Businesses with an interest in leveraging their product or service through an iPhone application can learn the ins and outs of designing, developing and submitting their own creation to Apple’s iTunes App Store with a five-day developer course for the iPhone and iPod touch – the first of its kind in Ireland.
App School will run its first course from 20–24 July in Dublin and will show programmers (with experience of object-oriented programming) how to get to grips with Apple’s iPhone Software Developer’s Kit (SDK).
The course, co-designed by Patrick Collison, co-founder of start-up Auctomatic, which was acquired for US$5m last year, and creator of the New York Times-featured Wikipedia iPhone Application, will be taught by SQT training with Havok intern and Intel Open Source Award winner Daniel Heffernan on board as tutor.
Collison said the beauty of creating a mobile application for the iPhone is that from a relatively small amount of work comes a possibly continuous revenue stream, once the application has been accepted by Apple into the iTunes App Store.
“Once you publish the app, Apple will handle distribution, upgrades, installation, global payments, copy-protection … you can just wait for money to appear in your bank account,” he said.
“iPhone Application Development is an area SQT Training and myself have been asked about a lot in the past few months, and with the new iPhone 3G S announced on Monday, interest is growing even more. We’ve stepped up to match this interest,” said Damien Mulley, online communications consultant with App School, whose recent survey shed light on the iPhone market here in Ireland.
The kinds of companies that will find this course appealing, Mulley said, are those looking to build iPhone applications to create a viable business for themselves, but also firms that want to expand their own portfolio offerings for their clients.
“The iPhone has made mobile application development a viable business, and our own survey from Mulley Communications last year showed Irish iPhone users are spending an average of €17 on applications in six months alone.
“There’s a considerable worldwide market for these apps and there’s nothing stopping Irish companies from tapping into it,” he added.
App School’s first course will begin 20 July in the Castleknock Hotel in Dublin. There are 15 places and the five-day course costs €1,500.
App School plans to expand to run more courses in the near future throughout Ireland and the UK.
By Marie Boran
Pictured: the new iPhone 3G S
Photo courtesy of Apple
