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iPhone App OZWeather - Tracking Weather Conditions in Austraila

Today we showcase the story of an entrepreneur with successful ventures under his belt, Graham Dawson from Sydney, founder of OZWeather - an iPhone application for weather tracking and forecasting in Australia.

In a candid interview with us, he gave insights into how he is managing and juggling. This is what he has to say in his interview with us:

• How long it took to launch
From idea to web app took about 2 weeks, although it used back-end infrastructure that was already in place. From a web app to a native iPhone app in iTunes took a further 10 weeks or so.

• Stage of Venture
The product was launched on 1st Nov 2008 and has had several incremental updates since.

• Which Market Segment
Aimed at the general public - Anyone with an interest in the weather.

• Customers
Aimed at the general public, iPhone or iPod Touch owners. Anyone with an interest in the weather.

• Targeted Age Group
All ages.

• Users Using Service
Currently about 30,000, typically increasing at a rate of 1500 per week.

• Marketing Technique
Relies solely on listing in the iTunes app store, and maintaining a high ranking for visibility to prospective customers.

• Measuring Success
Breakeven occurred less than 2 months after the launch of a native app. Apple supplies daily stats on sales

• Monetizing/Revenue Model
Sells for AUD$2.49 per copy - of which Apple keeps 30%. Apple forwards payments every month.

• Main competitors
Pocket Weather, BOM Radar, AUS Weather and others.

• Technology Stack used
Backend - Linux server (hosted account), PHP. The app runs natively on iPhones.

• How Much Money is Used/Reqd.
Development costs: until the launch of the first version approx AUD$15,000. Subsequent revisions have required approximately AUD$10,000.

• Main Barriers
Learning curve on iPhone O/S, Objective-C. Registration/approval and compliance with Apple's requirements. Increasingly crowded space. Downward pressure on prices.

• Advice For People
Carefully polish your app before initial release, as early bad reviews can kill an app

• Your Education/Professional Background
B.Sc. Physics & Meteorology, Ph.D. Dynamical Coastal Oceanography. Career in IT in the oil & gas industry. Owner of small business developing Windows consumer desktop application.

• External Funding
No

Note: For the Video demo click here and the iTunes link can be found here

Ongoing coverage on Australian startups, innovation, business and tech trends, and interviews with experts in various domains can be found here
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Comments

Anonymous said…
Broke even in 2 months. That's a nice success story.
March 5, 2009 at 7:56 PM
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