Hi Anne,
Just to add an alternative angle, CultureLabel is just about to launch the
first multi-museum app, where users purchase low-cost content packs for
organisations according to their personal tastes (exhibition / event / best
of, etc.). The first pack is launching with the Museum of London later this
spring, with more to follow shortly after.
See http://www.culturelabel.com/digital-museum/mobile-apps.php for more info.
Whilst we also create bespoke apps for individual partners, one neat aspect
of this app is that most of the development costs have been eliminated.
Instead of a big fee for development, we work on the basis of a revenue
share of sales, thereby also creating a sustainable source of new income for
the partner organisation.
On the proprietary platform question, I agree that you need to bear all
options in mind (our developers also do a lot of work for the Vodafone app
store, for example). However, the BBC is interesting here - for years
they've avoided the iPhone precisely for these reasons. Recently, however,
they've completely reversed this policy and announced new apps in
development for sports and news content. Certainly worth bearing in mind as
an indicator of current / forecasted consumer preferences (especially if
income is one of your objectives).
I personally also find it really useful to be able to browse iPhone apps
without wifi connectivity - comes in handy for killing time when commuting!
Hope this helps
Best
Simon
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