How they made a profit...Four Great Ways of Making It Big with Apps 他們怎麼獲利…App賺錢4大招
Smartphone Apps are now more popular than ever. First introduced in 2008, this phenomenon has been described as an “App Gold Rush.” Profit models in the App economy currently include pay-to-download, in-app purchases, advertisement sales, and clicks-and-mortar.
智慧型手機Apps的流行持續發燒，從2008年推出至今，儼然成為一波「App淘金熱潮」。App經濟現有的獲利模式包括：付費下載獲利、軟體內付費購買獲利（In-App Purchase）、販售廣告獲利及虛實整合的獲利模式等四大類。
Pay-to-download profit model: In other words, with the right idea, even a one-person operation or a team of a few developers can achieve fame overnight and realize million-dollar revenues in global software downloads. Plants vs. Zombies, with its cute characters and easy-to-master rules, became a hit among consumers. Priced at US$2.99, the software had over 300,000 downloads within only 9 days of its launch, which translates into over US$1 million in revenue, and became the first app to achieve a million dollar in sales in the history of the App Store.
付費下載獲利：換句話說，任何的開發者只要有好的點子，即便你是一到兩個人的小型團隊，也很有可能一夕成名，並且成為世界級的百萬下載軟體。植物大戰殭屍（Planet v.s. Zombies）的可愛畫面加上容易上手的規則，受到許多消費者青睞。其軟體單價2.99美元，剛推出9天內便超過了30萬次下載，也就是超過100萬美元的銷售額，成為App Store史上最快速達成百萬收入的紀錄。
In-App Purchase profit model: On the App Store platform, more than 70% of the applications available for download are free of charge. However, most of these free apps only provide trial functions; users must purchase the full version to access the complete features of the apps. These free apps often generate more revenue for developers. For example, the Smurfs’ Village app from Japanese video game developer Capcom gives players a sense of accomplishment by directing magical blue creatures to build villages. If users wish to have the Smurfs work faster, they will have to pay to acquire virtual treasures. With the game’s appeal, this free app ultimately brought in more profit than many other pay-to-play games, and even topped the list of most profitable games at one time.
軟體內付費購買獲利：在App Store的平台上，超過7成的軟體下載都是免費應用，但這些免費軟體多只提供基本試用功能，額外完整功能需要另外透過手機平台付費購買才能啟動。這些免費下載的應用，往往替開發商帶來更多的收入。如日本電玩廠Capcom推出的Smurfs' Village，讓玩家沉浸在指揮藍色小精靈們建築村莊的成就感，若想讓小精靈更快速完成工作，就須付費買虛擬寶物。在這樣的吸引力下，這款免費遊戲下載最終獲得了比付費遊戲還更多的收益，一度成為獲利排行榜第一名。
智慧型手機Apps的流行持續發燒，從2008年推出至今，儼然成為一波「App淘金熱潮」。App經濟現有的獲利模式包括：付費下載獲利、軟體內付費購買獲利（In-App Purchase）、販售廣告獲利及虛實整合的獲利模式等四大類。
Pay-to-download profit model: In other words, with the right idea, even a one-person operation or a team of a few developers can achieve fame overnight and realize million-dollar revenues in global software downloads. Plants vs. Zombies, with its cute characters and easy-to-master rules, became a hit among consumers. Priced at US$2.99, the software had over 300,000 downloads within only 9 days of its launch, which translates into over US$1 million in revenue, and became the first app to achieve a million dollar in sales in the history of the App Store.
付費下載獲利：換句話說，任何的開發者只要有好的點子，即便你是一到兩個人的小型團隊，也很有可能一夕成名，並且成為世界級的百萬下載軟體。植物大戰殭屍（Planet v.s. Zombies）的可愛畫面加上容易上手的規則，受到許多消費者青睞。其軟體單價2.99美元，剛推出9天內便超過了30萬次下載，也就是超過100萬美元的銷售額，成為App Store史上最快速達成百萬收入的紀錄。
In-App Purchase profit model: On the App Store platform, more than 70% of the applications available for download are free of charge. However, most of these free apps only provide trial functions; users must purchase the full version to access the complete features of the apps. These free apps often generate more revenue for developers. For example, the Smurfs’ Village app from Japanese video game developer Capcom gives players a sense of accomplishment by directing magical blue creatures to build villages. If users wish to have the Smurfs work faster, they will have to pay to acquire virtual treasures. With the game’s appeal, this free app ultimately brought in more profit than many other pay-to-play games, and even topped the list of most profitable games at one time.
軟體內付費購買獲利：在App Store的平台上，超過7成的軟體下載都是免費應用，但這些免費軟體多只提供基本試用功能，額外完整功能需要另外透過手機平台付費購買才能啟動。這些免費下載的應用，往往替開發商帶來更多的收入。如日本電玩廠Capcom推出的Smurfs' Village，讓玩家沉浸在指揮藍色小精靈們建築村莊的成就感，若想讓小精靈更快速完成工作，就須付費買虛擬寶物。在這樣的吸引力下，這款免費遊戲下載最終獲得了比付費遊戲還更多的收益，一度成為獲利排行榜第一名。
