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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperBusinessiphone web app, combine files, protect product and distribute it?
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fallen2
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« on: January 13, 2009, 11:54:51 AM »

I have developed a web app for the iphone, iphone applications Apple have their store but the web apps you have to sell yourself, Apple only act as a service to list the web apps, they don't sell them, you have to do that yourself from your own site.

I have a few things I need to sort out before I can do that.

I need to combine its files into one exe, web apps come as html files, so I want to combine them into one simple file to exe to launch the program without having lots of html files and directories. I also need to protect as best I can the program for being copied or pirated, I can see the application being passed round amongst people due to the nature of the app, and that I don't want, if you want it, buy it, I don't want it passed around for free, these things are not easy to make and I'm far from wealthy, in fact quite the reverse. I also need to have something to distribute it and process the orders.

I'm really quite in a muddle here, it was one thing making it, now Ive got to get it ready in a way to sell the product, If I can work through this step I think I can get a hell of a lot of sales, its something that will sell very well, thats if the iphone web app part of Apple gets anywhere near the visitors that the regular iphone application gets, later on Ill port the web app to the regular iphone application when I get the finances and time to do so, but for now I have the product as a iphone web app and I need some direction on what I can do here as I'm quite unsure of my next steps.

Can anyone point me in the right direction.

Just a note on pricing, the app is 2.99 usd, I thought Id add that, in case it affects pricing of ecommerce services.
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Guillaume
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« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2009, 12:09:11 PM »

I don't know about the sales of web apps, but here are a couple remarks I want to make after reading your post:

1) I need to combine its files into one exe: The iphone does not run exe. It runs .app bundles, very much like OS X would. If it truly is a webapp, then all you need to do is to put it on a server of yours, as it very likely is php or something similar. Any standard webhost would do.

2) If you want people to pay for a webapp, than obviously you'll need your webpage (because that's what a webapp is really: a webpage, with the layout made to be iphone friendly) to support user login and subscriptions. That might be a usability pain though: a) because the user will have to login everytime, and b) because it won't be available offline.

3) Overall, I recommend building a regular iPhone application. It's not *that* hard to do, it's much easier to distribute (thanks to Apple Store), and you'll have an easier time avoiding piracy/subscription problems.

Best of lucks!
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fallen2
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« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2009, 02:24:19 PM »

To build a native app you need to either 1, run the SDK, thats needs a mac, I dont have the money for one, or two, an aplication that outputs as a native app, I can only think of Unity, again that needs an mac, or 3, use some of the free tools, they require programming skills, I dont program, so thats out.
There is a tool that will convert a web app to a native app, but guess what, it needs a mac. So the options for me are, sell the web app, then with the money buy a mac, and either use the convertor, or re build it in Unity. Both good options, but both need a mac. Which, like I said. I dont have the money for.
Surly, someone in the whole world has built a web app, and sold it and knows how to go about doing this.
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