Developers rue shortage of iPhone programmers

Auckland mobile application developer Altaine has built an application for Subway New Zealand that lets people order Subway sandwiches using an iPhone, but warns that a lack of iPhone developers could limit the ability of Kiwi businesses to capitalise on the smartphone revolution.

Altaine has previously developed a loyalty application for Subway's 1500 stores in Britain and managing director Warren Tobin hopes its latest application will be adopted by Subway overseas. Altaine employs about 20 staff and contractors and doubled its revenues last year.

"We expect to see more aggressive growth over the next one to five years. I can't see any reason why it might stop." But Mr Tobin says finding iPhone developers who have experience building commercial applications is a challenge.

"If I was a developer in the traditional web area, I would invest in getting up to speed with the iPhone." Apple provides lots of assistance for developers through online tutorials, he says, though it is a little less structured than that provided by Microsoft.

Another fast-growing Auckland-based new media company, Born Digital, says it advertised for an iPhone developer on online jobsite Seek for four weeks without getting a single response and knows another agency that was in the same position.

"We were very surprised by the lack of people out there. There are a lot of people trying to upskill themselves but there are no experienced developers," says director Scott Bradley.

"I think it is just because the speed of the adoption of smartphones has caught some people unawares."

A study by Morgan Stanley published in June forecasts worldwide sales of smartphones – phones with web browsers – will outstrip sales of computers by 2012. It said Google Android smartphone sales probably overtook sales of the iPhone during the second quarter.

Within two years, consumers would expect from their wireless devices:

Always-on internet access with super-fast boot times

Near zero latency access to nearly all information

Day-long-plus battery life in elegant portable devices

Mr Bradley says New Zealand had lagged because for a long time no Google Android phones were available on Telecom and Vodafone's networks.

"We have been reliant on the adoption of the iPhone to stimulate the smartphone market, but with Vodafone about to release some very low-cost Android handsets into the market, we think the adoption of smartphones is going to sky-rocket."

Born Digital was getting a phone call a day from people looking for it to develop mobile applications for them, he says.

Programmers keen on moving into the iPhone market could get an edge by developing and publishing an application to Apple's iPhone store themselves, he says.

Altaine's Mr Tobin agrees. "The beauty about it is you can upskill in your spare time and build an application in your spare time and release it yourself, and that then gives you a working CV."

- © Fairfax NZ News