Brits go to India in app gold rush

Brits are queuing up to emulate 17-year-old “whizzkid” Nick D’Aloisio – who this week trousered an estimated £20m for selling his Summly app to Yahoo – with a new survey revealing a stampede into app development.
According to Freelancer.co.uk, claimed to be the world’s largest outsourcing market place, Brits are hiring programmers in India to do the programming for them and help turn their ideas into reality.
The survey of 2,000 people in the UK found that 45% have had an idea for an app and plan to hire a programmer to get it designed. Yet 25% who have an idea for an app are put off from developing it because they believe they have to write the programme themselves.
The study shows there has been a 100% increase in Britons hiring a programmer via the website to design an app for them over the last 12 months.
Freelancer.co.uk boss Matt Barrie said: “Everyone has an idea for an app, but not everyone has the skills to turn their ideas into reality. Yet increasingly people are hiring programmers to undertake the programming for them, so now everyone can develop their own app.
“We’ve seen a record increase over the last 12 months of British people hiring programmers to help them develop their apps. App development is no longer the preserve of the geek, now everyone can do it.”