Wow, I feel that you missed the point. Coffee gives a guaranteed positive experience - you know what you're getting - and the latte is not the only reason for

Wow, I feel that you missed the point. Coffee gives a guaranteed positive experience - you know what you're getting - and the latte is not the only reason for that. People are happy to pay for coffee even if there's a fair chance the coffee will be bad. If the service is good, and you get a relaxing place to sit and work, and you get a caffeine hit, that's usually more important than the product. Money spent on coffee is never wasted - you always get more value than the amount spent on the whole experience. If you buy an app and it's bad - that's the end of your experience. Even if your coffee is bad, you will likely get a refund or replacement, if you care to spend a second to ask. If your app is bad - the money's gone and you have no recourse. You might be able to fight your way to a refund (but you probably will view it as sunk cost) and there's no way you'll get a better app as a replacement. App developers who use the throw-away line "less than you spent on your morning coffee" need to be more aware of what they're comparing their experience to. Apps really don't compare well.