Pricing Applications for OS X iPhone

AppleInsider has a rumour about Apple trying to get developers to charge for applications they release on the AppStore for OS X iPhone devices.
As is often the case, some reactions are more interesting than the article.
Wanted to add a comment but I’m getting tired of sites which use their own authentication (instead of OpenID), so I thought I’d use Diigo to comment on the discussion. I’m sure other comments are being added "as we speak," but the conversation is veering off into trolling so I stopped.
As I read those comments, I kept thinking about DemiForce‘s Trism and about one of my own posts about no-cost software.
Other random notes about the AppStore.

  • If the store is built appropriately, it can give a lot of exposure to developers who may then capitalize on their work.
  • I’m still hoping that there will eventually be a way to have customized AppStores for universities and other institutions.
  • The AppStore process does exclude FLOSS, at least in principle.
  • It’s quite likely that some developers for OS X iPhone will also develop for OS X Leopard.
  • Some OS X iPhone applications are likely meant to accompany a service or a desktop application, say with synchronization.

So, commenting on the AppleInsider discussion…

  • tags: toblog

    • Interesting thread as a whole. The issue hasn’t been discussed extensively, AFAICT. – post by enkerli
    • added nuisance for iPod touch owners
      • Really? As a would-be touch owner, I don’t see how the app pricing would make a difference through the firmware pricing. – post by enkerli
    • Out of spite I would charge 1¢.
      • Testing micropayment? My guess Apple set a minimum. – post by enkerli
    • Free 7 day trial
      • Seems quite likely. Demiforce.com already announced a free demo (presumably w/o time limits). – post by enkerli
    • becoming only a cost center
      • Breaking even could be nice but Apple probably sees the AppStore as a selling point for its Touch devices. Also, developers on OSX iPhone can enhance the halo effect. – post by enkerli
    • Free apps imply "no" support.
      • Under certain conditions only. – post by enkerli
    • Apple promised the option of Free Apps.

      its part of my contract with them.

      • Expected but it’s good to see confirmation. – post by enkerli
    • I refuse to make costing apps at this point.
      • Thoughtfully put. – post by enkerli
    • There are TONS of FREE online games. We’re not talking about games with much complexity, but they’re still games.
      • Casual gaming makes a lot of sense on OSX iPhone. – post by enkerli
    • Another misleading article title. "Pushing" is not the same as "encouraging".
      • Agreed! The article doesn’t make it sound like the push is very aggressive and, even if it is, Apple can’t really coax developers into selling their apps if they don’t want to. – post by enkerli
    • clearly point to earnings as a metric
      • Not a bad point. But, hopefully, there are other ways to achieve this. – post by enkerli
    • Ahhhhh, the voice of reason. So refreshing
      • Agreed. But it’s not so unique. Just masked by some loud voices. – post by enkerli
    • you don’t need to charge a lot of money for the apps
      • Economies of scale should work well for some OSX iPhone apps. At the same time, there are other ways to make money that to charge for the app itself, especially in these days of online services. – post by enkerli
    • what about ad-supported apps?
      • Not a bad question. I actually hope there won’t be too much of those, but it’s likely that there will be some. It can be more subtle, using an app to lead people to a site. – post by enkerli
    • Spaz out much?
      • Snarky but respectful. Nice! – post by enkerli
    • It’s actually 30% of the REVENUE
      • Excellent point. – post by enkerli
    • in the long run, an App Store with lots of freeware will get more traffic
      • Interesting way to put it. OTOH, it’s probably not traffic that Apple’s cares the most about, for the AppStore. – post by enkerli
    • iTunes gets you to the iTunes Store.
      TextWrangler is really BBEdit Lite. It can be considered to be a gateway drug for BBEdit.
      Skype is a front-end to get you to buy some paid services.
      Sketch-up has an expensive paid version.
      • These are useful examples of the "economy of free" because they show how diverse no-cost software can be in business model. Of course, there are many other models based on no-cost software. – post by enkerli
    • My apps are free because they will be Christianity related and I don’t believe that anyone should be charged to get a bible in the medium they want.
      • It’s hard not to respect the argument and I appreciate the honesty. Also, because the apps aren’t forced on anyone, the position seems quite open. – post by enkerli
    • Given the quality of your writing
      • Feeding the troll doesn’t help. – post by enkerli

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