Blackberry's $10,000 Guarantee for Developers - Key Points
BlackBerry recently announced that they will guarantee at least $10,000 in sales for developers if they build their apps for BlackBerry 10. This strong commitment to app developers is yet another indication of how important the app ecosystem is to the mobile device companies. There are some caveats to their guarantee though. Here is a list of the major points to keep in mind if you plan on pursuing this effort:
Probably the most important factor - You have to make at least $1,000. You will often know fairly quickly how successful your app will be. Chances are, it won't be very successful at all, and you won't make the $1,000. Or it will be successful, and you will probably make close to or more than the $10,000. So basically, the $1,000 limit takes away the concept of using this $10,000 guarantee for "insurance" against a poorly done app.
Developers must first get their app approved and certified for the BlackBerry App World marketplace. This is important to note, but probably isn't much of a factor for most people. The approval process is more focused on ensuring a certain quality in the app, that it isn't malware, and that it works in general as described. But they won't block you because it is a dumb idea. So, you either get the development right, or you don't. It really doesn't have much bearing on whether you will meet the $1,000 minimum to qualify for the guarantee.
It has to be a "certified" Blackberry 10 app. All of the news sources I've checked are complaining that there aren't any details yet about what that means. But perhaps it is tied to my last bullet and it just has to be certified by the Blackberry App World marketplace.
What I am researching right now - Will Android Runtime Apps Count? BlackBerry has the Android Runtime to run your Android apps on the BlackBerry PlayBook. At this point, with no information to go by, I am going to assume that these don't qualify for the offer. But if they did, and if you already have an Android app that would work well on Playbook, especially a relatively successful one, it almost seems like a no-brainer to port it over and try to qualify for this offer.
RIM/BlackBerry contends that they don't expect to pay out to many developers though. They expect sales to exceed the $10,000 for most developers based on what they've seen up to this point. And I've seen and heard anecdotal evidence to support this. Some developers that are still working on BlackBerry are seeing good returns on their efforts. Others I know, including some that were very committed to this platform have recently given up on it. But the same can be said for any platform, and it typically comes down to how well built and thought out the app is in the first place. Arbormoon Software is still developing BlackBerry apps, but the demand has certainly decreased. BlackBerry has some interesting features unique to its platform, such as the ability for tight integration of apps and app marketing with their messaging platform. It will be interesting to see what happens for this platform in the next year.
Were you considering developing for the BlackBerry platform? Does this offer help solidify your decision? Let us know and lets see if we can help you make sure it is successful enough to qualify for the guarantee.