1. What is an iPhone app?

An iPhone app is basically a piece of software written specifically for iPhones, allowing iPhone users to perform a wide variety of tasks, from playing games to tracking stocks to managing one's fitness schedule. Right now there are over 180,000 apps available in the iTunes App Store.

GPSmyCity's city walking tour apps essentially make an iPhone a personal tour guide. Each GPSmyCity app comes with one or more city walking tour itineraries with a built-in detailed tour route, and turn-by-turn directions to guide you from one tour sight to the next. You can also listen to an audio narration or read the sight's background information to learn more about the sights you have visited.

2. Why would anyone purchase a GPSmyCity walking tour app?

Money saving and convenience. A sightseeing bus tour usually costs dozens of dollars per person. A human tour guide costs anywhere from dozens to well over a hundred dollars an hour. A GPSmyCity's walking tour app costs merely a few dollars.

With the powerful navigation features built into our apps, you can check out the city's famous monuments, landmarks, museums, and specialty stores; or find hidden gems, as if you had brought along a local guide. And you can visit the sights at your schedule and your own pace.

3. Do I need to know programing in order to create an iPhone app?

Yes, programming knowledge is required in order to create an iPhone App. However, we have developed a cutting-edge publishing platform so you can create walking tour apps for the city you love without the need to know anything about programing. All that is needed from you is the tour content.

4. How much time does it take to create a city walking tour?

It takes about the same amount of time to create the content for one tour as to write a travel article of 1,500-2,500 words. The required tour content includes: a sight description, photo, GPS coordinates and audio narration for each tour sight, as well as a brief author bio and an introduction for the tour. Please note that the audio narration is the same as the sight description, so the only extra content you provide, compared to a travel article, is the GPS coordinates. See question #12 for information about collecting GPS coordinates.

5. How much will I be paid for each copy of a walking tour app sold?

The walking tour app is currently priced at $2.99. Apple collects 30% of the gross sales as commission, so the net revenue for each app sold is $2.99 * 70% = $2.09. Your royalty payment is $2.09 * 50% = $1.05.

Please note that apps are sold in local currencies in countries outside the US and due to the currency exchange rate fluctation, apps sold outside the US may not bring exactly $2.99 per copy. (GPSmyCity reserves the right to adjust app price based on the market condition.)

6. How many copies of iPhone apps are sold at the iTunes App Store each month?

In the first three months of 2010, the App Store has recorded a total of 1 billion downloads, which translates to well over 300 million downloads per month, about a quarter of which are paid downloads or app purchases. This means that each month there are over 75 million copies of apps being sold as of the 1st quarter of 2010. It should also be noted that these numbers are currently raising rapidly.

7. How much will I earn from my iPhone app(s)?

As mentioned in the previous answer, as of the end of the 1st quarter of 2010, there were over 75 million copies of apps sold in the App Store each month. Also by the end of the 1st quarter of 2010, there are about 185,000 apps in the App Store, three quarters of which, or about 140,000, are paid apps. Dividing 75 million apps sold per month by 140,000 paid apps tells us that on average a paid app is sold 535 times a month.

The above 535 app sales per month figure is an average number and it does not mean that your walking tour app will be sold for 535 times a month. Certain types of Apps tend to do better than others. For example, some popular games sell well over a million copies a year. Also worth noting is that established apps with many positive ratings and reviews usually do much better than new apps.

Your app will most likely sell a lot less than 535 times a month initially. But the App Economy is still young and is fast growing. People who enter it early will enjoy a first mover advantage over the late comers. Right now there are still relatively few walking tour apps in the App Store and GPSmyCity offers you a great chance to get in early and establish yourself. And unlike the book publishing business, the apps are in digital format, which means that they will never be out-of-print. A well-made app can bring its author a nice recurring income for many years to come.

8. Can I check sales statistics of my app(s)?

Yes. The weekly sales statistics of your app(s) will be published in your author account.

9. How often will I be paid?

Once a month, if the cumulative royalty exceeds $100 dollars at the end of the month, otherwise the unpaid royalty will be rolled into the following month's amount.

10. What am I supposed to do as a tour author?

You need first to identify a tour theme. It may be a walking tour to see all the city's major monuments or museums, or it may be a shopping tour or a night life tour. The possibilities are endless.

Then you need to collect information about each sight visited in this tour. You should provide a description, a photo and GPS coordinates of each sight. You also need to write an introduction about the tour and provide a brief bio about yourself.

After you have prepared the tour content, simply upload the information to your author account.

11. Must I have an iPhone to become a tour author?

No. Having an iPhone can be handy, but you can work perfectly well without owning one.

12. How do I collect GPS coordinates of a tour sight?

You can collect GPS coordinates of tour sights using your iPhone or a GPS navigator, such as the ones used in autos. If you don't own one, you can use an online tool to collect GPS coordinates. We will provide you instructions on how to do it after you have signed up to be a tour author.

13. Should I record audio narrations myself?

Yes, we strongly suggest tour authors to record audio narrations by themselves, because it will give the tours a personal touch. Recording voice narration is relatively straight forward. You can use your iPhone or iPod Touch, or use one of the free audio recording and editing software found on the Internet.

14. Can I create more than one tour for each city?

Absolutely. You can create as many walking tours as you want. As a matter of fact, we encourage you to create walking tours to cater to different tastes and needs, and maximize your income potential at the same time.

15. Will GPSmyCity publish walking tour apps on other mobile platforms such as Android, BlackBerry, etc.?

We are always on the look out to expand our revenue stream and yours. We are investigating these markets right now and will make a move when we think the timing is right.