With the recent release of the iphone SDK many of us have been wodering; what type of applications will developers create, how much will they cost and of course how creative and useful they will be? Well as a developer I would like learn what Iphone owners really want. What is something you would buy. What is something you feel the iphone desperately needs? In detail what is an appliction that you would love to see developed. Please be descriptive and detailed. Also what do you think is a respectable price for an iphone application. Thankyou in advance for all of your help
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What Type of applications would you pay for?
- Thread starter woslow wolip
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1. A light productivity suite - WP and Spreadsheet - which would work with an external keyboard (bluetooth or even dock with the phone - there are several excellent examples of the kind of thing I'm talking about out there for other phones and mobile devices). Cut and paste support included within the app of course. Like Notes, it has to allow the result to be e-mailed (at least), and the ability to synch files with a computer when docked is needed
With those I (and most people) would have a true ultra portable. On the move, use the screen. When taking notes or dashing off a quick report dock it to the small keyboard. With no need too haul a bulky and heavy "notebook" about, it would be fantastic!
2. Portable Hole. Some application that could store files sent to the iPhone and synch them back to another machine (wireless or docked - doesn't matter). It would be even better if e-mail attachments could be saved to this file store, or the files sent out as e-mail attachments. Don't need to be able to manipulate the files (well - quick view them would be nice). This kind of functionality should have been included from the start. Probably require some additional software on the target machine. I reckon Bonjour would have to be used. If included as part of 1 it would be very handy.
3. A decent converter app like the widget that comes with OS X. I can do it with some of the web apps that are out there, but they just lack the polish that an integrated application would have. Surprised Apple haven't provided this one to be honest.
4. Contacts. Right now you have to go through another function to get to contacts. There should be a basic contacts app (indeed one is provided on the SDK simulator).
For 3 and 4 I would not pay that much. For 2 I'd spring for say $10 (and it may require the provision of additional software outside the iPhone)
1 is the "killer app" for the iPhone. It requires some additional hardware and effort.
With those I (and most people) would have a true ultra portable. On the move, use the screen. When taking notes or dashing off a quick report dock it to the small keyboard. With no need too haul a bulky and heavy "notebook" about, it would be fantastic!
2. Portable Hole. Some application that could store files sent to the iPhone and synch them back to another machine (wireless or docked - doesn't matter). It would be even better if e-mail attachments could be saved to this file store, or the files sent out as e-mail attachments. Don't need to be able to manipulate the files (well - quick view them would be nice). This kind of functionality should have been included from the start. Probably require some additional software on the target machine. I reckon Bonjour would have to be used. If included as part of 1 it would be very handy.
3. A decent converter app like the widget that comes with OS X. I can do it with some of the web apps that are out there, but they just lack the polish that an integrated application would have. Surprised Apple haven't provided this one to be honest.
4. Contacts. Right now you have to go through another function to get to contacts. There should be a basic contacts app (indeed one is provided on the SDK simulator).
For 3 and 4 I would not pay that much. For 2 I'd spring for say $10 (and it may require the provision of additional software outside the iPhone)
1 is the "killer app" for the iPhone. It requires some additional hardware and effort.
I'd pay for a version of quickbooks that connected to my system while I'm onsite. So I can write and enter invoices remotely, as well as send to a printer on the local network too!
If they ever add GPS to the iPhone...
An app that lets you pair your device with another iPhone (using passwords) so that you can each see EACH OTHER on a map.
So, for example, a family could tie all their iPhones together and go to Disney World for the day. At any point anyone can see where everyone else is in the park, in real-time.
It would be like that magic map in 'Harry Potter.' I think this one is still a bit futuristic, tech-wise, but I think it will exist in the near future. The two big challenges:
1) Adding detailed maps of things like shopping malls and theme parks. NOT just roads. I'd imagine Google-maps is eventually going to have stuff like this and it could use that. Being albe to add your own maps you create would be useful. So you could up-load a floor-plan of your office to it if you wanted to.
2) The ability to run the software on many different GPS phones, not just the iPhone.
An app that lets you pair your device with another iPhone (using passwords) so that you can each see EACH OTHER on a map.
So, for example, a family could tie all their iPhones together and go to Disney World for the day. At any point anyone can see where everyone else is in the park, in real-time.
It would be like that magic map in 'Harry Potter.' I think this one is still a bit futuristic, tech-wise, but I think it will exist in the near future. The two big challenges:
1) Adding detailed maps of things like shopping malls and theme parks. NOT just roads. I'd imagine Google-maps is eventually going to have stuff like this and it could use that. Being albe to add your own maps you create would be useful. So you could up-load a floor-plan of your office to it if you wanted to.
2) The ability to run the software on many different GPS phones, not just the iPhone.
that last one sounds cool, looooooooooooooots of work though,, maps of malls and stuff? that s insane, but i think it would bring so many problems too, like weird dudes stalking their g/fs or vice versa and things like that i don't know if that d ever happen..
Google Earth has a tool that lets you create 3D buildings. They could make something like that for designing maps. So, lets say you go to Disney World. You go to Disney.com and search for "iPhone Map" and it lets you download a perfect map the Disney people have made right into that map application on your phone. Any Mall could do it too.
So it would be up to the places you visit to make the maps, not the application designer.
Not only would you need a password to establish the link but either side could break the link. You'd then need to re-link the phones with a an entirely new password. (First phone makes the password, everyone else has to manually type it in to join.) So the only way you could stalk someone is to call them and TELL them to enter your password! And even if you tricked them once, they could turn it off and break that password at any moment.
So privacy wouldn't be an issue.
In no particular order:
1. Possibly 3D turn by Turn Navigation, that could bluetooth to an external GPS. (although in reality I have several GPS units now, so maybe I wouldn't pay for it, although a lot of people no doubt would). I'd bet you could at least $49 for something like that.
2. A great task manager such as OmniFocus based on the GTD system. An OmniFocus iPhone app would definitely get $29 out of me.
3. An app to use the camera to image a business card into contacts. That OCR function exists on some HTC phones. Perhaps $ 19.95 would work there.
3. A decent non-browser based front end for orb.com, with the ability to schedule TV recordings, access photos etc. $ 29
4. An app to access AppleTV, the Xbox 360, or the PS3 over the net. Get content from the devices and upload photos . $ 19.95
5. Some sort of aggregator for social networking sites. $ 19.95
6. A really nice Twitter client: $ 12.95
7. App that will allow you to Geotag photographs using either the phone's location ability or again bluetooth to an external GPS. $14.95. (Then of course the ability to pin those photos to Google maps)
8. A very good Bible program ( 2-3 translations)
9. A really good e-book reader, $ 19.95
10. A good internet radio front-end. $ 14.95
1. Possibly 3D turn by Turn Navigation, that could bluetooth to an external GPS. (although in reality I have several GPS units now, so maybe I wouldn't pay for it, although a lot of people no doubt would). I'd bet you could at least $49 for something like that.
2. A great task manager such as OmniFocus based on the GTD system. An OmniFocus iPhone app would definitely get $29 out of me.
3. An app to use the camera to image a business card into contacts. That OCR function exists on some HTC phones. Perhaps $ 19.95 would work there.
3. A decent non-browser based front end for orb.com, with the ability to schedule TV recordings, access photos etc. $ 29
4. An app to access AppleTV, the Xbox 360, or the PS3 over the net. Get content from the devices and upload photos . $ 19.95
5. Some sort of aggregator for social networking sites. $ 19.95
6. A really nice Twitter client: $ 12.95
7. App that will allow you to Geotag photographs using either the phone's location ability or again bluetooth to an external GPS. $14.95. (Then of course the ability to pin those photos to Google maps)
8. A very good Bible program ( 2-3 translations)
9. A really good e-book reader, $ 19.95
10. A good internet radio front-end. $ 14.95
I'd also like a Facebook Update.
Where you can:
1) Upload pictures you take from the iPhone,=.
2) Tag pictures
3) View non-tagged pictures
4) Automatic alert for new messages
i'd pay about 10 bucks for it
Where you can:
1) Upload pictures you take from the iPhone,=.
2) Tag pictures
3) View non-tagged pictures
4) Automatic alert for new messages
i'd pay about 10 bucks for it
I'd pay about $10-15 for a Quicken application that would work with Quicken 2008. It would be nice if someone could work out a way for receipts to get sent digitally and could be imported into ANY financial software. Maybe Microsoft and Intuit can get together and find a standard for newer versions so stuff like that could happen.
I would be interested to see a miniature version of Photoshop on the iPhone. Nothing flashy, but just $10 worth of minor edits. On that note, a Quark XPress and/or Adobe InDesign reader for free just so I could see stuff from work without PDF exporting.
Games I think most of us wouldn't mind paying for, depending on the game (nobody would pay for solitaire).
I don't know if the iPhone does this yet, but a voice recorder would make me quite happy.
I would be interested to see a miniature version of Photoshop on the iPhone. Nothing flashy, but just $10 worth of minor edits. On that note, a Quark XPress and/or Adobe InDesign reader for free just so I could see stuff from work without PDF exporting.
Games I think most of us wouldn't mind paying for, depending on the game (nobody would pay for solitaire).
I don't know if the iPhone does this yet, but a voice recorder would make me quite happy.
i would pay money on have a program that can edit pictures, a program where i can wirelessly transfer songs and such via wifi from a mac or pc, AIM, (hopefully) live messanger (sp?). etc...
What about changing Browsers?
like Opera 9.5, Firefox, or Camino? Also, Themes without jailbreaking.
like Opera 9.5, Firefox, or Camino? Also, Themes without jailbreaking.
You have to think about what everyday iPhone users would use. I would only pay for an Office Suite (Word Processor, Power Point, ect) and GPS (like vz navigator but built into google maps). Themes, Games, all those high tech end things no one is really going to pay for them. Think about the average consumer. Most of them are dumb and satisfied over little things.
like Opera 9.5, Firefox, or Camino? Also, Themes without jailbreaking.
YES! That was actually the only reason that I previously jailbroke my phone.
