Many software companies have spent the last few months figuring out how they can shoehorn their apps into Apple's (AAPL) red hot iPhone software platform. But that requires either learning a brand new set of app-building techniques -- or hiring an iPhone specialist. Which isn't cheap. O'Reilly, via Daring Fireball:
The demand for iPhone developers exceeds the supply and I don't see that changing anytime soon. The going rate for iPhone developers, at least the developers I know and trust, is $125/hour and up. I have some friends who are booked out at $200/hour for the next few months, although $125/hour seems to be the going rate in my network. At that rate, a full-time contract iPhone developer costs $5,000/week and it may take four to six weeks for an application to be developed. Sometimes it will take less and sometimes it will take more. Add to development the other costs - project management, design, QA, and marketing, to name a few. It's not uncommon to spend $30,000 and up on an iPhone development project. iPhone applications are not cheap.
College students: Take that iPhone class! If you work 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year, a $125/hour job is $250,000 a year. A $200/hour job is $400,000 a year. Those rates will inevitably fall, but a skilled iPhone app maker is a rare, valuable person these days.
See Also:
Google: Yes, We Broke iPhone App Store Rules
Another Apple iPhone Advantage: Mac Software Companies
Online, Multi-Player Gaming Comes To The iPhone
