Best way to sell fm go 12 apps

[Charles Delfs]

Now that fm Go 12 is free I suspect we will see many more apps available. Unfortunatly to my knowledge there is no way of using the app store to promote them. This leaves a few options that I can think of:

1. Promote the app privately and have user just download fm go

2. Sell an interface app that launches your fm go app. This could be sold on the app store.

3. Build a native iOS app that connects to a FMP server backend.

I'd like to hear what everyone thinks about options and if there are any others.

C.

[Ilan Szekely]

App store for iPad/iPhone is one thing and App store for Mac is another.

If you have an FMP application you want both.

I am looking these days for ways to get a File maker solution to both.

From what I learned so far there is a way for the Mac side of the problem. FMP allows to create "stand alone applications". The catch is that data and code are together this way. This causes problems for updating - requiring data export/import as part of the update. It may even conflict with Apple's policy for Appstore.

For the iPad side with FMgo I think the FileMaker company owes us a solution, or a guide of "how to". Here there is no way around the Appstore requirement.

[Fitch]

You get FM Go for free and feel that FMI now "owes" you? Interesting.

[Rick Whitelaw]

FM Go 12 is an APP. Anything you write to run on it is a solution and really not an app. As far as I know there is no way to write a runtime application for ios (running without Go) using FileMaker. Of course there are other ways to write a DB app for IOS.

[Ilan Szekely]

Owes a guide of "how to". Instructions.

If there is no way to create a runtime for ios via FMP, FMP looses many users.

[Fitch]

I don't think giving away FM Go will cause FMI to lose customers. If anything, the opposite.

[Lee Smith]

A friend of mine who is not going to upgrade his business to FileMaker Pro 12, has downloaded the FileMaker Go 12 applications and is tickled with the 3 or 4 apps that it includes for free.

I don't see any difference between selling a FileMaker Pro solution for the usual platforms, and making a solution that will work on the iPad/iPhone and marketing it.

BTW, information is available on how to make files that will work iPad/iPhone, all you have to do is to search for it.

Lee

[Rick Whitelaw]

Lee,

Just checked out the solutions that come with Go 12 and I have to agree. They're very well done.

[Charles Delfs]

Still we are off topic.

There still needs to be a system for revenue. We can sell the fm go 12 database just like we sell regular FileMaker applications. But how can we harness the power of the app store along the way?

C.

[Ocean West]

i have a client because they now have FMGo free decide to pull the trigger on a project of 10 new iPads!

(FYI: FileMaker is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple, Inc.)

if you wish to get PAID for your GO template you can post your template here http://fmforums.com/forum/files/ I will gladly take 30%

[Vaughan]

That's not a knife.

"Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines recently announced that they will be providing an iPad in every stateroom beginning in 2012. This initiative represents an estimated purchase of more than 10,000 iPads and will potentially expose hundreds of thousands of users to the device in the first full year of operation alone."

http://tabtimes.com/analysis/consumer-services/2011/12/21/jonathan-stark-end-users-adapting-tablets-specific-business

[Ocean West]

That's not a knife.

lol

[Charles Delfs]

So here we are, top notch developers and still no way to sell our apps in the main stream.

What about the Mac app store, and stand alones?

C

[Ocean West]

Charles - you are more then welcome to publish your file here - users will NOT be able to down load the file until a purchase was made. you will receive a payout less 30%

http://fmforums.com/forum/files/

[eqitec]

In a similar discussion on Linked-In, I suggested that Filemaker-Go developers use an eBay store for the eCommerce component of the App Store. Our apps can be sold as fixed priced digital goods, for which eBay charges a flat fee for the listings.

Sellers just need to be responsive to purchasers quickly by providing links for downloads of the apps they purchase. I use Box.net for mine and have a link at the ready at all times whenever I get a message from eBay about a new purchase.

 

If anyone wants to test this approach, I'd be willing to use my eBay account for the test.

[Daniel Frank]

The way to make money? Solve problems for people who really need their problems solved. They'd be happy to hand you the money for it.

[qube99]

In a similar discussion on Linked-In, I suggested that Filemaker-Go developers use an eBay store for the eCommerce component of the App Store. Our apps can be sold as fixed priced digital goods, for which eBay charges a flat fee for the listings.

Sellers just need to be responsive to purchasers quickly by providing links for downloads of the apps they purchase. I use Box.net for mine and have a link at the ready at all times whenever I get a message from eBay about a new purchase.

 

If anyone wants to test this approach, I'd be willing to use my eBay account for the test.

This is a poor solution from a marketing perspective because people want instant downloads for this sort of purchase. Also, such a store does not give you any ability to do good searches and categorical organization. Stores like this depend on speed and quality of navigation which you normally can't achieved with Ebay and the like.

 

One solution would be for us to have our own app store. The key would be could we get FileMaker to put a link into FM Go to the Go Store so that every Go user has the link.

 

This type of online store is fairly straightforward to build where everything is automated and the customer gets instant download at purchase. Developers can be approved so that they can add products themselves. Sales notices to developers is automatic. One person is needed to actually run the operation and this consists mainly of processing the payouts to developers, paying the hosting fees, security certificate fees, managing the bank account and credit merchant account, paying taxes, etc.

 

Development costs would be $2k - $3k and take about 6-8 weeks once a graphic design and the rules for markup and payout are adopted and approved.

[RodM]

I am appreciative free FM go.. still more expensive, if you don't have, a iPAD vs using a Laptop

 most folks do have, adding FM Lic, vpn port forwarding, from outside..

Now all my apps can run remote in some way..

or act as extension to the Desktop beyond my network

[mikedr]

(bump) I was toying with the idea of creating a FM solution accessible through Filemaker to go. Is my understanding correct that there is no way to offer such a solution on the iOS app store?

[Rick Whitelaw]

Yes Mike, you're correct.