designs based on their information of what the finished product will look like. Minisuit has already created iPad 5 cases which appear to be slightly smaller than those created for previous versions of iPad. The cases also have a hole in the back which is purportedly for the microphone, which has apparently been relocated there for the iPad 5.

Another possibility for the iPad 5 is wireless charging. Apple has filed a patent which apparently includes induction coils in its iPad Smart Covers which will allow the user to charge their iPads by closing the cover. The patent is called “integrated inductive charging in protective cover,” and refers to what it calls “an inductive power transmitter” which will “wirelessly pass power” to a power receiver unit located somewhere within the tablet.

So, when can we expect the new iPad 5 to hit the market? The best answer is that there’s no answer. Sources that are considered within the industry to be roughly equal have claimed to have information on release dates in March, April, June, September, and October. In other words, nobody will really have any idea what Apple is going to do. If there’s one thing everyone should have learned by now, it’s that Apple marches to the tune of their own drummer; they do what they want, when they want to do it.

So, what does this mean to iOS developers? We see it as another opportunity to create and develop more apps. With every progression in technology, mobile devices are given more capabilities. Simply put, mobile devices can do more, and this creates an opening for more apps to take advantage of the increased capabilities.

Since it appears that the processor will be extremely fast, it may allow for more elaborate apps to work as well as previous apps you have on previous Apple mobile devices. We cannot say for sure what the finished product is going to look like or what its capabilities will be, but we can definitely project that there will be more reasons and uses for apps.

We recommend buying one as soon as it comes out, downloading some free apps, and seeing how they work. Also, you could find or solicit feedback on what would make a great app by asking people what problems they have on their new iPads, and what they would like those iPads to be able to do.

We say it often here, and we’ll say it again; it’s all a matter of solving problems. Find out what problems people are having and help them. It’s that simple.

In today’s era of niches and specialisation, it is more important than it has ever been to listen to your customers and prospective customers, figure out what their problems are, and then create products to help them solve those problems. Parental control could be a fine niche for aspiring or experienced Android apps developer.

The only current default methods of preventing inappropriate use of an Android mobile device by children are using a PIN to protect your Google Play Store account, and setting up an extra user account in the Settings > Users menu on newer Android devices. While this can keep the child from running up apps on your credit card with your account, it does not keep them from creating a new account and downloading apps.

There are multiple levels of protection and locking that you can achieve through simple apps. First, you could employ a basic sandbox lock, which disables the phone until you re-enable it. These work very well for toddlers who grab your phone and start pushing buttons. The next level is a sandbox with interactive games for your toddler. These can take the form of storybooks or learning apps, and they are sandboxed away from your operating system. Two very popular sandbox apps are Toddler Lock and Baby Rattle Toy.

For older kids, you’ll probably want to give them a partial access. A very popular and easy app for partial access is Famigo Sandbox. This app allows you to choose what apps your child can access. If you would like a more comprehensive access app, try Sandbox Kids Corner. For a more detailed description of how to do it yourself, read our source article from techradar.com.

If you are an Android app developer, and have an idea for a parental control app, contact us today. Parental control is an “evergreen niche;” there will always be parents who need to keep their kids from accessing their smartphones. Remember: making a successful app is all about solving problems.

The survey had a total of 762 respondents in the UK, US, Spain, Germany, and France. So in the interest of fairness, we will give the caveat emptor that this survey was conducted overseas, may or may not be accurate, and that the answers may or may not have been taken out of context. Nonetheless, we believe that the answers, regardless of bias or sample size, provide a great snapshot of how people relate to apps at this moment in time.

So what does the survey say? It says a lot about how dependent many in contemporary society have become on mobile apps. The survey asked users to report tasks that they could not complete on a daily basis if their apps were taken away. Some of the answers were to be expected, but some are utterly astounding, even to the most jaded of observers.

So, let’s get to the results. On apps in general, 82% of users reported at least one app that they cannot do without for even one day. Of the apps they considered critical, 57% selected email, 41% chose Facebook, and 31% chose their alarm clock app. Seventy two percent said they use at least 10 apps per day, while 2% admitted to using over 50 apps per day. Fifty three percent admitted that they use apps on their smartphones while driving a motor vehicle.

For us, though, the most astounding part of the survey was the basic things that users reported they would be unable to do without an app. The 48% said that they would be unable to check email without an app. The next most common answer: 32% reported that they would be unable to wake up without their alarm apps. The next most common answer was the one we put in our headline: 23% of those polled said that they would be unable to feel happy without their apps.

Twenty percent reported that they would be unable to navigate to work without apps; 19% said that they would be unable to maintain a relationship without their apps; 13% said that they would be unable to find dates; 12% reported that they wouldn’t be able to order dinner without apps, and 10% actually reported that they would be unable to impress people without apps.

So, what does this mean to you, if you are looking to build or develop iPhone, iPad, or Android apps? To really drill down into this information and interpret it correctly, one must try to minimise the emotional component, which often touches on the dramatic, and occasionally touches on the histrionic.

It is very tempting to laugh of these numbers, or wonder what kind of losers were surveyed, and how so many could possibly say that they could not feel happy without apps, but the bottom line is that real people who use real mobile devices with real apps provided real answers in this survey. Consequently, both the people and the data should be treated as such when drawing conclusions from the survey.

At the very least, the survey gives a good idea of what people are using apps for, and may provide insight as to what niches might turn into successful ones for mobile app developers. Obviously, niches such as email and Facebook are already dominated by the “big boys,” but even they are open to apps that “piggyback” off of the giants in the industry.

The social aspects of this survey could be interpreted as somewhere between “scary” and “beneath contempt” on a superficial level. However, the market of people who need apps to feel happy, maintain relationships, find dates, and impress people is a market segment that is full of possibilities. A mobile app developer who takes the time to drill down into any of those niches may find some extremely lucrative sub-niches if they take the time to figure out what those people need.

For example, why do so many people need apps to be happy? What are they looking for in an app that they cannot get out of life? What kind of app does the average user employ to impress people?

Contact us today; let’s create an epic app together and make more people happy.