Mobile Development Cost

Beginners looking to learn mobile development may be worried about the cost of developing applications. They will be pleased to know that the useful tools and languages involved in mobile development are free, so it won’t cost anything to develop applications. However, it costs money to host the applications.

What is Mobile Development?

As of 2021, there were as many as 6.4 billion smartphones worldwide. For smartphone users, The vast majority of smartphone users engage with their device using their apps–up to 88% of total use. Mobile applications are quickly becoming the most common way we interact with the digital space, and this shifts virtually every industry, company, and institution to prioritize using mobile applications in their branding and marketing strategies. In addition, adjacent industries, such as the mobile gaming industry, are becoming massive sources of revenue, meaning that more and more companies are moving towards mobile development as a primary, rather than a secondary, focus.

Learning mobile development skills involves learning general programming principles and tools, and languages explicitly designed for popular mobile devices. Both iOS and Android devices take advantage of proprietary programming languages built from the ground up to be optimized for those devices. Mobile development differs from general programming in that it emphasizes how applications can be designed to run optimally on any mobile device since there is a world of difference between an iPhone 12 and a Surface Tablet. Mobile Developers will be tasked with learning all the skills required to ensure that all of the application's necessary features are functional and easy to utilize regardless of who is accessing the application and on what device it is being accessed.

Read more about what mobile development is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with Mobile Development?

One of the most compelling reasons to learn mobile development skills comes from the fact that the technological infrastructure is constantly improving. What was unheard of five years ago has become the technical default, and developers are constantly improving the hardware and software associated with mobile devices. This evolution makes mobile application development an incredible specialization for developers who want to be on the cutting edge as new industries and practices emerge. Whether you are interested in designing new mobile games, essential accessibility services, or working within newly emerging digital marketplaces, mobile app development skills will significantly boost your potential.

Mobile application development is also an excellent skill set for working within the developing world of the internet of things. Our phones and tablets are becoming more directly integrated with the devices and objects we interact with daily. From QR code readers to digital assistants to medical alert technology in wearables, mobile devices serve many seemingly mundane but still vital functions in our everyday lives. While developers looking to work in this field will need to learn other advanced programming skills, students with a background in mobile development will have a much easier time creating complex applications meant to extend the reach of the mobile device.

In-Depth Review of the Cost

Most mobile application development happens for one of two major operating systems: iOS and Android. Each has a dedicated programming language, but all are free and open source, meaning it won’t cost users anything to learn and program with them. iOS programming also uses a dedicated code editor, which is free and open source.

While developing applications for mobile devices is free, future students should be aware that hosting those applications for real-world distribution and use is not free. Each digital distribution platform, such as the Apple, Google, or Microsoft app stores, requires users to pay a flat fee to publish applications for public use. This cost varies, depending on the platform. Costs range from twenty to a hundred dollars.

Anyone hoping to sell their applications on these platforms should also be aware that the platform providers tend to collect a percentage fee on all in-store earnings. Fees will vary wildly depending on the service provider and the kinds of applications sold (and at what volume). Potential developers should be aware of these fees, actively searching the fine print for the details.

Why Learn Mobile Development?

As of 2017, mobile use has surpassed desktop PC use for overall web access purposes, 53-46. This gap is expected to increase meaningfully, and the difference only becomes more and more skewed as it is broken down generationally, with younger audiences using mobile devices far more frequently than older audiences. As such, mobile development is growing more valued in almost every corner of the digital development landscape. Anyone hoping to work in the rapidly changing world of web development will benefit from learning mobile development skills. 

Mobile development is also becoming increasingly pervasive in virtually every industry, especially as younger audiences default towards mobile devices as their primary way of interacting with the digital world. Thus, cutting-edge start-ups and new businesses are beginning to prioritize the functionality of their mobile applications. Services such as Uber rely upon mobile applications for both consumers and contractors. In addition, older institutions, including public sector institutions like government agencies and universities, have shifted towards mobile applications that users must interact with to access essential services. Since 2018, mobile gaming revenues have outperformed PC and console gaming revenues combined to the tune of $70 billion. No matter what kind of field you want to work in as a developer, investing in fostering mobile development skills is likely to help open doors.

Read more about why you should learn mobile development. 

Free Introductory Mobile Development Course Online 

Potential students who aren’t ready to jump into a complete mobile development course may consider looking at some free training options. Since mobile development languages are advanced programming skills, the most common kind of free training resource that students will benefit from is a more generalized web development programming tutorial. Interested individuals can take advantage of Noble Desktop’s Intro to front end Web Development seminar to learn the basic coding principles of HTML/CSS and JavaScript. This seminar can help participants decide whether or not they want to continue with an advanced programming education. Once students have decided to continue, they may wish to take advantage of the course offerings available on Noble’s official YouTube page on their Web Development playlist.

Noble also offers an Intro to React seminar, which covers the basics of using JavaScript’s React library for front end development. While this seminar isn’t focused on mobile development, it does cover how React Native, Meta’s open-source software framework, can be utilized to develop applications for Android and iOS devices.

Curious individuals may also explore the free training seminars available through service providers such as Udemy and Coursera. On top of these options, since most major mobile applications are developed for iOS and Android, both Apple and Google offer tutorials on using the proprietary languages and code editors used for developing applications on their platforms.

Learn Mobile Development with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Students looking to learn mobile development skills will need a decent amount of focused training. They will need to learn programming basics, web development programming languages, and specific programming languages built for mobile operating systems like iOS and Android. However, no matter your level of experience, Noble Desktop has a mobile development course that fits your needs. Whether you are an experienced programmer or you need to learn HTML/CSS, Noble Desktop offers individual bootcamps and career development classes that can help you on your way to becoming a skilled Mobile Developer. Experienced instructors teach Noble’s classes, bringing expert-level web and mobile development knowledge. Learners can take Noble’s classes in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus or online in private digital classrooms. Even online, class sizes are kept small so that students aren’t competing with each other for their instructor’s attention. Plus, anyone enrolling in a Noble training course will have an opportunity to retake the class, for free, at any point within a calendar year, giving prospective students peace of mind. It allows beginners even more chances to get hands-on mobile development skills.

Individuals with prior coding experience may wish to enroll in Noble’s iOS App Development Bootcamp. This class will teach members how to work with Apple’s Xcode code editing program and their Swift programming language to build optimized applications on mobile iOS devices. Students will learn how to build interactive swipe and touch screen elements and how to add assets to the application, its launch screen, and its presence on the App store. By the end of the class, individuals will develop and post their applications to the App store. They will also understand how the mobile development process works from start to finish (people should be aware that posting applications to the app store require a paid Apple account, which every participant will be required to sign-up for to complete the course).

Those with less coding experience but still want to learn the necessary skills to work as mobile developers will want to consider enrolling in Noble’s Full Stack Development Certificate program. This program doesn’t focus specifically on mobile development. Future coders wishing to specialize in that field may need additional training, but learning full stack development skills is integral to becoming a successful and well-rounded developer. In this class, students will learn how to code web pages in HTML/CSS and JavaScript, languages that mobile developers use to build non-proprietary versions of their applications. In addition, students will learn essential JavaScript libraries and how to develop and maintain the infrastructure upon which applications operate. This career-focused course provides participants professional development training, including one-on-one career mentorship and portfolio development workshops. Pair this training seminar with Noble’s iOS Development Bootcamp for further specialization in mobile development.