If you’ve got a Mac and an iPhone, you can start writing apps. Registered iPhone Developers can download the iPhone SDK which includes the Xcode IDE, iPhone simulator, and a suite of additional tools for developing applications for iPhone and iPod touch. But what if you’re not a coder? What if you don’t want to learn a new language and framework.
Individuals with no programing experience can now get into the app-making for mobile phones, says Business Week. Downloadable games, travel guides, quizzes, and blog feeds can be created easily thanks to sites like AppBreeder.com, GameSalad.com, Swebapps.com, and MyAppBuilder.com. Often all it takes is plugging specs into online templates.
As it gets easier for non-techies to make apps, the market for these downloadable tools is expanding. The Apple App Store, Google’s Android Market, BlackBerry App World, and Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace for Mobile are open for business. The number of apps sold through these stores may surge to 18.7 billion in 2014, from about 491 million at the end of 2008, according to consultant Ovum. That may result in sales of $5.7 billion in 2014, up from $367 million last year, Ovum says.
In October, one out of every five new apps launching in the iPhone has been a book. Publishers of all kinds, from small ones like Your Mobile Apps to mega-publishers like Softbank, are porting existing IP into the App Store at record rates.
Meanwhile, Nokia is dropping their N-Gage platform. It first appeared as dedicated devices in 2003, then resurrected as a platform for multiple handsets in 2008, but it’s never quite performed as a serious handheld contender. The Ovi Store is now the place to find and purchase mobile games.
In May, Nokia said that AT&T plans to make Ovi Store available to its customers in the U.S. later this year. So far, it hasn’t come yet, observes C/Net.
