Re:Apple has damaged the perceived value of software
by eeZah7Ux on Thursday May 04, 2017 @09:27AM
(#14264618)
> It's hardly Apple's fault that people aren't willing to pay big money for fart apps.
Apple encouraged a market of many cheap-as-in-shoddy $.99 apps instead of inexpensive yet useful and reliable software.
Re:Apple has damaged the perceived value of software
by mwfunk on Friday May 05, 2017 @09:49AM
(#14273386)
How did they actively encourage that situation, what could possibly be their motivation for wanting that situation (surely they'd rather have 30% of a $10 app vs. 30% of a $1 or free app), and what would you have them do to change that situation? There are literally millions of people who would love to have a healthier market for paid mobile apps, including the company itself. Since you've clearly got the answers and we're all just out here in the wilderness scraping sticks together, please share your insights for the sake of the entire industry.
Re:Apple has damaged the perceived value of software
by criddell on Thursday May 04, 2017 @12:14PM
(#14266008)
A lot of those $.99 apps are useful and reliable enough. I'm constantly amazed at how well made cheap or free apps are. Yes, Sturgeon's Law is a thing, but the apps that aren't crap are often very good.
Re:Apple has damaged the perceived value of software
by rantanplan on Thursday May 04, 2017 @11:05AM
(#14265322)
A million times this.
So basically they conned people into a walled garden without providing any of the benefits they explicitly(or implicitly) promised.
As long as they get 30% of fart apps, who cares, right?
Speaking for myself at least, I've purchased quite a few mobile apps over the years. If I need an app in a certain category, I will always get one that costs money over one that's free with ads. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but people like me don't have to be the majority for someone to make money from an app. The only thing that matters is the number of people like me out there, not the percentage of total users we represent.
I do think there's much room for improvement of course. I wish they would do stuff like allow people to offer paid upgrades. But claiming that there are literally no good paid apps is just silly.