Mobile Apps For Business

Mobile Apps for Business-What You Need to Know

www.phase2online.com

http://www.phase2online.com/



Everyone has a great idea designed to propel their business forward at some point – whether its to enhance productivity, make internal systems more efficient, or to provide information to customers. It’s also a great idea to take advantage of the way that business is run today – online. But turning your idea into a reality could be more involved than you think, and there are a number of things to take into consideration.

Here are the common questions we get from business owners looking to go mobile with an iPhone app.

Have a business? Have an idea for a mobile app? Great!




Where do I start? Apps aren’t something that every web developer can build, which is why you have to research developers who have this unique skill.

Phase 2 is fortunate enough to have a team of developers that are skilled at creating business- and user-friendly apps. Have a great idea?

Get in touch with us – we can help guide you along and hopefully make your dream a reality

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Will my app work with iPhone?

The short answer is maybe. Many business’ ideas can be converted into a mobile app for a variety of different phone platforms, but there are some limitations that – for now – make some concepts ineligible to be an app in the Apple app store.

This is something that is discovered in initial development and discovery meetings.

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How much does a mobile app cost to develop?

There’s really no clear-cut answer on this. Apps range greatly in both size and feature sets, which of course are big determinations in its cost.

When clients come to Phase 2 to discuss building an app, we take the time to sit down and have them walk us through how they envision it working.

This is also when we go through any potential technical issues, like app store compatibility or device support issues.

In addition to the development time involved with creating an app, Apple charges a developer license of $99.

This fee allows your app to be sold in the app store, and must be renewed annually to continue selling your app.

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How long does it take to build a mobile app?

Again, there’s no on-size-fits-all answer. Many things need to be taken into consideration in budgeting time for the project: what features will the app have; does the app need to talk to a server to get information; how long will it take Apple to approve the app once its been submitted; and many more.

All of these factors will be discussed with you - in depth - with your developer.

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So how do you build and submit my business’ app to Apple?

Apple has an approval process that each app must go through.

This process basically checks that the app meets Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) and that the app only uses features that we – the third-party developers – are allowed to use.

The HIG are put in place to help keep the iPhone user’s experience uniform, regardless of who’s making the apps.

These help keep everyone working on the same level, and we are continually keeping up the HIG as Apple adds and changes features.

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If my business’ app costs money to download, how much money does Apple keep? Does it vary based on what the app costs? If you charge for your app, Apple takes 30% of its revenue, no matter what the app costs a user to download.

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Where does the app live once its completed and on iTunes? Do I pay for hosting? Once your app is complete, submitted to and approved by Apple, it will live in the App Store. Part of the 30% that Apple collects from each purchase of your app funds the hosting and distribution of the app.

The only fee you pay to Apple is the annual $90 developer license and right to distribute in the App Store.

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Who owns the rights to the app once it’s complete?

When you come to us with your idea, we create the app, but once it is created and ready to submit to Apple, the code belongs to you.

Our role is to help you facilitate your idea, not control code. If you decide that you need or want to add features or make updates, you can bring us the code and we’ll work with you on the new features.

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Can I make my app do anything, or are there things that aren’t allowed? Apple’s HIG set specific guidelines on what an app can and can not do – there are standard design guidelines and some functional limitations in order to keep the end users’ experience uniform. For example, as a third-party developer, we are not able to make the app send a text or email message on its own.

What we can do, however, is set up the email and text message for you so that all you have to do is hit the send button.

We also can not turn WiFI or Bluetooth on or off..

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Are all apps required to be sold through iTunes, or can we develop it and use it internally?

There are options to consider when becoming a licensed Apple developer. Purchasing an Individual or Company Developer License for $99 allows you to distribute an app on the App Store.

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To distribute an app internally within your company, you can purchase an Enterprise Developer License for $299 per year. To obtain an Enterprise License, you must go through an application process and your company has to have at least 500 employees to be eligible. There is also a licensing type that is only available to qualified, degree-granting, higher education institutions - you must also apply for this type of license. It does not allow for App Store distribution but does allow distribution within a configured team within the licensing portal.



Will my app work on both the iPhone/iPod Touch and the iPad?

Yes, as long as you create a “Universal” app that has been optimized for the larger iPad screen and the smaller iPhone and iPod screens. We can also build the app on a framework that allows the iPad to “upscale” the app, resulting in only one version of the app.

We generally advise against the former because it doesn’t allow the user to experience the rich environment that an iPad has to offer.

Developing an iPad version can be done at any time and broadens your target market to users who only have an iPad.

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Does that mean that the user has to purchase the app twice if they have both an iPad and an iPhone?

Yes and no. Creating a universal app from the start is ideal because as developers we have just one set of code to work on, whereas when you make two separate versions you may have the same or very similar logic but have to have different support for each version. There is an advantage to building two separate versions: the chance to use device-specific functions such as the camera on the iPhone of the special large screen elements on the iPad. If you create a universal app, users only have to purchase it once. If you choose to create two separate versions, the user will have to buy each version individually for each device.

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What if I wanted to offer both an iPhone and an Android app? How does that affect the price of development?

It’s important to note here that all mobile platforms use different programming language, and what works on an iPhone will not work on an Android.

This means that the code would have to be written twice, and as such, the cost multiplies.

This “shell” is then accessed by each particular device. We typically don’t recommend this type of app for businesses as it is only workable for the most basic of apps.

In some cases, app concepts that use basic controls and not device-specific features (such as a camera or GPS location), a web-based app can be created that works very much like a webpage.

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How many more people would my business really be reaching if I wanted both an iPhone and an Android app?

To date, there are approximately 15 million Apple iPhones and roughly eight to nine million Android phones in use.

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But that’s only phones – most second generation and newer Apple devices, including iPod Touch and iPhone, can run the newest Apple operating system. And, if you have an app built on a previous version of the Apple OS, then you also get all the first generation iPods, iPhones and iPads too.

Add all of these together and your target audience grows significantly for those using Apple. Most of the devices running Android are phones and a few tablets. Our experience has been that the best route to reach Apple users is to create a universal version of an app, built against the newest operating system.



How many more people would my business really be reaching if I wanted both an iPhone and an Android app?

With regard to Android, it’s best to build against one or two versions back of the operating system to reach a larger user base.

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The best option overall to increase your reach is to offer a multi- platform release, but you can definitely do this in stages.

Offer an Apple app now, make a profit from the 18+ million devices in use, then offer an Android or another platform version of the app. Doing a second release, rather than trying to do everything at the beginning, is a smart move for a couple of reasons.

First, it allows you to see how your app will do in the market. Second, you save money up front. Lastly, you’re able to see user feedback before investing significant financial resources to make two apps.


Hopefully this information has gotten you thinking about how an app can work for your business. • Remember to do your research and have goals set.

• Who are you trying to reach with it?

• What do you hope the app will accomplish?

Sit down, think through all these questions and information and then find a reputable, experienced company to bring your app idea to life.

• Is it intended as a revenue stream?

• A free source of information?



4100 Perimeter Center, Suite 310 Oklahoma City, OK 73112

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Date post:	01-Sep-2014
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Mobile Apps For Business

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