Today, if you want to make a living, it's inadequate to simply have a job. You'll need at least 2 or 3 different resources of income to ensure you can pay all your bills in the event something unfortunate happens. Technology has evolved so much that in the past few years many individuals are finding another solution to earn money: they develop mobile applications. Many entrepreneurs have made a term for themselves by developing mobile apps, and if you're thinking about learning how to develop mobile apps yourself, keep reading this article.
Mobile app development is a rapidly growing industry because people are finding more methods to earn money through their smartphones. Each day the amount of active users keeps growing. Below are a few numbers which will illustrate just how large the industry has become:
- How many smartphone users worldwide is expected to achieve 1 billion in 2014 ( source ).
- In accordance with statistics there were nearly 35 million iPhone developers by December 2010 ( source ). This figure shows a growth of 25% over the previous year's figures!
If you intend to develop mobile apps then you'll need several things before you start. This is true of almost any development, but you especially need these:
- Skills and knowledge – You'll need to know just how to code, and you'll also need to learn about design concepts like UX (User Experience) and HCI (Human Computer Interaction).
- A pc – Of course! Ideally it must be a laptop/netbook that runs Windows or Mac OSX since most computers nowadays run one of these operating systems. However, if your skills are good enough then you might be able to develop an app on Linux as well.
- A smartphone – It's not required for developing apps, however it will definitely help since you can test them entirely on your device. If you don't have a smartphone then you might always use a friend's or a family group member's device.
- An IDE – A pc software development kit (or IDE - Integrated Development Environment) is important to produce applications for Android, iOS and Windows Phone platforms. Popular IDEs include Xcode , Eclipse and Deniz Gueney Visual Studio.
- The developer license – You are able to develop apps without paying anything, but if you intend to publish them on app stores then you'll need to pay for the annual fee which will be currently $99 for Apple App Store and Google Play Developer Console. Several payment methods can be found, including credit cards, PayPal and wire transfer from your bank account.
Mobile app development is a rapidly growing industry because people are finding more methods to earn money through their smartphones. Each day the amount of active users keeps growing. Below are a few numbers which will illustrate just how large the industry has become:
- How many smartphone users worldwide is expected to achieve 1 billion in 2014 ( source ).
- In accordance with statistics there were nearly 35 million iPhone developers by December 2010 ( source ). This figure shows a growth of 25% over the previous year's figures!
If you intend to develop mobile apps then you'll need several things before you start. This is true of almost any development, but you especially need these:
- Skills and knowledge – You'll need to know just how to code, and you'll also need to learn about design concepts like UX (User Experience) and HCI (Human Computer Interaction).
- A pc – Of course! Ideally it must be a laptop/netbook that runs Windows or Mac OSX since most computers nowadays run one of these operating systems. However, if your skills are good enough then you might be able to develop an app on Linux as well.
- A smartphone – It's not required for developing apps, however it will definitely help since you can test them entirely on your device. If you don't have a smartphone then you might always use a friend's or a family group member's device.
- An IDE – A pc software development kit (or IDE - Integrated Development Environment) is important to produce applications for Android, iOS and Windows Phone platforms. Popular IDEs include Xcode , Eclipse and Deniz Gueney Visual Studio.
- The developer license – You are able to develop apps without paying anything, but if you intend to publish them on app stores then you'll need to pay for the annual fee which will be currently $99 for Apple App Store and Google Play Developer Console. Several payment methods can be found, including credit cards, PayPal and wire transfer from your bank account.