I have quite a lot of apps that haven't evolved to add more functionality and advance a lot over the years, actually this is the majority of the apps I have, ores such as goodreader and iCab have blossomed, but most seem to get caught up in a race to the bottom where apparently the cost of the app and the fragmentation of the niche market each one has isn't allowing for a lot of development.... That's at least my subjective view of it...
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Anyone think iPad app dev has stagnated a bit?
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There's a natural ebb & flow of development. Apples marketing practices tend to create unrealistic expectations.
Ther are a lot of areas though where I find a lot of apps that are a mixed bag, but i can't find a couple that are really great. Just a lot of mediocre ones. But fair original point anyway.
I don't disagree. I believe the sheer number of apps affects quality as developers must compete with a staggering volume of apps in each category. Currently the total number is so high, trying to stand out among the crowd is a very daunting task. I certainly wouldn't want to be an iOS developer in the current climate. As a sideline perhaps, but as a main source of income it's a real crap shoot.
Well I went from 2nd gen iPod touch to the new iPad....... So the evolution of apps is huge to me lol
Are these free apps or paid for apps? Also, not every app needs to evolve if it does what it was designed to.
If you have an app that you feel is missing features, there's always another app that is similar you can try. Or you can try to contact the app developer to ask about features you feel are lacking.
Developers move on to new things and sometimes lose interest in an app they wrote. Especially if they were free apps.
Commenting as a dev: it's pretty hard to make money on the app store, but the rewards can be huge when you get it right.
Thing is, even getting it totally right in the wrong category isn't rewarding. If you make some amazing app that covers a very niche market, you still get tiny sales, and the only way to earn a living is to sell it at a very high price. That's OK for say a medical app purchased by hospitals, but not many people would pay $200 for say an egg timer.
End result: Lots of devs make pretty good niche apps, then start to work on making them awesome... and see their sales, and decide it's not worth the effort. So they either start making games, or they go back to their day jobs.
For a really great app to happen I think it has to be in an area that's reasonably profitable to make it worth it, otherwise the dev must make it awesome on the first attempt, before they realise it's not going to pay off
Some will do it for the love rather than the money of course.
Competition is definitely a factor, but not a huge one. If I want to build an app, I certainly look at the competition in that sector. There's only a few outcomes though: The competition is too good (in which case my app wouldn't be great, and you don't want it anyway), the competition isn't good enough (I go and make an awesome app), or there is too much competition (which means my app is average compared to all the others, and you're not missing out).
Thing is, even getting it totally right in the wrong category isn't rewarding. If you make some amazing app that covers a very niche market, you still get tiny sales, and the only way to earn a living is to sell it at a very high price. That's OK for say a medical app purchased by hospitals, but not many people would pay $200 for say an egg timer.
End result: Lots of devs make pretty good niche apps, then start to work on making them awesome... and see their sales, and decide it's not worth the effort. So they either start making games, or they go back to their day jobs.
For a really great app to happen I think it has to be in an area that's reasonably profitable to make it worth it, otherwise the dev must make it awesome on the first attempt, before they realise it's not going to pay off
Some will do it for the love rather than the money of course.Competition is definitely a factor, but not a huge one. If I want to build an app, I certainly look at the competition in that sector. There's only a few outcomes though: The competition is too good (in which case my app wouldn't be great, and you don't want it anyway), the competition isn't good enough (I go and make an awesome app), or there is too much competition (which means my app is average compared to all the others, and you're not missing out).
I hardly buy apps anymore because most of the apps simply feel so unfinished. Even the well-reviewed, popular apps (QuickOffice I'm looking at you) have major problems.
There's also too many dime-a-dozen note-taking and PDF markup apps. Honestly, the iPad is in most cases horrible for note-taking compared to a good pen and paper. Same goes for marking up PDFs, unless you have some specific requirement that your notes remain digital.
There's also too many dime-a-dozen note-taking and PDF markup apps. Honestly, the iPad is in most cases horrible for note-taking compared to a good pen and paper. Same goes for marking up PDFs, unless you have some specific requirement that your notes remain digital.
There's a famous quote which says "Nothing is impossible... for the man who doesn't have to do it himself!"
