5 ms·

Good on the Lux team for making it optional, but this is yet another app that wouldn’t have needed to introduce a subscription model if Apple would just relent

Good on the Lux team for making it optional, but this is yet another app that wouldn’t have needed to introduce a subscription model if Apple would just relent on its unbending services push and add a mechanism for paid upgrades to the App Store.

codezero 6y ago
I wonder if Apple is pushing this because subscription models potentially provide more long term value? Apple apps tend to need regular updates to stay valid/relevant over long periods of time and early on Apple had a lot of "abandoned" apps in the app store - subscriptions 1) keep the app developer funded/engaged 2) keep the user hooked / showing explicit value or bailing. Fwiw, I agree, I am getting tired of the pervasiveness of subscription models, but I assume they are making good sense business wise.
- p1necone 6y ago
  Apple shouldn't be forcing 3rd party devs to use any particular business model regardless of how much sense it makes.
m_eiman 6y ago
Upgrades should already be possible, using bundles and the Complete My Bundle functionality. It's not terribly user-friendly perhaps, but should (in theory) work. A bit more expanded at http://www.eiman.tv/blog/posts/upgradepricing/index.html http://www.eiman.tv/blog/posts/upgradepricing/index.html - haven't looked at this since 2016 though so perhaps something has changed since then.
- sandofsky 6y ago
  Halide dev here. We _might_ write more about our upgrade strategy in the future, but we did explore app bundles. There were a number of concerns. For example, many blog posts out there point to the old version of our app in the App Store, and App Store Search is non-deterministic, so it's way less confusing to replace the existing SKU than have folks buy the wrong version.
machello13 6y ago
How so? The only way in which the App Store doesn't support paid upgrades is that you can't offer a discount for existing users, and the new version needs to be a separate app. But Halide 2 isn't any cheaper for existing customers anyway (there's just a launch discount).

codezero 6y ago

I wonder if Apple is pushing this because subscription models potentially provide more long term value? Apple apps tend to need regular updates to stay valid/relevant over long periods of time and early on Apple had a lot of "abandoned" apps in the app store - subscriptions 1) keep the app developer funded/engaged 2) keep the user hooked / showing explicit value or bailing. Fwiw, I agree, I am getting tired of the pervasiveness of subscription models, but I assume they are making good sense business wise.

p1necone 6y ago
Apple shouldn't be forcing 3rd party devs to use any particular business model regardless of how much sense it makes.

m_eiman 6y ago

Upgrades should already be possible, using bundles and the Complete My Bundle functionality. It's not terribly user-friendly perhaps, but should (in theory) work. A bit more expanded at http://www.eiman.tv/blog/posts/upgradepricing/index.html http://www.eiman.tv/blog/posts/upgradepricing/index.html - haven't looked at this since 2016 though so perhaps something has changed since then.

sandofsky 6y ago
Halide dev here. We _might_ write more about our upgrade strategy in the future, but we did explore app bundles. There were a number of concerns. For example, many blog posts out there point to the old version of our app in the App Store, and App Store Search is non-deterministic, so it's way less confusing to replace the existing SKU than have folks buy the wrong version.

machello13 6y ago

How so? The only way in which the App Store doesn't support paid upgrades is that you can't offer a discount for existing users, and the new version needs to be a separate app. But Halide 2 isn't any cheaper for existing customers anyway (there's just a launch discount).