About subscription software and how it came to be the necessary evil

Iostress

@brambos said:

@Iostress said:

@Sebastian said:

@Iostress said:
Devs should just charge what they think an app is worth and everyone can forget about the whole debate and it would become evident soon enough which apps are worth the extra and which aren't.

Sadly that doesn't work because charging for an app once and then having to provide free updates forever makes developers abandon their apps eventually. Even Apple understands that subscriptions would make more sense but sadly users don't accept them as readily as necessary for a healthy market.

Where are all these apps that have been providing significant free updates forever?

I think it’s silly but there’s always lots of “This app hasn’t been updated for almost a year, it looks like it has been abandoned! Buyer beware!” In iOS discussions

from what I’ve seen ‘most’ long term free updating seem to be mostly in order to keep an app functioning on current OS or remain competitive (AU/Audiobus implementation type stuff). Which makes sense for the dev anyway so they can continue to list in App Store and make some revenue from projects where the bulk of the work is already done. And also so customers can keep faith that the devs apps in general will support future OS for least a few years. Animoog for example. Hardly been touched except for ongoing optimisation, compatibility and connectivity. Still selling pretty well I’d bet and probably makes sense for moog in terms of upkeep vs continued revenue stream?

Another thing to consider is that no one ‘needs’ 10 of everything. So if all devs charge higher prices they’re going to have to have faith that their app is unique enough or great sounding enough to be one of the apps that people choose to buy. As people will inevitably buy less if apps cost more.. at the moment it seems like a lot of people buy almost everything!

Iostress

@MonzoPro said:

@Iostress said:

@AudioGus said:

@MonzoPro said:
For many noodlers like myself, mucking about with this stuff for the sheer joy of it, there's only so much money in the biscuit tin. If prices go up, or subscriptions become more common we'll just buy less apps, or abandon the platform completely.

I don't open 90% of the apps I've bought over the years, some I've spent less than half an hour with. But all those developers have benefitted from my custom, which also helps iOS music move forward as a whole.

Small beans for some, but better than no beans at all.

Yah this is a big part of the iOS nut for me. Over the years i have spent a lot in simply 'figuring it out' and well over 90% of my purchases will never be used. Things I thought were the answer turned out to be duds and things i didn't expect/think were even possible turned out to be indespensible. Of course I want individual devs to be rewarded but when I look at what I spent overall if all the app prices were doubled so that Big Mac prices became Footlong prices I would have been on the hook for four grand and not two. In the end it was a cluttered ambiguous space with lots of dead ends.

Thank God I am done exploring.

Thats probably a big part of the problem on ios. People buying what they don't need. Just out of curiosity or boredom. It's easy done at throwaway prices.

Serious fulltime devs should separate themselves from the throwaway apps crowd asap and just make it clear that refunds will be given within 7 days. Or if possible give app for free with a 7 day time lock that kills it if the unlock IAP isn't used after that. So people can check an app out and see if it's worth its 'higher than average' price to them.

If something sounds mind blowing or is useful in unique ways then people won't decide to do without it just because it's more expensive.

Best of luck finding that magic 10% of essential apps for your toolbox, without wading through the bug-ridden, incompatible, soon-to-be-abandoned, misleadingly labelled and otherwise chaff-ridden remaining 90%. And of course those apps brushed aside for completely new versions, or superseded a couple of weeks later by better alternatives.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, if only there was an app for that.

People just need to wait for reviews/videos. Easy I’ve only been unhappy with one out of approx 20 purchases so far....

Better alternatives will always come along, sucks when it happens soon after purchase but doesn’t make the thing that you bought any less functional

[Deleted User]

I’m the real world when demand goes down, usually prices go down as well.

I for one would never afford subscriptions but I wish these companies well and for those that can afford them as well.

I remember KRFT Devs trying hard to survive lowering their amazing app’s price but perhaps a subscription model would have worked better?

@gusgranite said:
I think buying less apps is probably the answer. Prices should go up and we should be more selective.

CracklePot

@Iostress said:

@Sebastian said:

@Iostress said:
Devs should just charge what they think an app is worth and everyone can forget about the whole debate and it would become evident soon enough which apps are worth the extra and which aren't.

Sadly that doesn't work because charging for an app once and then having to provide free updates forever makes developers abandon their apps eventually. Even Apple understands that subscriptions would make more sense but sadly users don't accept them as readily as necessary for a healthy market.

Where are all these apps that have been providing significant free updates forever?

They are in the AppStore, are they not?

@brambos said:
I think it’s silly but there’s always lots of “This app hasn’t been updated for almost a year, it looks like it has been abandoned! Buyer beware!” In iOS discussions

I think an app that has not been updated for a few years can still function perfectly fine, but it does suck when an old app you just bought disappears. I nearly bought SquareSynth a few weeks ago, but it seems to be dead now and unavailable. I am bummed that I never got to try it, but would be more bummed if I bought it and it vanished from the AppStore a week later. That scenario is the one that makes it dicey to gamble on “unloved” apps for myself.

knewspeak

@brambos said:

@Iostress said:

@Sebastian said:

@Iostress said:
Devs should just charge what they think an app is worth and everyone can forget about the whole debate and it would become evident soon enough which apps are worth the extra and which aren't.

Sadly that doesn't work because charging for an app once and then having to provide free updates forever makes developers abandon their apps eventually. Even Apple understands that subscriptions would make more sense but sadly users don't accept them as readily as necessary for a healthy market.

Where are all these apps that have been providing significant free updates forever?

I think it’s silly but there’s always lots of “This app hasn’t been updated for almost a year, it looks like it has been abandoned! Buyer beware!” In iOS discussions

Innovation should be rewarded, but most apps have to be updated, to be maintained because Apple just loves to innovate too.

Carnbot

It only makes sense for services which are continuously updated with new content which only big companies can deliver properly. Samples/music/news etc makes sense.

It's the least interesting apps with the broadest appeal which will only do well out of subscriptions. The best of iOS is the more interesting and unusual apps. I prefer to vary my toolset to keep things interesting and I'm not going to subscribe to anything since I use too many different apps, I'll just find another tool which allows me to work without paying a monthly bill

Sebastian

@InfoCheck said:
I think the iOS music creation market isn’t a single market because there are a variety of users/developers.

Disposable Apps where users enjoy playing with apps and have no problem buying apps with the anticipation that they have a limited life span based upon their interest in the app or have been using iOS long enough that they know apps frequently will drop out due to iOS incompatibility updates or the developer decides it’s not economically sustainable.

Professional Apps where users basically want to achieve performance and reliability on par with desktop/laptop systems.

Mass Media apps which can create music but are designed and marketed to the general public to benefit from the low price/high volume sales which iOS was based upon.

Niche apps which will always have a limited user base and are either ported over from apps developed on another OS so their iOS sales are supplemental rather than a primary source of income or the developer created the app for their own use and offering it on the AppStore was a secondary consideration.

Hardware driven apps created by manufacturers to try and increase hardware sales.

Place holder apps, companies create apps so users will develop some brand loyalty in the hopes that at some point the iOS market will be significantly more viable or to cover their bases should non-mobile platform sales plummet.

Open Source developers who largely develop apps on a variety of platforms and so have ported them to iOS as well.

To facilitate all of these developers, I believe Apple should put more effort into their iOS including documenting, developing, and responding to user/developer feedback about their software as well as how they run the AppStore. Until there is significant improvement in this area, iOS will never be on par with desktop/laptop systems. These improvements will help hobby and small independent developers as well.

The inconsistent implementation of IAA, AU preset issues, and the buggy iOS 11 File App are all basic infrastructure that bottleneck the rate of progress on iOS.

If it’s true that there’s a limited market for music creation apps within the context of alternatives to them and if the mobile market is becoming saturated, it would seem Apple would want to maintain if not increase its competitive advantage over other mobile platforms simply to maintain or increase their market share in an environment where consumers will increasingly ask themselves why they should buy expensive proprietary Apple products if the experience on other devices is basically the same or if new products don’t offer anything significantly new?

One way to differentiate themselves is to offer more support to developers so they’re more likely to develop for Apple and so their apps are superior to those on other platforms. Their iOS bungles undermine these aspirations as it seems they’re too short sighted to be willing to invest enough in developing an iOS environment which will be superior rather than simply better than their competition— in a word, they’re coasting on their profits.

While any given niche (not just musicians) market isn’t significant, it is a case of birds of a feather flocking together. Niche users rely upon each other for accurate information so if a particular platform has apps which in the consensus of the niche users best meets their needs, then word will get around. The cumulative effect could be significant for a company reliant upon customer loyalty rather than competitive pricing.

I couldn't have put it any better.

AudioGus

@LucidMusicInc said:

@MonzoPro said:

@Iostress said:

@AudioGus said:

@MonzoPro said:
For many noodlers like myself, mucking about with this stuff for the sheer joy of it, there's only so much money in the biscuit tin. If prices go up, or subscriptions become more common we'll just buy less apps, or abandon the platform completely.

I don't open 90% of the apps I've bought over the years, some I've spent less than half an hour with. But all those developers have benefitted from my custom, which also helps iOS music move forward as a whole.

Small beans for some, but better than no beans at all.

Yah this is a big part of the iOS nut for me. Over the years i have spent a lot in simply 'figuring it out' and well over 90% of my purchases will never be used. Things I thought were the answer turned out to be duds and things i didn't expect/think were even possible turned out to be indespensible. Of course I want individual devs to be rewarded but when I look at what I spent overall if all the app prices were doubled so that Big Mac prices became Footlong prices I would have been on the hook for four grand and not two. In the end it was a cluttered ambiguous space with lots of dead ends.

Thank God I am done exploring.

Thats probably a big part of the problem on ios. People buying what they don't need. Just out of curiosity or boredom. It's easy done at throwaway prices.

Serious fulltime devs should separate themselves from the throwaway apps crowd asap and just make it clear that refunds will be given within 7 days. Or if possible give app for free with a 7 day time lock that kills it if the unlock IAP isn't used after that. So people can check an app out and see if it's worth its 'higher than average' price to them.

If something sounds mind blowing or is useful in unique ways then people won't decide to do without it just because it's more expensive.

Best of luck finding that magic 10% of essential apps for your toolbox, without wading through the bug-ridden, incompatible, soon-to-be-abandoned, misleadingly labelled and otherwise chaff-ridden remaining 90%. And of course those apps brushed aside for completely new versions, or superseded a couple of weeks later by better alternatives.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, if only there was an app for that.

Ahem (IMPC)

To each their own.

AudioGus

@Iostress said:

@MonzoPro said:

@Iostress said:

@AudioGus said:

@MonzoPro said:
For many noodlers like myself, mucking about with this stuff for the sheer joy of it, there's only so much money in the biscuit tin. If prices go up, or subscriptions become more common we'll just buy less apps, or abandon the platform completely.

I don't open 90% of the apps I've bought over the years, some I've spent less than half an hour with. But all those developers have benefitted from my custom, which also helps iOS music move forward as a whole.

Small beans for some, but better than no beans at all.

Yah this is a big part of the iOS nut for me. Over the years i have spent a lot in simply 'figuring it out' and well over 90% of my purchases will never be used. Things I thought were the answer turned out to be duds and things i didn't expect/think were even possible turned out to be indespensible. Of course I want individual devs to be rewarded but when I look at what I spent overall if all the app prices were doubled so that Big Mac prices became Footlong prices I would have been on the hook for four grand and not two. In the end it was a cluttered ambiguous space with lots of dead ends.

Thank God I am done exploring.

Thats probably a big part of the problem on ios. People buying what they don't need. Just out of curiosity or boredom. It's easy done at throwaway prices.

Serious fulltime devs should separate themselves from the throwaway apps crowd asap and just make it clear that refunds will be given within 7 days. Or if possible give app for free with a 7 day time lock that kills it if the unlock IAP isn't used after that. So people can check an app out and see if it's worth its 'higher than average' price to them.

If something sounds mind blowing or is useful in unique ways then people won't decide to do without it just because it's more expensive.

Best of luck finding that magic 10% of essential apps for your toolbox, without wading through the bug-ridden, incompatible, soon-to-be-abandoned, misleadingly labelled and otherwise chaff-ridden remaining 90%. And of course those apps brushed aside for completely new versions, or superseded a couple of weeks later by better alternatives.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, if only there was an app for that.

People just need to wait for reviews/videos. Easy I’ve only been unhappy with one out of approx 20 purchases so far....

Better alternatives will always come along, sucks when it happens soon after purchase but doesn’t make the thing that you bought any less functional

Reviews and videos were good for individual apps but when you were interested in synergies of how apps combined then they didn't typically help, especially in the early days. When I look at the past two years it is way far beyond the pain of the early days six, seven years ago. How long you been in this here iOS tune thing? A lot of us are actually still dealing with early trauma...

AudioGus

@Sebastian said:

@InfoCheck said:
I think the iOS music creation market isn’t a single market because there are a variety of users/developers.

Disposable Apps where users enjoy playing with apps and have no problem buying apps with the anticipation that they have a limited life span based upon their interest in the app or have been using iOS long enough that they know apps frequently will drop out due to iOS incompatibility updates or the developer decides it’s not economically sustainable.

Professional Apps where users basically want to achieve performance and reliability on par with desktop/laptop systems.

Mass Media apps which can create music but are designed and marketed to the general public to benefit from the low price/high volume sales which iOS was based upon.

Niche apps which will always have a limited user base and are either ported over from apps developed on another OS so their iOS sales are supplemental rather than a primary source of income or the developer created the app for their own use and offering it on the AppStore was a secondary consideration.

Hardware driven apps created by manufacturers to try and increase hardware sales.

Place holder apps, companies create apps so users will develop some brand loyalty in the hopes that at some point the iOS market will be significantly more viable or to cover their bases should non-mobile platform sales plummet.

Open Source developers who largely develop apps on a variety of platforms and so have ported them to iOS as well.

To facilitate all of these developers, I believe Apple should put more effort into their iOS including documenting, developing, and responding to user/developer feedback about their software as well as how they run the AppStore. Until there is significant improvement in this area, iOS will never be on par with desktop/laptop systems. These improvements will help hobby and small independent developers as well.

The inconsistent implementation of IAA, AU preset issues, and the buggy iOS 11 File App are all basic infrastructure that bottleneck the rate of progress on iOS.

If it’s true that there’s a limited market for music creation apps within the context of alternatives to them and if the mobile market is becoming saturated, it would seem Apple would want to maintain if not increase its competitive advantage over other mobile platforms simply to maintain or increase their market share in an environment where consumers will increasingly ask themselves why they should buy expensive proprietary Apple products if the experience on other devices is basically the same or if new products don’t offer anything significantly new?

One way to differentiate themselves is to offer more support to developers so they’re more likely to develop for Apple and so their apps are superior to those on other platforms. Their iOS bungles undermine these aspirations as it seems they’re too short sighted to be willing to invest enough in developing an iOS environment which will be superior rather than simply better than their competition— in a word, they’re coasting on their profits.

While any given niche (not just musicians) market isn’t significant, it is a case of birds of a feather flocking together. Niche users rely upon each other for accurate information so if a particular platform has apps which in the consensus of the niche users best meets their needs, then word will get around. The cumulative effect could be significant for a company reliant upon customer loyalty rather than competitive pricing.

I couldn't have put it any better.

Yah, this should be mounted and framed somewhere.

brambos

@AudioGus said:
When I look at the past two years it is way far beyond the pain of the early days six, seven years ago. How long you been in this here iOS tune ting? A lot of us are actually still dealing with early trauma...

Yeah... I'm happy I missed the Great Debacle of iOS8. That tragedy seems to have scarred many iOS musicians for life

CracklePot

@brambos said:

@AudioGus said:
When I look at the past two years it is way far beyond the pain of the early days six, seven years ago. How long you been in this here iOS tune ting? A lot of us are actually still dealing with early trauma...

Yeah... I'm happy I missed the Great Debacle of iOS8. That tragedy seems to have scarred many iOS musicians for life

Me, too. Thanks vets!

Iostress

Deleted

Iostress

@AudioGus said:

@Iostress said:

@MonzoPro said:

@Iostress said:

@AudioGus said:

@MonzoPro said:
For many noodlers like myself, mucking about with this stuff for the sheer joy of it, there's only so much money in the biscuit tin. If prices go up, or subscriptions become more common we'll just buy less apps, or abandon the platform completely.

I don't open 90% of the apps I've bought over the years, some I've spent less than half an hour with. But all those developers have benefitted from my custom, which also helps iOS music move forward as a whole.

Small beans for some, but better than no beans at all.

Yah this is a big part of the iOS nut for me. Over the years i have spent a lot in simply 'figuring it out' and well over 90% of my purchases will never be used. Things I thought were the answer turned out to be duds and things i didn't expect/think were even possible turned out to be indespensible. Of course I want individual devs to be rewarded but when I look at what I spent overall if all the app prices were doubled so that Big Mac prices became Footlong prices I would have been on the hook for four grand and not two. In the end it was a cluttered ambiguous space with lots of dead ends.

Thank God I am done exploring.

Thats probably a big part of the problem on ios. People buying what they don't need. Just out of curiosity or boredom. It's easy done at throwaway prices.

Serious fulltime devs should separate themselves from the throwaway apps crowd asap and just make it clear that refunds will be given within 7 days. Or if possible give app for free with a 7 day time lock that kills it if the unlock IAP isn't used after that. So people can check an app out and see if it's worth its 'higher than average' price to them.

If something sounds mind blowing or is useful in unique ways then people won't decide to do without it just because it's more expensive.

Best of luck finding that magic 10% of essential apps for your toolbox, without wading through the bug-ridden, incompatible, soon-to-be-abandoned, misleadingly labelled and otherwise chaff-ridden remaining 90%. And of course those apps brushed aside for completely new versions, or superseded a couple of weeks later by better alternatives.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, if only there was an app for that.

People just need to wait for reviews/videos. Easy I’ve only been unhappy with one out of approx 20 purchases so far....

Better alternatives will always come along, sucks when it happens soon after purchase but doesn’t make the thing that you bought any less functional

Reviews and videos were good for individual apps but when you were interested in synergies of how apps combined then they didn't typically help, especially in the early days. When I look at the past two years it is way far beyond the pain of the early days six, seven years ago. How long you been in this here iOS tune thing? A lot of us are actually still dealing with early trauma...

Haha I'm late to the game and relatively unscathed

[Deleted User]

I will never pay a subscription for apps on ios. If this became the norm, i would be out of the game regarding new apps. I would keep a legacy ipad to use and enjoy what i already own, but i wouldn't spend any more money within this platform. IAP for extra functionality in apps that i use regularly is fine.i have no problem supporting Devs who make amazing apps, with the occasional additional purchase , just don't ask me for a subscription.....you won't see me for dust.........

u0421793

My one suggestion in this discussion is: stop doing sale pricing.

If things were launched with a price, and stuck to that price for effectively ever, I think this would benefit everyone. There shouldn’t be an expectation that hanging on will reap a reward. If you want it now, buy it now. If you want it a year later, buy it then. If you didn’t want it after all, don’t buy it in the first place.

AudioGus

@Iostress said:

@AudioGus said:

@MonzoPro said:
For many noodlers like myself, mucking about with this stuff for the sheer joy of it, there's only so much money in the biscuit tin. If prices go up, or subscriptions become more common we'll just buy less apps, or abandon the platform completely.

I don't open 90% of the apps I've bought over the years, some I've spent less than half an hour with. But all those developers have benefitted from my custom, which also helps iOS music move forward as a whole.

Small beans for some, but better than no beans at all.

Yah this is a big part of the iOS nut for me. Over the years i have spent a lot in simply 'figuring it out' and well over 90% of my purchases will never be used. Things I thought were the answer turned out to be duds and things i didn't expect/think were even possible turned out to be indespensible. Of course I want individual devs to be rewarded but when I look at what I spent overall if all the app prices were doubled so that Big Mac prices became Footlong prices I would have been on the hook for four grand and not two. In the end it was a cluttered ambiguous space with lots of dead ends.

Thank God I am done exploring.

Thats probably a big part of the problem on ios. People buying what they don't need. Just out of curiosity or boredom. It's easy done at throwaway prices.

Serious fulltime devs should separate themselves from the throwaway apps crowd asap and just make it clear that refunds will be given within 7 days. Or if possible give app for free with a 7 day time lock that kills it if the unlock IAP isn't used after that. So people can check an app out and see if it's worth its 'higher than average' price to them.

If something sounds mind blowing or is useful in unique ways then people won't decide to do without it just because it's more expensive.

For me they were not purchases made out of curiosity or boredom.

jwmmakerofmusic

@u0421793 said:
My one suggestion in this discussion is: stop doing sale pricing.

If things were launched with a price, and stuck to that price for effectively ever, I think this would benefit everyone. There shouldn’t be an expectation that hanging on will reap a reward. If you want it now, buy it now. If you want it a year later, buy it then. If you didn’t want it after all, don’t buy it in the first place.

Couldn’t put it any better if I tried.

Sebastian

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@u0421793 said:
My one suggestion in this discussion is: stop doing sale pricing.

If things were launched with a price, and stuck to that price for effectively ever, I think this would benefit everyone. There shouldn’t be an expectation that hanging on will reap a reward. If you want it now, buy it now. If you want it a year later, buy it then. If you didn’t want it after all, don’t buy it in the first place.

Couldn’t put it any better if I tried.

Doesn't really move the needle. We've (almost) not done this with Audiobus or the SoundPrism apps in the past and I bet we could have made more money if we had. I was never a fan of it though since sales always end up damaging the reputation of the brand somewhat.

jwmmakerofmusic

@Sebastian said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@u0421793 said:
My one suggestion in this discussion is: stop doing sale pricing.

If things were launched with a price, and stuck to that price for effectively ever, I think this would benefit everyone. There shouldn’t be an expectation that hanging on will reap a reward. If you want it now, buy it now. If you want it a year later, buy it then. If you didn’t want it after all, don’t buy it in the first place.

Couldn’t put it any better if I tried.

Doesn't really move the needle. We've (almost) not done this with Audiobus or the SoundPrism apps in the past and I bet we could have made more money if we had. I was never a fan of it though since sales always end up damaging the reputation of the brand somewhat.

I tend to think of it like this - full price in the appstore IS the sale price elsewhere. I’d prefer if UVI didn’t have occasional sales on their IAPs, because no new ones are released during those periods, and the “full” price of $4.99-$9.99 per pack is insanely cheap as it is.

Sebastian

Sales just drive attention to the app that has the sale. They draw potential purchases from the future into the present at a lower price. And then on top of that the increased visibility creates a few more sales. Those are basically the effects that make sales worthwhile and are kind of necessary if maximising revenue is the only goal.

realdavidai

I’d bet there are millions of young GarageBand iOS users who have never downloaded a plugin. It would be cool to see some devs aggressively court this user base with ‘add ons’ that will take GarageBand ‘to the next level’

Right now I see more ‘build it and they will come’ focus towards chilled micro-communities such as ours.

Samu

@realdavidai said:
I’d bet there are millions of young GarageBand iOS users who have never downloaded a plugin. It would be cool to see some devs aggressively court this user base with ‘add ons’ that will take GarageBand ‘to the next level’

Right now I see more ‘build it and they will come’ focus towards chilled micro-communities such as ours.

That would be cool indeed and when GarageBand is a 'fully featured'(Audio, Effects & Midi) AUv3 host with proper automation & editing capabilities that might very well happen

realdavidai

@Samu said:

@realdavidai said:
I’d bet there are millions of young GarageBand iOS users who have never downloaded a plugin. It would be cool to see some devs aggressively court this user base with ‘add ons’ that will take GarageBand ‘to the next level’

Right now I see more ‘build it and they will come’ focus towards chilled micro-communities such as ours.

That would be cool indeed and when GarageBand is a 'fully featured'(Audio, Effects & Midi) AUv3 host with proper automation & editing capabilities that might very well happen

Hoping for that. But devs don’t have to wait. If I were developing an app one of my marketing strategies would be tutorials on ‘how to make [insert current smash pop song] with GarageBand and [insert my cool plugin]

Instead of just saying Apple sucks and iOS customers are cheap n tired lol

supadom

@AndyPlankton said:
Mobile devices are throw away products in terms of expected lifespan, Apple only expects an iphone ipad or iwatch to last 3 years...
http://www.redmondpie.com/apple-reveals-typical-lifespan-of-iphone-ipad-mac-and-its-other-products/

Why would we invest large sums on software for a device that may or may not be viable in 3 years time.....

This is what is primarily keeping app prices down....and why really successful apps make their money from micro transactions...it is throw away money spent on apps for a throw away device.

Save me CCK3, you’re my only hope!

BlueGreenSpiral

@u0421793 said:
My one suggestion in this discussion is: stop doing sale pricing.

I was about to start a thread about how there are hardly any sales these days. Black Friday and the holiday season and sometimes an introductory discount seem to be the only time we see stuff on sale nowadays. The opposite seems to be happening in vst land, have seen some huge discounts over the last few months.

Also anyone know what happened to the free app of the week? I don't check the main AppStore page much but has been a long time since I downloaded some calendar or game that I never end up playing!

Looping_Loddar

@mschenkel.it said:(...)
PPS: No, I’m not a crusader for subscriptions.

OK. I am a crusader against subscriptions for software.

If all of my iOS Software (which i bought) would be in subscription mode, i would give away my iPad and stop to use it. I cannot afford to pay 100 apps (or such) on a monthly basis, even "so low" as one buck per month.

I can say for sure: I will never buy a software subscription for private use. Neverever. I don't want to "manage" my subscriptions for software or such on a monthly basis. I see the subscription model (for software) only as a trick to fool the customers (where software companies hope for lazy customers who dont pay too much attention on their subscriptions they have). I don't want to pay attention on my subcriptions, i even don't want to think about it. Subscriptions make me feel VERY uncomfortable. I have to admit, subscriptions for software make me even angry. Always.

Even IAPs are hard to take for me. Very hard, not only, because i know how bad it works for a lot of customers. Having had very bad experiences with iAP, my will to pay for any iOS software subscription is quite below 0 percent probability.

Fun fact: Apple thinks for his App store that subscriptions are "the" future (that would turn any app - on a 5 year basis - into a >60 Dollar app - sorry, i don't see any future here).

The future for a dumb customer. LOL

Looping_Loddar

Oh, i have to add, that i would sometimes welcome an "update subscription" model for software - on a yearly basis with low fees.

So, if you want to get the updates for your iOS software, you first have to have the "update subscription". On a yearly basis and with a price of about 20 percent of the software.

I think a model like this would help iOS developers and their customers.

Michael

@Looping_Loddar said:
Oh, i have to add, that i would sometimes welcome an "update subscription" model for software - on a yearly basis with low fees.

So, if you want to get the updates for your iOS software, you first have to have the "update subscription". On a yearly basis and with a price of about 20 percent of the software.

I think a model like this would help iOS developers and their customers.

Chiming in rather late here (such is life for us in the GMT+10 timezone... ) - yeah, update pricing is something I've wanted for years. If we put in the time to do a significant update, right now we can either

1. Release it for free and hope that there's enough exposure to bring in a few extra sales for a while (pretty dubious and never really works out)
2. Try to package it an an IAP (this is what we did for AB 2, and it made so little it almost ruined us)
3. Release it as a brand new app, which is logistically annoying (i.e. AB 3)

Being able to make the new version available for the same app for a price would be much simpler and more effective, I reckon.

Something that's really appealing about the subscription model, though, is that Apple's ordinarily-30% cut drops down to 15% after 1 year, so we suddenly get 21% more revenue from those subscriptions. But I get all the arguments against.

Michael

@Sebastian said:

@Iostress said:
Devs should just charge what they think an app is worth and everyone can forget about the whole debate and it would become evident soon enough which apps are worth the extra and which aren't.

Sadly that doesn't work because charging for an app once and then having to provide free updates forever makes developers abandon their apps eventually. Even Apple understands that subscriptions would make more sense but sadly users don't accept them as readily as necessary for a healthy market.

Also, there's a lot of evidence to suggest the App Store's price elasticity makes the actual price of the app moot anyway. If you charge double, you get half the sales, as less people are willing to pay that; if you charge half, you get double the sales. The actual money-in-pocket at the end pretty much stays the same. I've seen that personally.