Apps are big business. Apple recently announced its 50 billionth download since the App Store launched in July 2008 with US$9 billion paid out to developers in the same period.
With figures like that it's no wonder the Global App Summit in Dubai this month was thronging with developers, designers and entrepreneurs all hoping to crack the creative code to software success.
However, statistics show it takes more than a great idea to succeed in the app market.
According to Feroz Sanaulla, a former executive director of Intel Capital, now a UAE-based entrepreneurship and innovation adviser, on average a developer has 4.6 apps in his stable and out of nearly 10 billion apps sold, the average return per app is $8,700.
"The top 1 per cent of apps receive 50 per cent of downloads. Sixty per cent of apps don't get downloaded at all and more than 90 per cent of downloads come from the top 25 on the app store," he says.
The problem for the app business, it seems, is to get your app noticed and, once noticed, then bought.
But with most apps given away for free, the developers rely on in-app purchases or advertising revenue - both hard to come by if no one's actually downloading the app.
"The invisibility factor out there is huge. You have a very choosy market and yet you are anonymous to them," says Mr Sanaulla.
There are two dominant players in the hardware market: the iOS platform run by Apple on which 56 per cent of apps offered are free, and Android, where 72 per cent of apps are free, industry figures reveal.
The two players account for about 80 per cent of the market with at least five other players, including BlackBerry and Microsoft, fighting over the remaining 20 per cent.
It leaves developers little choice but to create apps for the players with the biggest market share and battle to get noticed.
Tamer Alaa, an Egyptian telecoms engineer, has been developing apps for three years. His latest, shoplog, keeps a diary of the online sites users have visited, allowing them to select their favourites, compare with other sites and share their preferences.
He cites the buying of bridesmaids' dresses as an example of how the app works best; the dresses are perused online and shared with a number of people, showing a number of products over a host of sites.
Mr Alaa says marketing is the top challenge in app development.
"It is the most expensive and exhausting thing about app building," he says. "The most important thing is creating a loyal customer, somebody who is actually using your app, not just opening and closing it. A game is often played in your downtime, a news app will be used in the morning or the evening. But creating stickiness is crucial so you know where you stand compared to the average."
It's big global success stories such as Rovio's Angry Birds - launched in 2009 with more than 50 million downloads last year alone - that keeps fledgling app builders motivated. According to Rovio, on the iPhone alone the game, at its peak, accounted for more than 100 million minutes of viewing per day.
Rovio has refreshed the game with new free themed levels retaining 80 per cent of its players. For the three Finnish students behind the success, Angry Birds has catapulted them to a company valuation of $8.6bn.
But the game was one in a long list of loss-making apps; in fact it was Rovio's 52nd app. It had a losing streak of 51 before its irate avians took the world by storm.
So how can app developers get themselves noticed?
"The big guys will be visible and survive, but there is a difference between survive and thrive and you can thrive in a smaller marketplace," says Mr Sanaulla. "You don't have to be a $100bn company, you can be a very successful $10 million company but the strategy has to be in place. Your war chest should have many tools to get to that point such as a marketing strategy, a media strategy, word of mouth strategy etc. Relying on one guy telling his buddies is no strategy at all."
While being visible and indispensable are important, it seems being lucky is even more so.
business@thenational.ae
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
The biog
Name: Capt Shadia Khasif
Position: Head of the Criminal Registration Department at Hatta police
Family: Five sons and three daughters
The first female investigator in Hatta.
Role Model: Father
She believes that there is a solution to every problem
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
More Iraq election coverage:
FIGHT CARD
Fights start from 6pm Friday, January 31
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) v Ahmed Saeb (IRQ)
Women’s bantamweight
Cornelia Holm (SWE) v Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (JOR) v Vitalii Stoian (UKR)
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) v Ali Dyusenov (UZB)
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) v Delfin Nawen (PHI)
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) v Mohamed El Mokadem (EGY)
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Ramadan Noaman (EGY)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Reydon Romero (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Juho Valamaa (FIN)
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) v Austin Arnett (USA)
Super heavyweight
Roman Wehbe (LEB) v Maciej Sosnowski (POL)
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Griselda
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Results
57kg quarter-finals
Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Hamed Al Matari (YEM) by points 3-0.
60kg quarter-finals
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) RSC round 2.
63.5kg quarter-finals
Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Shamlan A Othman (KUW) by points 3-0.
67kg quarter-finals
Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Ahmad Ondash (LBN) by points 2-1.
71kg quarter-finals
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) defeated Lalthasanga Lelhchhun (IND) by points 3-0.
Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Seyed Kaveh Safakhaneh (IRI) by points 3-0.
81kg quarter-finals
Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Ahmad Hilal (PLE) by points 3-0
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital