How Much Is The Palm App Catalog Making Developers?∞
The short answer: not nearly enough.
The fine folks over at PreCentral have crunched some numbers and come up with how much the top-selling apps have made. The top-selling paid app, Tweed, has sold 4,946 times for $1.99, making a total of $6,889. On the other hand, the top-GROSSING paid app, Absolute Fitness, has sold 3,498 times at $4.99, making a total of $12,218.
These numbers are absolutely pathetic. There is no way these revenues can even cover the cost of developing these apps, let alone allow any wiggle room for profits. When the top-selling paid app in your catalog hasn’t even been downloaded 5,000 times, there is a problem.
Palm is stuck in a vicious little circle where developers don’t write for your platform because there aren’t enough users, and users don’t use your platform because there aren’t enough apps. If they want developers to even CONSIDER writing for webOS, they need to find a way to make it profitable, fast.
