Question: I have developed [this android application](https://market.android.com/details?id=net.mindfsck.PosAff)  and I am looking to port it to iOS.

My questions are:

1) I am planning to finance the iOS development with the money earn't from the android sales which is about $200 at the moment. Would it be reasonable to get the project done for this amount even if it is outsourced to elance or odesk etc? 

2) I have heard the code quality for outsourced iOS projects to be bad, I dont want any memory leaks and crashes because of overflows etc. 

3) I currently dont have a full time job so I can technically do the project myself, however I dont have a apple pc or iPhone (dont really want to get them either). 

I know C pretty well but I haven't really released a major C project that must be 100% stable. How many hours to learn iOs and do the port? And would it be worth my time taking into consideration that if I do enjoy it I may get into it fulltime.

4) What would the demand be like for someone that can do Android and iOS?

Thanks

Answer: 
$200 would pay for maybe half a day's work from a decent iOS developer. I'd recommend investing in a Mac (you can do development without an iPhone, at least to begin with) and learn how to do the port yourself. The employment opportunities for someone who can do both platforms are enormous.

(also, iPhone owners tend to be much more willing to spend money on apps, so the additional sales alone may make doing the port yourself a worthwhile investment)
**1. Can you get someone to write the iOS version of your app for $200-ish?** No. Or, if you can, good luck with that. We don't know anything about how complex your app is, but most any app that people will be willing to pay even $0.99 for will require more than 20 hours of work (usually a lot more). That means that you'll be offering less than $10/hour. The going rate is significantly higher than that.

**2. Is code quality poor when you outsource?** That will naturally depend on who you're dealing with, but I don't think you get to be picky for < $10/hour.

**3. Don't have or want a Mac, but is it worth developing myself?** If you want to write an app that you'll submit to the App Store, getting a Mac will be your first order of business. Look at a Mac Mini, possibly used, if you want to save money. Learning iOS development will require an investment of time that's significantly greater than your investment in hardware. How long it'll take depends on you, what you already know, etc. In terms you can probably relate to, you're looking at an effort similar to that required to learn Android development.

**4. Market for iOS and Android developers?** Mobile development is definitely a hot industry right now, and people who can do both well are a rare commodity. There's a lot to know, though, and you're fooling yourself if you think you can jump in easily. In addition to being able to build apps, you'll also need to know something about building the infrastructure that drives the most useful apps.