Pre-2007, there was no such thing as an iPhone, and the word smart phone left a lot to be desired. Now, several iterations later it is the darling of the phone industry. Even more surprising, is the fact that when the original iPhone was first launched-the app store did not exist. Therefore in 2007, the job of iPhone application developer, did not exist-nor did the idea of there being such a thing as an iPhone application development company. Nowadays you can find iPhone application development companies in the UK, the USA and a whole proliferation developers in India, Pakistan and the Philippines. Apple recently announced (although not officially) that the number of applications available for download on the app store, had surpassed half a million. This is a mind blowing figure in comparison to the time when I had an Acorn electron computer, and had only about five games to choose from. This is amazing progress, and has taken only 34 months for the number of apps to reach this level. An absolute master class in iPhone application development, must come from the application Angry Birds, which spent 275 days at number one in the charts. Although most people perceive applications to be cheap, only 27% of all applications cost $.99.it’s amazing to think that 10 billion applications have been downloaded to date. In contrast, Android application developers should be interested to hear that even though the application market has 300,000 applications available for download, they have succeeded in 3 billion downloads in arguably a shorter period of time. If you are thinking of developing an application, you should be aware that you will have significant competition from all over the world. Addictive games, which start out simple, but get more complex-are often the most successful form of games to develop.To understand the overwhelming dominance of angry birds in comparison to other iPhone applications are being developed, the number two spot in the iTunes store belongs to the Moron test which has spent 38 days at number one. Number 10 is owned by Camera Zoom Three which spent 22 days at number one. The difference between a ghastly successful and unsuccessful application, is vast. You’ll find many applications that have been developed for thousands and thousands of pounds, which have be downloaded three times, and all of those two members of the developers family. Designing an application is like producing a film: you can have the best course, Best cinematography and the best reviews, but it doesn’t mean you will get more money back then you put in. Taking into account the cost of iPhone application development in the UK, it’s very important that if you develop a very, very expensive iPhone application, you better have either deep pockets, or a very good idea.