My first attempt at iOS app development

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

App economics and pricing

  • Many argue the author’s “fair” $2.99 one‑time price is unlikely to fund ongoing work; iOS is described as very hard to monetize, especially without subscriptions, ads, or aggressive marketing.
  • Some do rough break‑even math and (with different assumptions about price and day rates) show you need thousands of sales to cover even a few days of paid development plus the $99/year Apple fee. Others call these contractor‑rate assumptions unrealistic for a first‑time iOS dev or a hobby project.
  • Counterpoint: if you treat your time as “free leisure” and just aim to cover the $99 fee, break‑even is a few dozen sales, which is seen as quite attainable.
  • Several suggest $2.99 is underpricing for a quality, privacy‑respecting utility; $4.99–$7.99 (with discounts) is proposed as more sustainable.

Business models, marketing, and competition

  • Experienced indies say paid‑upfront apps “just don’t work” unless you’re already known; common advice is: free download + paywall after demonstrating value, and heavy focus on funnels, screenshots, keywords, and external communities.
  • Marketing is repeatedly framed as equal or greater than development in effort; the App Store is flooded with junk, user trust is low, and organic discovery via Apple is minimal.
  • Some see the store as a “calling card” rather than revenue source (e.g., free apps that help land jobs).

Apple ecosystem friction

  • Pain points cited: $99/year fee (especially for hobbyists, students, and low‑income regions), 15–30% revenue cut, code signing/provisioning quirks, mandatory toolchain/OS upgrades, and app review.
  • Others counter that code signing is mostly automated now and the fee is trivial relative to developer incomes and LLM costs.
  • There’s frustration that you can’t permanently run your own apps on your own phone without paying or frequent re‑signing; some lament the lack of a “modern HyperCard.”

Maintenance, churn, and device longevity

  • Multiple comments describe annual iOS/Xcode changes forcing ongoing work: new SDK targets, deprecations, breaking changes to APIs, and platform bugs that only Apple can fix.
  • Debate over support for older devices: some say Apple tools and SDKs still allow low minimum versions; others note App Store requirements and developer incentives effectively drop older phones quickly.
  • Compared to embedded or backend work, some see mobile as an “ever‑moving target” where a project is never truly done.

Alternatives and side topics

  • Comparisons made to web apps/PWAs (easier distribution, but harder monetization and discovery), React Native/Expo (higher velocity but breaking changes), and embedded development (worse vendor SDKs but more control and stability).
  • Several highlight that Apple Photos already has duplicate/delicate handling; apps often succeed simply because many users don’t know built‑in features exist.