It's funny--they profile Ramp Champ and Skee Ball. Apparently these are two games modeling the same real-world game, and Ramp Champ doesn't use the Skee-Ball name or iconic game representation anywhere so it doesn't do as well.<p>At least for me, they're entirely correct. I must have seen that game in some list or another (new releases, etc.) at least 20 times, and I until now assumed it was a skateboarding game. Really hammers home how important the icon and name are.
It always amazing to me to hear people fail in some business and then blame the market, and this seems to come up a lot with regards to the App Store on Hacker News. It's refreshing to see someone critique that sort of analysis.<p>There is always a new blog post talking about the mathematical impossibility of making money on the app store, dependence on Apple for exposure, unfairness of the App Store rules, etc. Some of these articles even have some credibility. It's fair to say that it is difficult to make money on the App Store (or any other market). It's fair to say you can get a boost from Apple. And it's true that the App Store is not transparent.<p>But before you write that next screed about the App Store being an impossible-to-win game with no real reward for success, remember that you don't understand everything. As this article points out, it could simply be a market misunderstanding, which will doom a product anywhere.<p>Before you complain that the game is fixed, remember a lot of normal people make money on the App Store. Instapaper makes money, I make a living of the App Store, as do two close friends of mine, and none of us has ever been featured by Apple. We make good products, don't have VC capital or money to market, and the sales rise over time. You can make money on any category (not just games). I do well in Navigation, my buddy Ish does well in Social Networking, and another buddy Dave does really well in utilities.<p>If you try and make a product for the App Store and it fails to sell, you have no one to blame but yourself. The App Store is the absolute easiest way for an indie developer to sell software on a mobile phone... heck, to SELL software at all.<p>As a caveat, if you choose to play in the Games category, I suggest you be a good game programmer with a good idea, and not some two-bit hack with a get rich quick scheme. The competition is steepest in games. But, you can still win.
Towards the end of the article the author lists other developers in the "appstore B" but I don't see that any of them have made any games. I think this is more of a comparison of games vs other apps in the store (although undoubtedly there is some crossover).<p>Really what this article is about is that a non-game developer went head-to-head with a company that has made and marketed several successful iphone games and came out "losing".
It's not only "two app stores", it's actually applied to everything - literature, art, movies etc, etc.
There's always a "mainstream" which has more mass-market appeal, and then there is something more deep and complex, but it only is of interest to a smaller percentage of, well, "customers".
A well-written article that provides not only a description of the current struggles of iPhone developers but points to some solutions as well. Refreshing for those of us interested in making things better instead of just complaining, thank you!
Marco, did you do any marketing for instapaper? How did you promote it?<p>I'd love to see a follow up post to this about how to Market to App Store B. Include everything from naming and screenshots to networking with bloggers to buying ads.