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The appcubby blog has a fascinating post up on App Store price ‘deterioration ‘. It cites numerous examples of well-known and blue-chip type apps that have had to give up on their original $10 (or $9.99) pricing and succumb to the downward price trends of the App Store, and puts forward the argument that for most apps, the price ‘ceiling ‘ is now $5.
It ‘s a pretty worrying sounding article if you ‘re involved in apps development for the iPhone OS, and to my mind, even if you ‘re just an avid iPhone apps fan and user.
Here ‘s just a brief example of some of what sounds so worrying:
Lots of cheap apps may seem good for the average App Store shopper, but it ‘s ultimately bad for the iPhone platform and the future of all mobile software development. Though the platform appears healthy and vibrant from a distance, the poor business opportunity of the App Store is not lost on those who actually have skin in the game. Most iPhone developers I spoke with at WWDC view the App Store more as a casino than a business. You can play all your cards just right and still walk away with nothing. Or you can get lucky on a single hand and walk away flush with cash. That’s true of many businesses, but is even more apparent with the hit driven nature of the App Store. Because of this, most developers I spoke with at WWDC (even the VERY successful ones) were looking to spread risk among several small apps rather than creating one amazing app.
The article also has a lot of good, constructive suggestions for how the App Store can be improved (which apparently Apple are keen to do) “ and not just in the pricing area. For example:
People like to "kick the tires." Apple Retail stores are designed to help shoppers fully experience Apple ‘s products. The computers are fully loaded with full versions of software. The iPhones have apps pre-installed for shoppers to play with. Most everything is spaced out in a way that encourages shoppers to spend a few minutes kicking the tires. Even with software and services Apple recognizes the value of offering demos. MobileMe, Aperture, and iWork all have full featured, timed demoes. Developers need a way to let shoppers fully kick the tires. "Lite" apps are woefully inadequate and introduce all sorts of problems of their own. A timed (5 days?) or triggered (by completing a certain number of levels, etc.) trial period would be best.
Anyway, the appcubby blog post, and lots of coverage of it round the web, got me thinking about my own attitude to apps pricing and whether I ‘m still willing to go as high as $10 for an iPhone app.
While I can definitely say that my price expectations have come down over the course of the App Store ‘s life “ and I ‘m as keen to spot the $0.99 and $1.99 apps as the next guy “ I can also say that I will still happily pay $10 for an app if I feel that it is a seriously strong app and one i ‘m likely to get regular and frequent use out of.
I will sometimes pay (and have paid) $10 for a game if I think it fits the regular, frequent use bill “ but I ‘m much more likely to want to go to $10 for a productivity app.
One example I can offer is Things, the superb task manager app from Cultured Code. It is currently priced at $9.99. I bought the app when it first came out (as well as its excellent desktop Mac version) “ and would buy it again at $10 in a heartbeat.
How about you all “ will you pay $10 for an app? If yes, which type, or which ones would you go for at that price level? Does the downward trend on prices and the idea of a $5 ceiling for iPhone app prices worry you?
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