A common opinion that I have both heard and read about when researching is that the App Market is saturated. Considering that there is over 300,000 Applications on the App store that are third party then that opinion can easily be agreed with. But, what of this ‘fact’? How does this bode for my own concepts success?
In the foreword of iPhone User Interface Design Projects (page xi), Clay Andres wrote a little about the cut throat and unrewarding nature of the App market:
‘It’s not enough to have a unique feature or great performance. Too many other apps will either be copying your unique feature or came out a week before yours… You have to think about every aspect of your app if you expect it to be one of the shining lights among over 100,000’
Another somewhat brutal quote on the market from the same book (page xiii):
‘By the time you read this, the number of applications on the App store will have crossed the 100,000 mark. Chances are that if you come up with an idea for an app, it’s already on the store and in abundance. In order to catch the user’s interest you’ll have to differentiate yours.
…If you’re not going to differentiate your app on quality, this book is probably not for you. Instead, just go to iTunes Connect, and lower your price’ Joachim Bondo
Both of these highly informed opinions are not saying not for developers to make apps due to the markets state – but rather promote making the app idea more innovative, better looking and as the product of much more hard work. Another article, this time from http://www.gameproducer.net/2010/06/15/indies-need-to-pay-attention-when-somebody-says-insert-platform-here-market-is-deadcrowdedsaturated/ [accessed 1st November] considers the possibility that perhaps for the ‘indie’ game designer, this somewhat ‘dead’ state is the best to work in.
When I start thinking these statements (on the statement ‘iPhone app market is saturated’), I feel that indies (those brave solo wolves that travel the snowy mountains without hope to see anything to eat, figuratively speaking) need to pay attention. The indie developers, when they hear “something is dying/crowded/saturated – no point trying going there any more” they know that now it’s the time to consider this market. (If the statement is really true)…
…iPhone app market saturated? Well, couldn’t this mean that the clone wars have been started and everybody is doing the same fart applications? I’d say an innovative approach and good marketing could do wonders. Pricing premium for your game (when others are thinking of lowering their game prices due tough competition) might do wonders.’ ‘Juunso’
All of these above statements do have elements of truth in them, however each looks at the market with a different angle – but yet do not dispute the fact that the market is saturated. With my own concept, I will likely work to make the game innovative and differentiate from similar ideas such as Tunnel Shoot Pro as there still is success to be had in the App market at this stage in its growth. Even so, my view on the app market on the whole is that it definitely complies with the theory of Boom and Bust. With the volume of apps in the App store growing from 500 to 300,000 in a matter of 2 years since its release, it will only continue to grow, until either the newest piece of software or ideas run thin. Furthermore, having been looking at the somewhat disorganized state of the App store, as soon as Apple include a better cataloguing system, many people will simply look through old apps to discover older, well-made applications than the more recent releases (which already have reputations as ‘clones’).
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