The KnittingHelp.com iPhone App is Now Available! - Page 2

sheldon · 12-06-2010, 11:12 PM

Hi Natalie,

The website videos are free, well sort of. We have advertisers (and sell things in order store) which enable us to keep the videos free. This website after all is our livelihood. The knittinghelp.com app, has no advertisers. It took us 11 months to create the app, not to mention the value of the video content which was created earlier (the videos are included with the app, just like if you bought a DVD). There were also fees paid to Apple to join their developer program. Apple also takes 30% of all sales. I have calculated how much we have made from this app, and it's about 25 cents per hour of work (not including the video filming/editing). That should *hopefully* increase as the app continues to sell.

Sure some apps can sell for 99 cents and do well. These are typically app firms that produce a lot of apps, or apps that have large market appeal and sell vast quantities. They make their margins on quantity. A knitting app is only going to appeal to a very small number of iPhone/iPod owner. In order to be worth our efforts, we have to charge for this app. We set a figure that we think is very reason for what people are getting. A pocket version of KH, with no ads, which works anywhere. Most knitting DVD's cost $20 - $40, and I'm sure that most people who buy this app will use it more frequently than a DVD.

Thanks for understanding.

Sheldon

sheldon · 12-07-2010, 04:30 AM

Originally Posted by kmaclean

I'm not sure what the currency exchange is ... perhaps it is more expensive in the UK than it is in

That's a good point. I checked to make sure the exchange wasn't making it prohibitively more expensive. It looks like the price equates to $4.70, so it's actually on sale in the UK.

Jan in CA · 12-07-2010, 06:26 AM

It's absolutely worth it IMO. I have an iPod w/o cell connection and when I'm at my knitting group or on vacation I can take KH with me which is amazing. I do have free apps, but the paid ones usually are worth it in being ad free and in content.

Lisa R. · 12-08-2010, 03:47 AM

Well, I'm off to iTunes with great excitement and anticipation....

luvmykid28 · 12-08-2010, 08:37 PM

I love it!!! Well worth every penny. I used it almost as soon as I finished downloading. Thank you Sheldon and Amy. I am telling all my knitty/iphone friends.

Lisa R. · 12-09-2010, 01:26 AM

Got it! Haven't finished exploring it (obviously! It's a LOT of stuff), but love what I've seen so far. I imagine I'll be using this a good bit. Much easier than running to the computer.

Thanks, Amy & Sheldon!

sheldon · 12-09-2010, 02:08 AM

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback!

The was a huge undertaking for us, and we are happy with the response thus far. I am already working on improving the app and making it even more useful (ex: adding the glossary/abbreviations, search, etc.). So you can expect to see that sometime after the holidays. Any updates will be free for those who have already bought the app.

If you have bought the app, please take a moment to visit the app store and leave a review and rating for the app. Apart from really enjoying reading all the reviews, your review help other people find the app, and decide whether if the app is a good fit for them.

Thanks!

Sheldon

Ronda · 12-09-2010, 02:30 PM

I read the posts and completely understand your position, Sheldon. I do have an Android phone and will probably stick with that (Verizon). I just thought that I'd chime in and say I'm horribly jealous of the iPhone users who get to use the app! I would also pay in a heart beat for an Android version, and that's saying something because so far I have used nothing but free apps. As of right now, I would purchase only 2 apps if they were available - the Self.com exercise app and the KH app. So I'm going to sit here and cross my fingers and hope that one day I will get to view KH videos on my Droid.

sheldon · 12-09-2010, 03:58 PM

Hi Ronda,

Thanks for sharing. I have received A LOT of requests for an Android version. So we've made the decision to go head with an Android app! When will it be available? I can't say for certain. It will take some time. We have only just made the decision to pursue this based upon the launch of the iPhone version. The next step is to explore our options as far as developing the app. I will certainly make a post on KH, Twitter and FB when the app is available.

chj · 12-29-2010, 08:12 PM

Ha! I have been going back and forth about getting a Netbook or an iPad. I was thinking, if I had an iPad, then I could have it with my knitting and if I needed to reference a video, I wouldn't have to knit in front of the computer. Then I thought, I wonder if knittingHelp works with the iPad? So I did a search, and voila - here is my answer! If I get one, I'll let you know how it works. Thanks!