At the same time, the majority of clients are of opinion that “porting” to Android should cost no more than 40% of similar costs for iPhone application, while adaptation to iPad – 10-15% at most.

Such estimates are correct for the most simple applications, however, for medium- to high-complex ones, this is not correct, unfortunately.

This is why we decided to share our experience and estimates of the approximate cost of porting of an average iPhone application to Android platform, as well as the cost of adaptation of iPhone application for iPad.

Cost of any iPhone application includes the following elements:

1. Specification (architecture);
2. Graphic design;
3. Interface;
4. Internal modules which depend on hardware (work with accelerometer etc);
5. Internal modules which do not depend on hardware (implementation of math algorithms, partly – server logics etc);

Having in mind various types of work during porting and adaptation we get the following table which shows correlation between costs of development compared with basic iPhone application:

Conclusion:

Our experience shows that on average the budget for porting iPhone application to Android is almost always not more than 80% of the cost for developing iPhone application itself (this is reached, mainly, due to savings for such items as “Graphic design”, “Application specification” and “Independent modules”).

Adaptation of iPhone application to iPad, on average, is 30-40% of the cost for developing the same application for iPhone.

We hope that from now on it will be easier for you to calculate the cost of porting and adapting your application (provided, you know the cost of each component of development).

Sincerely yours,
Managing Partner at The VIactivity LLC
Vitaliy Goncharuk (Linkedin profile – link)

Having opened a business for developing mobile applications for iPhone/iPad, Android more than a year ago, we decided to choose one of the key fields to be a medicine.

There were a number of reasons for this. Among the key ones – historical identification of this field (my parents and others are from this field), as well as a list of undiscovered possibilities which are potentially inherent for this field (strong potential for high profits in a long-term perspective).

Within one year we have developed the following types of medical applications for iPhone/iPad/Android/BlackBerry:

- publication of medical e-books for iPhone/iPad, based on our engine;
- solutions to provide users with a dynamic content, based on server client’s solutions (e.g. database of drugs with a possibility to update it dynamically from server, using web interface and smart client on iPhone and taking into account features of a particular user);
- systems of online medical surveys (knowledge testing) with the possibility to save results on servers and generate final ratings;
- training medical games (including those based on accelerometer);
- calculators and systems which allow for to apply more precise medical solutions, based on knowledge basis;
- and other more complex projects, which cannot be described here due to NDA;

All our clients can be divided into three groups:

1. Application development for iPhone/iPad/Android/BB for corporate clients (medical companies) which need it more for marketing program to promote their brand or services;
2. Development companies from the USA, UK, Germany (having good networking in medical field) which we provide with services as an anonymous outsourcing company;
3. Professionals in the field of medicine (individuals) who decided to establish a medical program, based on their idea, for the purpose of getting a profit;

Most common nuances while working with clients in medical field:

1. Private (individual) clients are often not ready to understand, that for substantial sales of developed application they need to invest the same amount (if not more) into marketing and promotion as into development itself (we warn everybody about this. It’s not possible to just publish an application and get $1 million in profits). ;
2. Short strategies of “Portfolio of one application and that’s it” do not work anymore. In order to get profits from selling medical (and other) applications in a long-term perspective one needs to create a range of applications for portfolio, build sales network including website, blog, social networks, interact with authors of popular websites and blogs, order reviews etc.
3. Applications without design (i.e. based on a mere standard elements) are sold and popularized much more difficult than those, developed with its own design; even though it’s true to development of standard applications costs at least half the price of those with their “own design”. This is why we often receive orders to re-develop homebrew applications made by a “student”.
4. Development of requirements specification and algorithms for medical applications often takes much more time than during development of ordinary applications for iPhone/Android/iPad (i.e. one needs additional knowledge in the field of medicine which are often quite unique; as well as due to necessity of a thorough thinking over of optimal options for interaction between application and its patient. Due to this we even established a fee for preparing such specification since it is often already 10-20% of total costs for project realization.

Most perspective segments(our point of view) among medical applications for iPhone/iPad and Android:

1. Publication of medical books for iPad, as well as for announced Android-tablets and their “interactivisation”  (due to large display in iPad, as opposed to iPhone, it’s more comfortable to learn various materials and watch images);
2. Development of training applications based on iPad for medical schools etc.
3. Porting of corporate systems from medical companies to iPad or Android-tablets;
4. Development of mobile medical applications for companies which already have a substantial users base (medical portals, large companies with clients etc);
5. And, obviously, development of medical ingenious applications for amateurs in other fields (healthcare, travel etc);

We hope that our review was of a good use to you!

Sincerely yours,
Managing Partner at The VIactivity LLC
Vitaliy Goncharuk

More info: Portfolio

(summary)

1. Substantial increase of audience.

Successful sales of iPad in 5-6 months will result in a large number of similar devices based on “Android from China for $100”, i.e. much more cheaper and available. This in turn will substantially increase potential audience for “services for tablets”, including ebook businesses.

2. Mass platform for studying.

Large screen allows using iPad and Android-tablets in a much wider scope as a platform for educational applications. Especially big hopes are connected with the field of interactive books for kids and students (including in field of medicine).

3. New platforms for publishing.

Large range of new functions (including interactive ones) makes production of interactive books “from the scratch” rather expensive. In this light various platforms for publishing are being developed to decrease costs of “packing” the book.

4. The line between interactive books and games is blurred.

Interactive nature of books is increased based on popular scripts; this will lead to blurring the line between books and games (A book with two different endings, depending on reader’s behaviour?) Why not?).

5. Integration of commercial services into books.

Development of books interactive nature will mean that during the process of interaction between the reader and book the former will be offered various extra services, depending on his or her behavior and tastes – developers of such books will pursue to have maximum profit from a single customer not only during the process of purchase but also after it.

6. Interactive comics-blogs.

iPad format is very handy for creating various semi-interactive comics, sale and reading of which would be done via special platforms, which provide an advanced range of multimedia and commercial functions.

7. Books will be able to live its own life in social media.

Almost each books can be discussed within itself, send favourite quote to Facebook/Twitter, connect with a page on Facebook, create community of fans etc. All this is effective methods of “promoting the book by itself”.

These and other features allow to state that we observe only the beginning of a painful conversion of traditional business with century-long traditions into a new one (i.e. with totally new business models).
And the one who will first find working, new business models, will the first!

Related info:

VIBook Engine for iPhone, iPad, Android and BB

The Viactivity LLC released a solution for everyone who conducts or merely plans to a business on selling e-books at iTunes – VIBook Engine for iPhone/iPad/Android/BlackBerry.

VIBook Engine for iPhone/iPad made it possible to quickly design  and publish a book of any complexity on iTunes within 3 days!

More info: link

We hope that our work will be useful for you!

Overview

Books and applications, total: ~ 35,000 (May 2010)

New apps: ~ 40 new books daily (on average).

Average prices in Top-100 under the category “Books”:

Within all Top-100: $2.61

#1-#10 app: $1.89

#1 – #50 app: $2.69

#51 – #100 app: $2.69

Distribution of prices in Top-100 under the category “Books”:

Minimum price – $0.99

Maximum price – $14.99

Portfolio characteristics of the most successful publishers from Top-100 “Books”:

Content uniqueness:

By content:

Portfolio of the average successful publisher from Top-100(“Books”) has approximately 60 applications.

Moreover, there’s one publisher holding 25% of all content of the section “Books”.

Effective models for selling the books:

1. Application with free books + selling of books together with application via in-app purchase;

2. Portfolio of books with SEO of high quality both in iTunes and through search engines (Google etc);

Price of platform(book engine):

1. For option of selling model № 2 – High-quality engine and design of one book costs $700-1100;

2. For option of selling model № 1 – Platform “free books + selling of books within the in-app purchase” costs $4000-7000 + $400-500 for each;

3. For both selling models one should consider also the budget for advertisement and SEO, since promotion within iTunes is not enough anymore for reaching the TOP-100.

Conclusion:

- business segment on selling the books for iPhone/iPad is very interesting for companies and persons who hold copyrights on most of content (in Top-100 publishers have on average 60 and more books and applications in their portfolios);

- one should consider the segment of interactive books which started promptly developing last month, especially in light of iPad release (even though the cost for producing such books is much higher as compared with normal books);

- the segment of medical books has some perspectives (most probably it is also related to iPad release, which allows to operate easier with the graphics etc);

- the most promising, stable quick-growing segments – books for children and comics;

- to promote within Top-100 apart from book of a high-quality itself one needs a considerable amount of advertisement of the book outside the Top-100, including promotion in Google etc (SEO);

***
Author:
Vitaliy Goncharuk,
Managing Partner, The VIactivity LLC
(iPhone/Android software development, production, marketing&PR)
http://www.linkedin.com/in/vactivity

***

The VIBook Engine for iPhone/iPad/Android/BlackBerry – link.

web-site: http://iUkraine.org

In the field of development of iPhone/Android/BB software one could see a lot of customers (investors) recently, who competently understand their main (native) spheres, but not the software.

Moreover, a lot of them have often a negative experience of collaboration with previous software developers. It is to a large degree due to substantial delays of product delivery, as well as a budget surcharge up many times as compared to initially agreed upon to.

Without hitting the high spots of enumerating typical mistakes let us barely recommend you the following strategy of working with software developers on market; based on our experience it will allow you to get needed result within optimal time-frames and with minimal costs:

1. Define the idea of your project in a plain, user-friendly language;

2. Describe with ordinary words a couple of (at least 3) cases and instances of using the application by average user (the more detailed, the better);

3. Order a detailed draft proposal(technical specification), based on items 1 and 2 of the projects, from a specialist or well-known company which you personally trust to. Notify them in advance that you’re not going to order the implementation of the project itself (normally such work doesn’t cost more than 5% of the REAL budget of the project). Ask also for a preliminary assessment of the budget and time-frames of implementing the project, a description of issues during the latter technical support of the project as well as the approximate qualifying requirements for contractor with respect to developing the software.

4. Make a list of the best-suiting developing companies, available in Internet.

5. Write a letter to these companies, asking to provide you with the confidentiality agreement and draft contract for developing a software;

6. Assess the quality of these documents, meet personally the specialist, inquire feedback in Internet, then send draft proposal(technical specification) for developing a software to the company (-ies) you liked the most (it is recommended to sign first a non-disclosure agreement);

7. Get offers from companies, assess their quality with respect to being specific and meeting the requirements of the draft proposal.

8. Choose the winner based on best price and quality, after that sign a contract with it.

It is no doubt that the list with 8 actions looks extremely burdensome at first, but all you need is just 3-4 days to follow it, while the result (successful project) will be much better than otherwise, without traditional delays and budget surcharge.
***
Author:
Vitaliy Goncharuk,
Managing Partner, The VIactivity LLC
(iPhone/Android software development, production, marketing&PR)

http://www.linkedin.com/in/vactivity