iPhone App Development – Is It For You?

You have to love the ingenuity of entrepreneurs all over the world. As soon as the iPhone and other smart phones with similar features started offering downloadable “apps” or “applications,” the industry just skyrocketed. People rushed to fill in the demand for games, time management programs, and a host of other beautifully-designed applications that make our lives a little easier - or a little sillier.

But if you take a step back, you forget to think about this business as a market in and of itself. It’s a new market, after all, and many people are very hesitant about new markets because there’s never any telling how long they last. A closer examination of the world of apps should yield a treasure trove of insights that will help you understand exactly what’s going on in the world of iPhone app development and whether or not it might represent a future line of work down the line.

First, some facts.

A quick glance at a recent Online Employment Report at the popular outsourcing web site Elance yields some pretty interesting insights. The iPhone category is up in the top-10 in the most sought-after positions in the information technology category. It’s above .NET work and even Ajax work. That really means something.

But does it mean that the iPhone app market is really here to stay? Well, there’s really no fact that can back that up, because it’s a speculative question. But if you’re considering expanding your online prowess to include working on and developing iPhone apps, it certainly merits a second look. How can you know if it’s a good market to enter?

There’s no one simple answer, but let’s take a look at several criteria you’ll want to consider.

1. Consider how your current skillset can be translated to the iPhone.

If you’re a freelancer or entrepreneur, what can you provide to the iPhone that is similar to what you already provide your clients? You don’t necessarily have to create an app from scratch. You simply have to ask if there’s not some way you could sell an app - potentially developed by someone else - that relates closely to what you do and really offers value to people you typically serve. In other words, ask yourself if there’s some way an iPhone app could do much of your work for you - while you charge people to download it.

2. Ask yourself if your customers and/or clients would really want to use the iPhone more.

If you’re a plastics manufacturer, an iPhone app developed by your company probably won’t be more than a simple novelty. But if you’re an online marketer, there’s a lot of potential for an app to handle a lot of things that your company usually handles. Try to see things from the client’s point of view rather than embarking on your own vanity project.

3. Ask yourself if you see potential to grow.

The iPhone is undoubtedly part of a booming industry of smart phones, so this might seem like a simple question. But there’s a lot more to answer here, particularly as you consider your own professional life. If you’re a programmer who wants to start an iPhone side-business, for example, do you think there’s enough potential to grow that you’ll be able to take that side-business somewhere? If so, you’ll be able to enter this individual market with a greater degree of confidence and optimism.

In truth, no one knows exactly where the world of smart phone apps are headed. But if you do a little research and self-searching, you might find that you’ve been missing out on one of the great growing industries simply because you never saw yourself as an iPhone app person. That would be a sorely missed opportunity.