I’m planning an iPad app – now help me out here

Okay, let’s get specific. You read this blog because you’re interested in security so most of you reading this probably know what you’re talking about.  Now I need your help for some real life advice.

I’m planning on developing an app for the iPad.  Without giving too much away, it’s a simple travel app with a mapping functionality.  There are some similar apps out there but I differentiate myself with content and simplicity.

Anyhow, I have some questions for those of you reading this.  Can you provide me with advice?

1. What platforms should I create it on?

   As I said in the introduction, I’m planning on making an iPad app.  My motivation for this is that it’s my first app and iDevice users are more likely to purchase an app than users of other platforms.  Ergo, I start with Apple.

   However, should I port it to Android eventually? I’m paranoid about Android; it’s a malware writer’s dream. I’ve written about how ripoff artists will copy your app’s functionality and upload it to the Android Marketplace and steal your potential revenue stream.  Sure, Google polices this, but how well do they do it?  I don’t want to police it myself, I’m just one guy!

   So what do you say?  Are my fears founded?  If the app is popular on iOS, should I port it to Android?  What about Windows8 tablets?

2. Who should I get to develop it for me?
   I’m a registered Apple developer but my strength is not coding.  I’m very good with statistics and Perl, and good at Java, but I don’t do Objective C or Cocoa.  I’m also not great at developing UI’s and doing the last 25% of coding/debugging.  Therefore, I am outsourcing the development (but not the design; I’m fiercely specific about that).

   I’ve posted my ad on a freelance site that has developers.  But who should I trust?  I have had 22 people respond to my ad.  But some of them are located in China, some are in India, and a couple are in eastern Europe (Lithuania). 

   Should that be a concern to me?  I need people who I can communicate with (English speakers) but if they are in eastern Europe, should I be worried they may rip me off?

3. How can I sort through developers quickly?
   Any advice on sifting through developers quickly?  I have to go through 22 of them and that’s going to take a while.  Any shortcuts to this and picking the one I want?

Those are my questions.  Feel free to leave answers in the Comments.

Comments

• Anonymous
  July 05, 2012
  did you consider using MonoTouch and Mono for Android?