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At what level of pricing does a Netflix-style service for indy mac developers work? I would guess the judging who gets the money will be just as fun as streami

At what level of pricing does a Netflix-style service for indy mac developers work? I would guess the judging who gets the money will be just as fun as streaming music, but I am honestly wondering if we have hit death by a hundred $5 subscriptions. Its a real shame we never got to the frictionless / no-per-transaction fee micropayments.

natch 11y ago
Eww what a horrible idea, I hope it dies quickly. It will bring in bundling (more eww) and the idea that you need to keep paying $10/month for "$600 a month of value" when all you really need is one or two little utility apps that should have cost a one-time payment of five bucks. From the greedy business side, this sounds like a great deal, but for users, it's a really bad deal, and their choice is diminished to the extent that any software gets swept into this kind of system. Part of the problem is software developers (I'm one) who feel entitled (I don't) to a lifetime of full income for one project. TextExpander seems a textbook case of what should be a light utility becoming a hungry beast of a business that needs constant feeding, at the cost of its users.
- protomyth 11y ago
  I'm not sure its any worse for the consumers than Netflix itself. I'm also a software developer on the side and looking at the landscape right now, I cannot help but think the App Store concept has failed. I don't think the average user would stick to 1 or 2 utility apps if given a choice of having an App Store worth of content to play with.
- mason55 11y ago
  > and their choice is diminished to the extent that any software gets swept into this kind of system. The nice thing about software is that if the app is really so simple that it's only worth a few bucks then someone (or many people) should fill the gap pretty quickly.
vnchr 11y ago
I'm surprised by the negative response to this comment, I see some appeal in this notion. What if it was just for trying new apps that could be bought permanently as a separate transaction? Exploring business model variation within app development is the point of this whole dialogue.
- protomyth 11y ago
  I'm a bit puzzled myself given the love of Netflix, but I guess a temporal versus continuous time argument can be made for media versus software. I think it might be the next generation of app bundle, and frankly the iOS App Store has made a lot of software a disposable purchase. I guess its ok or even preferred for TV, movie, and bands but we get testy if someone says its good enough for us.

natch 11y ago

Eww what a horrible idea, I hope it dies quickly. It will bring in bundling (more eww) and the idea that you need to keep paying $10/month for "$600 a month of value" when all you really need is one or two little utility apps that should have cost a one-time payment of five bucks. From the greedy business side, this sounds like a great deal, but for users, it's a really bad deal, and their choice is diminished to the extent that any software gets swept into this kind of system. Part of the problem is software developers (I'm one) who feel entitled (I don't) to a lifetime of full income for one project. TextExpander seems a textbook case of what should be a light utility becoming a hungry beast of a business that needs constant feeding, at the cost of its users.

protomyth 11y ago
I'm not sure its any worse for the consumers than Netflix itself. I'm also a software developer on the side and looking at the landscape right now, I cannot help but think the App Store concept has failed. I don't think the average user would stick to 1 or 2 utility apps if given a choice of having an App Store worth of content to play with.
mason55 11y ago
> and their choice is diminished to the extent that any software gets swept into this kind of system. The nice thing about software is that if the app is really so simple that it's only worth a few bucks then someone (or many people) should fill the gap pretty quickly.

vnchr 11y ago

I'm surprised by the negative response to this comment, I see some appeal in this notion. What if it was just for trying new apps that could be bought permanently as a separate transaction? Exploring business model variation within app development is the point of this whole dialogue.

protomyth 11y ago
I'm a bit puzzled myself given the love of Netflix, but I guess a temporal versus continuous time argument can be made for media versus software. I think it might be the next generation of app bundle, and frankly the iOS App Store has made a lot of software a disposable purchase. I guess its ok or even preferred for TV, movie, and bands but we get testy if someone says its good enough for us.