So you want to be an app developer? Join the crowd.
真的想成为一名应用程序开发者？那么加入这千军万马中来吧！
In recent years, tens of thousands of developers have built nearly 1 million apps and the number is growing. Already developers have earned more than $8 billion in payouts from Apple Inc.'s App Store alone, according to the company.
最近几年中，成千上万名应用程序开发者已经设计了近一百万款应用程序，并且这个数目还在不断增长。苹果公司(Apple Inc.)表示，应用程序开发者已经从苹果公司的应用程序商店中赚取了超过80亿美元。
But success for many is illusory, as smaller developers are being out-marketed by giants.
但是对于其中大多数人来讲，成功却显得虚无缥缈，因为小型应用程序开发商正在逐渐被行业巨头挤出市场。
Only 2% of the top 250 publishers in Apple's App Store are 'newcomers,' according to research firm Distimo.
市场调查公司Distimo称，在苹果应用程序商店排名前250的开发商中，只有2%是"新面孔"。
For those aiming to develop the next hit, here are some dos and don'ts from the pros:
对于那些立志于开发新一代热门应用程序的人，专业人士指出了一些应遵循的注意事项。
Do:
应遵循的原则：
Narrow your idea to something genuinely useful. If your app isn't something that people are going to use multiple times a day, ditch it.
只开发真正有用的应用程序。如果你即将开发的应用程序不是那种人们每天要用上好几次的程序的话，是时候放弃它了。
Loren Brichter, who built Tweetie, the popular Twitter Inc. app that the company later purchased, says he discards roughly 80% of his ideas to focus on the ones that are truly sticky. There is a reason that some of the biggest app hits have been photo-sharing services; taking pictures is one of the things consumers use their phones for the most.
劳伦•布里克特(Loren Brichter)是Tweetie的开发者，他设计的这款应用程序随后被推特公司(Twitter Inc.)购得，并一直炙手可热。布里克特表示，为了把精力集中在那些确实具有吸引力的应用程序上，他放弃了自己大约80%的构想。这就不难解释为什么许多最热门的应用程序都是照片分享类程序了；因为拍照是用户们最常用手机做的事情之一。
Learn some coding fundamentals. You don't have to be a technical whiz to build an app these days. Apple provides a 'tool kit' called Xcode, which is software that helps you build an app. But app aficionados say it is worth learning some basics, like the C and Objective-C programming languages, to help build an app wisely so it doesn't waste resources and drain a phone's battery. For those who don't know how to code, many developers adviselearning to do so while building an app, and recommends books over online resources.
学习一些编程基础知识。如今，你并不是非得成为编程高手才能设计出应用程序。苹果公司提供了一款名为Xcode的集成开发工具，这款软件可以帮你构建起应用程序。但是应用程序达人建议，学习一些编程的基础知识，如C语言和Objective-C编程语言等仍大有裨益。这些基础知识可以令应用程序构建得更为合理，以避免浪费系统资源或耗尽手机电池的电量。对于那些不懂编程的程序开发者，很多资深业内人士建议，可以一边设计应用程序一边学习编程，他们还推荐了网络上可以找到的编程教材。
Build features that provide feedback. There is no surer way to irk users than to force them to stare at a static screen for a while. Incorporate progress bars and animations to keep users' attention while features are loading, says Tomer Kagan, chief executive of app-search service Quixey Inc. Such features can also make an app more playful and fun.
在应用程序中加入互动式反馈。最让用户抓狂的莫过于让他们盯着一动不动的屏幕看上好一会儿。应用搜索服务公司Quixey Inc.的CEO托马•卡根(Tomer Kagan)建议，为了在程序加载时让用户保持专注，可以把进度条和动画整合到应用程序中。这样的设计还能使应用程序更有趣、更生动。
Test wisely. Unlike websites, you can't tweak apps on the fly. So the stakes are high for getting it right from the start, making testing all the more important. Services like TestFlight App Inc. help distribute an app to a group of testers before release in an app store.
采用恰当的测试方式。和构建网站不同的是，一旦应用程序发布，你便无法对其进行改进了。因此，确保应用程序赢在起跑线上非同儿戏，这令应用程序的测试显得格外重要。TestFlight App Inc.等公司提供在应用程序上架应用商店前将程序分配给一组测试员进行试用的服务。
Misha Lyalin, CEO of 'Cut the Rope' game maker ZeptoLab UK Ltc., recommends testing in smaller markets, like Canada or Europe. You only get one shot to launch.
米沙•利亚林(Misha Lyalin)是游戏开发商ZeptoLab UK Ltc.的CEO，该公司的明星程序是"割绳子"(Cut the Rope)游戏。利亚林建议，程序试水可以先从相对较小的市场开始，比如加拿大或欧洲市场。每个应用程序都只有一次出场亮相的机会。
Cross promote. Building an app is only half the battle
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