"Usage time declines by almost a third in the first month after use, stabilizing at just under five minutes"
I would argue that the presentation is biased to those iPhone app developers who are casting a very wide net to people who download/buy apps to satisfy a short-term impulse (e.g. people who download or buy a (cheap) application and lose interest after a couple times.)
I believe there will always be room for quality in the AppStore. For me, quality means that I actually like using the app because it is useful. There are many learn Spanish apps that I bought - that I do not use. Because they weren't as good as I wanted them to be. I don't use them anymore but because I bought them I hate to delete them.
For example, Tweetie's integrated Summize search alone made it well worth the nominal initial cost and I still use it. I'm sure it's supporting the developer well.
I love iPhone Pano for easily taking panoramic photos up to 3581 x 586px (you used to have to manually stitch in Gimp/PS).
My point is quality niche apps will have a better long-term market. If your app only makes $150-$200/month - that's good - you can build a suite of apps. That's what I'm planning on doing once I get past the memory management/graphic design/etc. learning curve.
The presentation combines data from a lot of sources, including some of the quality applications you've mentioned. I didn't break out the retention characteristics by decile, but late in the presentation there's a slide on cumulative sessions over time by decile. As you can see from it, there's a small percentage of kick-ass applications people return to disproportionately.
I honestly can't tell you what's best for your business - a series of quick applications that many people will buy on impulse, use once or twice, and uninstall, or a quality application that's lovingly supported, sold at a higher price point, and gains additional users gradually through a growing reputation. Luckily, the AppStore supports both styles.
I would argue that the presentation is biased to those iPhone app developers who are casting a very wide net to people who download/buy apps to satisfy a short-term impulse (e.g. people who download or buy a (cheap) application and lose interest after a couple times.)
I believe there will always be room for quality in the AppStore. For me, quality means that I actually like using the app because it is useful. There are many learn Spanish apps that I bought - that I do not use. Because they weren't as good as I wanted them to be. I don't use them anymore but because I bought them I hate to delete them.
For example, Tweetie's integrated Summize search alone made it well worth the nominal initial cost and I still use it. I'm sure it's supporting the developer well.
I love iPhone Pano for easily taking panoramic photos up to 3581 x 586px (you used to have to manually stitch in Gimp/PS).
My point is quality niche apps will have a better long-term market. If your app only makes $150-$200/month - that's good - you can build a suite of apps. That's what I'm planning on doing once I get past the memory management/graphic design/etc. learning curve.