5 ms·

I’m not sure how Apple did anything to software pricing. In the initial days of the iPhone, apps used to sell for as much as Mac apps. While you’re looking at

by wtmt 7y ago

I’m not sure how Apple did anything to software pricing. In the initial days of the iPhone, apps used to sell for as much as Mac apps. While you’re looking at the effort and cost of developing an app, also consider that not everybody has $4 coffees (like another commenter put it) or can afford to buy many apps that are each $5 or $10 or more. Getting an iPhone is one of the best things someone could do (on privacy and security), and it does cost a lot just to get the hardware. Lower priced apps are a boon to many in countries that are not the US or another developed country. Some sort of tiered pricing that also takes into account relative pricing power could help the developer reach more people as well as help more people. Note that many people in lower income countries may also buy older or used iPhones (with the market share of the flagships being minuscule) for what is to them a lot of money.

hoistbypetard 7y ago
> In the initial days of the iPhone, apps used to sell for as much as Mac apps. In the initial days of the iPhone, there were no third party apps. You only got Apple's apps plus any web bookmarks you wanted to add to your home screen. Then some people worked out how to force the phone to sideload apps against Apple's wishes. Some time after that, Apple published an SDK and opened a store. The way the store evolved to make apps discoverable encouraged app developers to steadily reduce their prices. App developers can set their own prices per-country, but most accept the defaults.
jwr 7y ago
> While you’re looking at the effort and cost of developing an app, also consider that not everybody has $4 coffees (like another commenter put it) or can afford to buy many apps that are each $5 or $10 or more. Getting an iPhone is one of the best things someone could do (on privacy and security), and it does cost a lot just to get the hardware. Lower priced apps are a boon to many in countries that are not the US or another developed country. This is, again, a problem of perception. People will pay $1200 for their phone, whether they can afford it or not. The perception is that they will get a beautiful physical device and that it is "worth it". To make good use of that physical device one should expect to buy apps — but they are somehow not "worth it" anymore. I realize that not everybody cares about contact photos, but my gripe was with the "too expensive" statement. My take on this is that when buying a computer (any computer: laptop, desktop, tablet, phone), you should expect to spend around 50% of its price on apps in the long run, and even more in niche business settings. That is the real price of your purchase. If that is too expensive, consider getting a less expensive device.
- wtmt 7y ago
  > My take on this is that when buying a computer (any computer: laptop, desktop, tablet, phone), you should expect to spend around 50% of its price on apps in the long run, and even more in niche business settings. That is the real price of your purchase. If that is too expensive, consider getting a less expensive device. I get that it’s your personal take, but it just doesn’t work that way in developing countries. I’m not sure most people would consider spending 50% of the hardware cost on software in developed countries either, if the apps are for personal use. There are variations in price expectations depending on the type of product. Hardware is something people are willing to pay more for. Video content is slightly similar in the very long run (if using streaming services). Software seems to be generally lower on the rung, regardless of the platform.

by wtmt 7y ago

hoistbypetard 7y ago

> In the initial days of the iPhone, apps used to sell for as much as Mac apps. In the initial days of the iPhone, there were no third party apps. You only got Apple's apps plus any web bookmarks you wanted to add to your home screen. Then some people worked out how to force the phone to sideload apps against Apple's wishes. Some time after that, Apple published an SDK and opened a store. The way the store evolved to make apps discoverable encouraged app developers to steadily reduce their prices. App developers can set their own prices per-country, but most accept the defaults.

jwr 7y ago

> While you’re looking at the effort and cost of developing an app, also consider that not everybody has $4 coffees (like another commenter put it) or can afford to buy many apps that are each $5 or $10 or more. Getting an iPhone is one of the best things someone could do (on privacy and security), and it does cost a lot just to get the hardware. Lower priced apps are a boon to many in countries that are not the US or another developed country. This is, again, a problem of perception. People will pay $1200 for their phone, whether they can afford it or not. The perception is that they will get a beautiful physical device and that it is "worth it". To make good use of that physical device one should expect to buy apps — but they are somehow not "worth it" anymore. I realize that not everybody cares about contact photos, but my gripe was with the "too expensive" statement. My take on this is that when buying a computer (any computer: laptop, desktop, tablet, phone), you should expect to spend around 50% of its price on apps in the long run, and even more in niche business settings. That is the real price of your purchase. If that is too expensive, consider getting a less expensive device.

wtmt 7y ago
> My take on this is that when buying a computer (any computer: laptop, desktop, tablet, phone), you should expect to spend around 50% of its price on apps in the long run, and even more in niche business settings. That is the real price of your purchase. If that is too expensive, consider getting a less expensive device. I get that it’s your personal take, but it just doesn’t work that way in developing countries. I’m not sure most people would consider spending 50% of the hardware cost on software in developed countries either, if the apps are for personal use. There are variations in price expectations depending on the type of product. Hardware is something people are willing to pay more for. Video content is slightly similar in the very long run (if using streaming services). Software seems to be generally lower on the rung, regardless of the platform.