The Future is Now – Interview With a 12 Year Old iPhone Dev
We got our first computer when I was 12 years old. It was an Apple IIc. Every bit of software we had ran off of floppy disks. Today, I walk around with a device in my pocket with infinitely more computing power. It’s easy to take for granted where we’ve come from, but this week I had an encounter that put some of this back into perspective for me and also led me to start thinking about what the future might hold as well.
Will Evans is an iPhone app developer from Atherstone, UK. He likes to play guitar, Xbox, hang out with friends, play football (soccer for those of us in North America), and play around on the computer. Earlier this week, I touched base with Will to ask him some questions about being an iPhone developer. Did I mention that Will is twelve years old? Here are the results of our little Q & A session.
How long have you been developing iPhone applications?
I’ve been developing apps since November 30, 2009.
How many different iPhone apps have you built now? What are they?
I have built Ninja Jump, Stick Suicides, Stick Death Clips, MW2 Companion, iTodo, and others. Ninja Jump is a jumping game for the iPhone, Stick Suicides is full of slides of stickmen well dying, Stick Death Clips is full of movies of stickmen dying again, MW2 Companion is a soundboard and some gameplay videos, and iTodo is an application where you can make and store Todos/Notes and other things.
What kind of success are you seeing with your apps? Is this better or worse than you expected?
I am having a great success with my applications, I have sold 3858 applications and have made £1589 (That’s about $2300 US, not bad for a few months income, especially when you’re 12) which is a lot more than I was expecting. I was hoping to make £10!
Have you always been into tech stuff?
Yes, when I was five I was really into drawing in paint and making my own games online. I was also into making my own YuGiOh cards and making movies with my friends.
What is your favorite thing about the mobile industry?
The ability to do everything on the go, there are so many applications for the iPhone and this means you can do almost anything. Also, the ability to download things on the go.
Where do you see things going in mobile tech over the next couple of years and how do you think it will affect your generation?
I think I will be doing a lot more things with mobile tech in the next few years and I think my generation will start to use phones and iPod Touches and iPhones a lot earlier than they are now.
Where do you see yourself long-term? Is app development something you’re looking at as a career, or will it just be a hobby?
I think I do want to continue app development as a career, hopefully also to develop for the Android, Blackberry and maybe even the Palm Pre.
Are there any other things you’d like people to know about you?
I like pizza! I have 58 apps on my iPhone. Follow me on twitter @willevansapps and checkout my Facebook page at facebook.com/willevansgames.
I’ve been around computers for many years, it’s almost 20 years since that Apple IIc. For kids growing up today things are different, computers are a way of life. Whether it’s an iPod Touch, an iPhone, a laptop, or an Xbox, there are dozens of devices in everyday life that far outstrip the abilities of those early computers that I learned on. Innovation in computers has been rapid and we’re starting to see the results of the first generation of young people who truly have not known a world without powerful computing machines all around them.
For Will Evans, growing up in a digital world has meant becoming an iPhone developer at the age of 12. For my four year old daughter it means being able to watch movies on daddy’s phone is normal. Daily the things of sci-fi past are becoming reality, we live in exciting times.
