Datasheet
Chapter 1: Introduction
15
In this book you’re also going to meet the underdogs. e broken-hearted,
the failures, and the disasters.
e rise of the app has massively altered the public perception of what a
so ware programmer is. It’s turned a generation of geeks from social mis ts
into superheroes. Mention to someone that you make iPhone apps and their
interest will pick up instantly. ey may even ask if you’re a millionaire. is
is an astonishing change from what a programmer in the 80s could have
expected in reaction to their job description. We now live in an age where
companies like Tapulous can, apparently without irony, run a job ad that
reads, “We are hiring rock-star developers.” Amazingly, if you visit a modern
development studio, you may nd that the workers are treated a bit like rock
stars. e demand for good programmers has never been greater and this is
re ected in the perks being o ered to entice them to new start-ups.
SUMMARY
A good iPhone programmer is rare and much in demand. e geek-kings
you’ll learn about in this book have become increasingly aware of their
value. e Appillionaires have encouraged a new breed of programmers,
born in their image, who are edging toward the golden days of the dotcom
bubble — a time when technology geniuses could entrance docile investors
with promises of glory. Riding around your Soho lo on a kid’s plastic
tricycle while the head of marketing squirts you with a water pistol has
become socially acceptable again. We live in crazy times.
Here’s a roundup of the important points covered in this chapter:
n e cost of playing the Appillionaire game is theoretically low. It’s just
$99 to join up as an Apple developer. e real expense is the investment
of your time, or paying people’s salaries.
n Over $250 million is spent at the Apple App Store every month. And it’s
just the start. e mobile so ware industry is witnessing explosive
growth.
n Even successful developers recognize an element of luck is involved in
building a hit app. ere are few guarantees.
n Apple has complete editorial control over what goes on the App Store.
e Appillionaires have to work within the bounds of what Apple
considers acceptable material for sale, both technically and morally.
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