Another similarity is that both of these two apps can be categorized in ‘Productivity’ category, which means they are not providing 'Content' themselves. What they do provide is 'System' that transform your living more productive. With Instapaper, you can read online articles later by clicking the widget button in your browser, and when you open iPhone, you can see the same article. Anki is a flashcard apps with its own special algorism and user interface, you can create cards both in the desktop app and iPhone app and sync them each other. Neither of them have any contents in apps themselves before you collect or create contents by yourself.
They are also similar in terms of their user base. For Anki the number of people learning languages is huge, so it's naturally doing it's game in a huge market, and so does Instapaper as people reading articles online are more than unlimited.
Before iPhone or smartphones, people can only do these activities when they are in front of their laptops, but thanks to the iPhone and iTunes Store, these activities have been transformed and a completely new and huge market has been created. Why and How?
1. Before iTunes Store there’s no easy way to make money out of apps. Because charging process used to be very complicated.
From consumers side, you have to enter your address and credit card numbers for each sites which provides useful apps in order to buy them. From developers side, you have to build up paying system in your own site and even you are able to manage to do it, you’re responsible for the security of customers information, which gives you a lot of additional work.
If you have iPhone and have used iTunes Store at least once before, your address, name, credit card information etc. are already hooked with your iTunes account , which makes the process purchasing apps very quick and saving a lot of time and effort for you if you’re a developer. In other words, iTunes Store is a enormously capable (or dominating) middle man in Apps market.
2. No border between Paid Apps and Free Apps
To download Apps in the iTunes Store, you just have to sign in and for each downloading you just need to type in your password. This process is basically the same whether you’re BUYing apps or just downloading free apps. There is much more less chance to hesitate paying actual money or giving up typing a lot of information in the iTunes Store.
3. People spend more and more time on smartphones and tablets
The first three quarters of 2000’s was the Laptop Era. In this period people learned how great it is to be able to carrying their own small computers and using them anywhere in the world. Smartphones and tablets bring this experience to the next level. With laptops you still need tables to put them on and chairs to sit on, and you may need to find a place where internet access is available. These are no longer issues for Smartphones and tablets (with 3g connection), they’re so small and light that you can hold with one hand, having 3g connection as well as wifi. As a result the time you used to spend reading paper materials or killing time doing various things or even using laptops are now spent with Smartphones and tablets.
Smartphones and tablets haven’t reached the same level as laptops when it comes to editing but they, especially tablets, are great devices for browsing that even some people might find it easier to concentrate on smartphones and tablets displays which show only one content full screen at a time than on laptops’ which usually are messed up with miscellaneous things.
Phone, tablet users spend more time with apps than Web - CNN.com
4. iTunes cards safely allow students to buy apps with their own money
. What kinds of parents would be willing to give their kids their credit card numbers (and, what is worse, passwords) to buy Apps even though that App is a good educational tool for kids??5. The sexiness of Apple Products make your Apps look more professional and worth paying money
This is pretty obvious
. If you don't understand this one, please check these sites.Android - This is good
Apple iPhone - But this is what we call Masterpiece.
I really believe you agree with me completely. If you don't, please plz make sure you're letting your instinct flow.
6. iPad and iPhone (iPod touch): There are only two devices, Great relief for developers
Android and iOS, if you are a developer, which one do you choose as a platform you are making apps for?
If your goal is making money from your apps, then iOS is the one you should choose.
Not only because iTunes store is a better system to sell apps than Android apps market, but it is much easier to make sure that Apps you created actually work flawlessly in iOS platform. Why? Because there are only 2 devices for iOS, iPad and iOS, while there are ridiculously lot of different Android devices which have different screen resolution and different UI. Think about it. If you get money from your customers, you are professional, you can’t be irresponsible for the flaw of your products and services.
Putting well-matched ads was once a revolutionary way of making money online, but thanks to iTunes Store, which saves troublesome online purchasing process, and still market-dominating iOS devices, we now have the practical alternative which is almost as same as the way traditional business has been done, 'Selling services directly to customers'.
