Apple introduced the iPhone to the public at Macworld 2007. When the iPhone went on sale, it became an overnight sensation--customers lined up to buy one, it received rave reviews, developers started building cool and exciting mobile applications (apps), and the worldwide press gave it a lot of attention. From the mobile app developers’ perspective, the Apple App Store is a place where iPhone customers can download versions of the app simply, from either iTunes or the iPhone handset itself.

Wooldridge and Schneider point out the techniques to use in order to avoid the pitfalls associated with developing a poor iPhone mobile app and achieving a lackluster response in consumer awareness and sales longevity, thus blocking any continued development of the app. In this book, these knowledgeable authors establish a track record for success in the iPhone app marketplace.

Chapters 1 and 2 set the tone for the book’s other eight chapters. In short, chapter 1 establishes that it is not too late to develop a successful iPhone mobile app in the highly competitive and increasingly crowded iPhone mobile app marketplace. Chapter 2 emphasizes the need for market research before any effort is spent on developing the app. Chapters 3 to 8 are informative, covering important topics such as intellectual property, branding, advertising, promotion, market share, business models, distribution, and generating pre-release buzz.

Chapter 9 outlines a step-by-step process for submitting an iPhone mobile app and increasing its chances for acceptance and ultimately publication in the App Store. Since many iPhone apps are submitted to the App Store, the rejection rate is quite high. For this very reason, the authors have filled a niche that not only instructs readers on practical techniques to increase the chance for success, but also informs them about how to overcome many challenges with the development, testing, limited distribution, and submission process.

Finally, chapter 10 is all about building and sustaining momentum, once the App Store makes the app available to an ever-increasing audience. As the authors suggest, interviews and podcasts can help make the next version of the app an even greater hit than the first.

Overall, readers will find the book’s topics practical, insightful, and informative. The authors are accomplished at sorting out and simplifying what is often a confusing and complicated process of developing, marketing, and distributing an iPhone mobile app. While some of the material covered is technical--for example, Extensible Markup Language (XML)--most of it is nontechnical; however, readers should have some prior knowledge of business concepts and terminology. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in developing an iPhone mobile app.