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The problem is: you can't do upgrade pricing in the app store. So your users would have to pay full price for a 2.0 upgrade. You could of course buy outside th

The problem is: you can't do upgrade pricing in the app store. So your users would have to pay full price for a 2.0 upgrade. You could of course buy outside the app store - but you don't want that. And I don't want that, too (as a dev selling my software). Purchase orders are a PITA and I have been shafted by enterprise more than once. They get their licenses, I'm not getting my money because they just don't pay. Sucks to be me. As much as I don't like what apple is doing with their app stores I hate enterprise even more. I don't want enterprise as a customer - no matter how much they promise to pay me. (And that sentiment is pretty universal with anyone who had to deal with enterprise customers). Sucks to be you, I guess.

Terretta 4y ago
> The problem is: you can't do upgrade pricing in the app store. That is not a real problem. Many apps handle this by checking for a prior version and giving a discount (see Omni or Affinity approach), by having an upgrade window (e.g. 1Password approach before switching to subs outside app store), or by just charging full freight again (which nobody who values software actually minds, and enterprises that budget full retail software per person/year anyway definitely don't even think about). If you charge $X a month over time and think that's fair, you can charge $X * 24 every two years, and let people who dislike the upgrade treadmill just sit on the old version till iOS APIs shift out from under them. In the meantime, you had the two years cash up front which funds future development. > They get their licenses, I'm not getting my money because they just don't pay. Sucks to be me. What are you talking about? The Apple Business Manager UI is a web based app store, one searches for the app, clicks to pay full retail, and you get your full money, immediately, the same as you get your IAP or sub. Meanwhile, the app is bought in bulk, assigned to the employee base, and you just sold 15,000 copies at retail by having a full price version when you otherwise couldn't sell any. You don't talk to the enterprise and more importantly, I don't have to talk to you, or any other indie dev with weird bespoke purchasing processes not already approved by the enterprise procurement and expense systems.
- foooorsyth 4y ago
  > or by just charging full freight again But is this possible with a one-time-full-price app in the App Store? It’s not, right? Once someone pays for your app, they get all updates forever. I think that’s what the person you were replying to was getting at. Basically, there are 3 major purchase models for software: 1) I’m buying a forever license 2) I’m buying this major version only 3) I’m subscribing to this software on a monthly/yearly basis The App Store only seems to support 1) and 3), but not 2). If you want to do 2), you have to roll it yourself outside of Apple’s infrastructure. Which means sending your own invoices, setting up your own key mechanisms, and all of that associated pain
  - alexvoda 4y ago
    This is just one more reason 3'rd party stores should exist.
    - Terretta 4y ago
      If you think corporations will buy from the third party store that isn't built into the Apple Business Manager (plus MDM of choice) that lets you open shrink-wrapped Macs and hand them to the employee with all their apps self-installed, think again.
      - alexvoda 4y ago
        Maybe not, but competition will put pressure on Apple to improove and offer more options for business models other than 1 and 3.
      - yencabulator 4y ago
        I think the ability to MDM manage 3rd party stores is part of table stakes for "3rd party stores should [be allowed to] exist". Apple likes their walled garden.
  - Aeolun 4y ago
    I think you can solve that by copying your codebase and releasing version 3 under a different app ID.

Terretta 4y ago

> The problem is: you can't do upgrade pricing in the app store. That is not a real problem. Many apps handle this by checking for a prior version and giving a discount (see Omni or Affinity approach), by having an upgrade window (e.g. 1Password approach before switching to subs outside app store), or by just charging full freight again (which nobody who values software actually minds, and enterprises that budget full retail software per person/year anyway definitely don't even think about). If you charge $X a month over time and think that's fair, you can charge $X * 24 every two years, and let people who dislike the upgrade treadmill just sit on the old version till iOS APIs shift out from under them. In the meantime, you had the two years cash up front which funds future development. > They get their licenses, I'm not getting my money because they just don't pay. Sucks to be me. What are you talking about? The Apple Business Manager UI is a web based app store, one searches for the app, clicks to pay full retail, and you get your full money, immediately, the same as you get your IAP or sub. Meanwhile, the app is bought in bulk, assigned to the employee base, and you just sold 15,000 copies at retail by having a full price version when you otherwise couldn't sell any. You don't talk to the enterprise and more importantly, I don't have to talk to you, or any other indie dev with weird bespoke purchasing processes not already approved by the enterprise procurement and expense systems.

foooorsyth 4y ago
> or by just charging full freight again But is this possible with a one-time-full-price app in the App Store? It’s not, right? Once someone pays for your app, they get all updates forever. I think that’s what the person you were replying to was getting at. Basically, there are 3 major purchase models for software: 1) I’m buying a forever license 2) I’m buying this major version only 3) I’m subscribing to this software on a monthly/yearly basis The App Store only seems to support 1) and 3), but not 2). If you want to do 2), you have to roll it yourself outside of Apple’s infrastructure. Which means sending your own invoices, setting up your own key mechanisms, and all of that associated pain
- alexvoda 4y ago
  This is just one more reason 3'rd party stores should exist.
  - Terretta 4y ago
    If you think corporations will buy from the third party store that isn't built into the Apple Business Manager (plus MDM of choice) that lets you open shrink-wrapped Macs and hand them to the employee with all their apps self-installed, think again.
    - alexvoda 4y ago
      Maybe not, but competition will put pressure on Apple to improove and offer more options for business models other than 1 and 3.
    - yencabulator 4y ago
      I think the ability to MDM manage 3rd party stores is part of table stakes for "3rd party stores should [be allowed to] exist". Apple likes their walled garden.
- Aeolun 4y ago
  I think you can solve that by copying your codebase and releasing version 3 under a different app ID.