5 ms·

better question may be: why aren't consumers buying desktop apps as much anymore?

by greenail 5y ago

mikecoles 5y ago
Because software is being sold as a cloud-only subscription.
- sirjaz 5y ago
  Exactly, and even when there is an app it is mobile only.
AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
Where does one even buy software anymore? The only stuff you tend to see on the shelves at a brick and mortar store these days are shovelware games that I assume Grandma buys to give her grandchildren something to play on the family computer when they come to visit. Everything else is pretty much a license key you purchase online to allow you to download/register something you grabbed from the company's website.
- sirjaz 5y ago
  Steam, Epic Games, GOG galaxy. They offer non game apps and they need to promote that
mantas 5y ago
Let me BUY damn software Looking at you, Tower https://www.git-tower.com https://www.git-tower.com
- mcphage 5y ago
  Agreed—I love Tower, but I'm sticking with version 2. I happily paid an upgrade fee from 1 -> 2, and would be happy to pay another upgrade fee, but I'm not signing up for a subscription.
- ohCh6zos 5y ago
  I know Apple has pushed subscriptions so hard but I just cannot stand them.
rathboma 5y ago
I think it's a hugely overlooked market. Look at the sales numbers from Balsamiq for example: https://balsamiq.com/wireframes/#customers https://balsamiq.com/wireframes/#customers Personally there are loads of desktop apps I want, maybe after getting Beekeeper Studio profitable I'll make some more :-).
acuozzo 5y ago
My hunch is that it's for roughly the same reasons so many people bought disposable cameras in the 80s/90s/00s. 1. Low initial investment: Disposable cameras were cheap to buy and so are most SaaS subscriptions, at least in the beginning. 2. Nearly-frictionless termination: Disposable cameras go away when you're done with them and most SaaS can be canceled— and navigated away from quickly. 3. Ease of use: Disposable cameras were simple point-and-shoot devices and most web apps are constrained by the expressibility of WWW UI/UX, so they often cannot easily be made as complex as their desktop counterparts. 4. No maintenance: Disposable cameras were made to be thrown away (at least from the user POV), so users didn't have to worry about protecting and maintaining an e.g. fancy 35mm camera. Similarly, SaaS shifts the burden of maintenance to the company providing the service and is ongoing. For desktop software… For #1. You have to install it and, possibly, pay an up-front cost to do so. Furthermore, you have to trust that the software is not malicious. For #2. You have to uninstall it if you no longer wish to use it and you have to trust that it will clean up its tracks and not leave e.g. broken file associations. For #3. You have to navigate an UI built under far fewer constraints than UIs designed for the WWW, so you may have to invest time learning its ins and outs. For #4. You (may) have to keep it up-to-date, usually if you upgrade your OS, but especially if there's a security vulnerability present in the version you're running.

better question may be: why aren't consumers buying desktop apps as much anymore?

mikecoles 5y ago

Because software is being sold as a cloud-only subscription.

sirjaz 5y ago
Exactly, and even when there is an app it is mobile only.

AdmiralAsshat 5y ago

Where does one even buy software anymore? The only stuff you tend to see on the shelves at a brick and mortar store these days are shovelware games that I assume Grandma buys to give her grandchildren something to play on the family computer when they come to visit. Everything else is pretty much a license key you purchase online to allow you to download/register something you grabbed from the company's website.

sirjaz 5y ago
Steam, Epic Games, GOG galaxy. They offer non game apps and they need to promote that

mantas 5y ago

Let me BUY damn software Looking at you, Tower https://www.git-tower.com https://www.git-tower.com

mcphage 5y ago
Agreed—I love Tower, but I'm sticking with version 2. I happily paid an upgrade fee from 1 -> 2, and would be happy to pay another upgrade fee, but I'm not signing up for a subscription.
ohCh6zos 5y ago
I know Apple has pushed subscriptions so hard but I just cannot stand them.

rathboma 5y ago

I think it's a hugely overlooked market. Look at the sales numbers from Balsamiq for example: https://balsamiq.com/wireframes/#customers https://balsamiq.com/wireframes/#customers Personally there are loads of desktop apps I want, maybe after getting Beekeeper Studio profitable I'll make some more :-).

acuozzo 5y ago

My hunch is that it's for roughly the same reasons so many people bought disposable cameras in the 80s/90s/00s. 1. Low initial investment: Disposable cameras were cheap to buy and so are most SaaS subscriptions, at least in the beginning. 2. Nearly-frictionless termination: Disposable cameras go away when you're done with them and most SaaS can be canceled— and navigated away from quickly. 3. Ease of use: Disposable cameras were simple point-and-shoot devices and most web apps are constrained by the expressibility of WWW UI/UX, so they often cannot easily be made as complex as their desktop counterparts. 4. No maintenance: Disposable cameras were made to be thrown away (at least from the user POV), so users didn't have to worry about protecting and maintaining an e.g. fancy 35mm camera. Similarly, SaaS shifts the burden of maintenance to the company providing the service and is ongoing. For desktop software… For #1. You have to install it and, possibly, pay an up-front cost to do so. Furthermore, you have to trust that the software is not malicious. For #2. You have to uninstall it if you no longer wish to use it and you have to trust that it will clean up its tracks and not leave e.g. broken file associations. For #3. You have to navigate an UI built under far fewer constraints than UIs designed for the WWW, so you may have to invest time learning its ins and outs. For #4. You (may) have to keep it up-to-date, usually if you upgrade your OS, but especially if there's a security vulnerability present in the version you're running.