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The rise of in-app purchase seems like quite a threat to Apple's ecosystem. If the app is free and cross-platform, and you can buy the in-game currency on what

by smackfu 13y ago

The rise of in-app purchase seems like quite a threat to Apple's ecosystem. If the app is free and cross-platform, and you can buy the in-game currency on whatever device, Android or iOS, where'd the lock-in go? And since pretty much the whole top-grossing list is free with in-app-purchase, that is definitely where most of this money is.

kayoone 13y ago
can you ? that would only work if you can use the same account on multiple platforms, but most times its bound to gamecenter/google/steam etc.
- smackfu 13y ago
  And that's a very good reason for a developer not to use platform specific account systems. It seems relevant that the top grossing app on iPhone (Candy Crush Saga) prominently has this on their homepage: "Start your game on Facebook or mobile and seamlessly continue your saga between platforms. Your game play will be fully synched across all devices."
jbigelow76 13y ago
If the cost of In App currency is the same between iOS and Android what is the incentive for the user to put down their iOS device, pickup an Android device to make the purchase, and then switch back? Even if the developers segment their customers and make In App currency "cheaper" on Android because Android users have a reputation of not paying as much as iOS users it still sounds like a pain in the ass for marginal gain on the end users part. I can't imagine this happening often enough to threaten platform lock in or meaningfully skew platform monetization statistics.
- smackfu 13y ago
  I'm talking about the kind of platform lock-in where your next phone needs to be an iPhone because your last one was, or where you buy an iPad because you have an iPhone and you don't have to buy the apps again. That's the kind of lock-in that is threatened by platform neutral IAP. You play Candy Crush on your iPhone when you are out, but when you are home you play on the cheap Android tablet you got because it has a bigger screen.

by smackfu 13y ago

kayoone 13y ago

can you ? that would only work if you can use the same account on multiple platforms, but most times its bound to gamecenter/google/steam etc.

smackfu 13y ago
And that's a very good reason for a developer not to use platform specific account systems. It seems relevant that the top grossing app on iPhone (Candy Crush Saga) prominently has this on their homepage: "Start your game on Facebook or mobile and seamlessly continue your saga between platforms. Your game play will be fully synched across all devices."

jbigelow76 13y ago

If the cost of In App currency is the same between iOS and Android what is the incentive for the user to put down their iOS device, pickup an Android device to make the purchase, and then switch back? Even if the developers segment their customers and make In App currency "cheaper" on Android because Android users have a reputation of not paying as much as iOS users it still sounds like a pain in the ass for marginal gain on the end users part. I can't imagine this happening often enough to threaten platform lock in or meaningfully skew platform monetization statistics.

smackfu 13y ago
I'm talking about the kind of platform lock-in where your next phone needs to be an iPhone because your last one was, or where you buy an iPad because you have an iPhone and you don't have to buy the apps again. That's the kind of lock-in that is threatened by platform neutral IAP. You play Candy Crush on your iPhone when you are out, but when you are home you play on the cheap Android tablet you got because it has a bigger screen.