Scobleizer - Latest Comments in Digital iPhone cheapskates

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Facebook Applications — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:17:49 -0000

It seems like everyone forgot that most software costs money for every update. If you look on your PC, every version of Microsoft Office costs money

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Sagar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:04:29 -0000

I am glad to hear your sane viewpoint. Far too many folks feel entitled to free software and this trend will ultimately lead to less innovative new software being released.

http://www.passporthelpline...

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Linda Creech — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:35:49 -0000

I need to pass my term paper to be able to buy me a iphone by my mother. hehehe...

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Learn German software — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:15:43 -0000

Tweetie 2.0, that is I am loving to try, it is good to get to know your experience. thanks a lot!

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Rewai — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:26:42 -0000

Paying ones way is part of life, I don't get it that people want free all the time. There's free out there, but it's elsewhere. The economic system we adopt is geared around choice.

I'm thoroughly enjoying the new Tweetie 2.0 for the iPhone. I'm finding it much more responsive and it's now my iPhone Twitter App of choice. The new feature list is impressive, to me it's almost a new App.

If I might digress slightly.

I purchased Tweetie for my Mac. I paid something like $20 for it, and it's a far less complete product. For example, I often "favourite" a Tweet on my iPhone and read it on a more friendly screen. However having read the Tweet, I'd like to "unfavourite" it. Tweetie on the desktop doesn't do that.

I like paying for Applications because it gives the author a return on their work, it shows my appreciation for what they have created and gives them incentive to develop further. Fantastic.

I however expect that if I pay for something, that it's most basic features are operational. There have been several upgrades to Tweetie for the Desktop, but still no ability to unfavourite.

Why not?

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Lee Jones — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:43:27 -0000

As a software developer, all I can say is Thank You! Even minor point releases cost a lot of time and money and $3 certainly doesn't afford one a life time subscription to an app.

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Porter — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:28:51 -0000

I think it's crazy that people expect free updates. The people who create them generally work 10x harder on a day to day basis then those who complain, they have no idea what it's like trying to finally get a hit app, let alone make money off it like one should once reaching this.

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Glenn Hilton — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:25:10 -0000

Tweetie 2 for the iPhone is my favourite app ever for the iPhone. I'd pay $10 or more for it. But have to agree I found it a bit odd at first to have to download & pay for an upgrade.Obviously it's great when you can get things for free, but when something's free but if something's good, you'll pay for it and Tweetie 2 is great!

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Chris Howard — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:28:45 -0000

Well said, John. It's interesting that the developer has Mac version which he charges $19.95 for a non-ad-supported version.

That really highlights the different market expectation that has been created on the iPhone.

Is the Mac app 6 times better than the iPhone? Hardly. In fact, the iPhone version may be just as useful or even more useful.

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Chris Howard — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:23:08 -0000

"You should be grateful that they let you publish your app on Apple's superior platform"

Hehehh. Except, Thomas, I'm not a developer. I'm just a customer and I expect to pay for products.

I don't go into my supermarket and say "I bought this same milk last week, so it should be free this week"

I don't go to the movies and say "I don't have to pay because this is a sequel and I paid to see the first one"

I don't go to buy Toy Story 2 and say "I shouldn't have to pay because I own Toy Story 1"

I don't expect JK Rowling to give me the 6 Harry Potter sequels for free because I bought the first one.

I don't go to my local printer and say "I paid for the first print run of my business cards so I don't have to pay again."

I don't tell my web developer that any changes I request in the future will be done for free.

iPhone App developers have as much right as anyone else to expect that they should get paid for their work.

As a customer, I am happy to pay and support them and their application.

This benefits me too because if they want me to pay for upgrades then they've got to make sure those upgrades are worth it. So instead of being mired in the dross of a thousand get-rich-quick wannabes, this lets the genuine developers rise to the top and be seen, and their applications get much better.

(Which also reminds me, Apple's "Top 25" system is totally screwed up. It seems to be based on downloads. Too often a "Top 25" app has only one or two or three stars. There's no list for the top *rated* apps.)

And again, as a customer I am happy to pay for any justifiable upgrades.

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Scobleizer — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:38:13 -0000

Chris: yeah, sorry, I do have moderation on for new people and this one snuck through and I missed it the past couple of days. I think I got it all now, though. Thanks!

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

JohnAtkinson — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:00:02 -0000

As a mobile developer, thank you for writing this post so I didn't have to. Now I can just point my friends here.

The disconnect between consumers expectations and the reality of the ongoing costs to build and update apps is partially due to the "iPhone App Gold Rush" propaganda - which has led many to believe that apps are "easy" to build & they're all getting hundreds of thousands of downloads.

It likely cost $25k to $75K minimum to build Tweetie 2.0, plus they have ongoing costs. It is an absolute steal for $2.99.

If it weren't for the "false economy" on The App Store, Tweetie would be at least $29.99 and it would still be a good value.

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Ian Betteridge — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:35:26 -0000

Erik, I run a personal computing device which has no problems at all with "rogue, un-vetted software". It's called a Mac, and I think it demonstrates that having a true free market for software doesn't necessarily lead to "a security nightmare".

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Ian Betteridge — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:31:57 -0000

Erik, if it doesn't offer value to you, the answer is simple: don't upgrade.

Personally, I would have paid twice as much for it, even though I bought version 1. I think it's simply a brilliant piece of design, full of things which surprise and delight me.

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Thomas — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:28:35 -0000

"It is of great concern though that the AppStore has created this new culture of free upgrades. I think Apple screwed up there. Full upgrades should be charged for."

It appears many devs are missing the point here: Apple did not create the iPhone or the AppStore for devs to get rich quick. They couldn't care less. The device and its ecosystem were built for the consumer. It's just so that Apple's own devs couldn't quench the thirst for apps so they invented the AppStore and generously let you in. You should be grateful that they let you publish your app on Apple's superior platform and only take 30% of your revenue for this service.

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Chris Howard — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:21:00 -0000

Ricky, I am also judicious about spending my hard earned, but it shouldn't be an argument about the cost. $3 or $30 or $300, it should be about two things:

1) Is it justifiable for the developer to charge? On computers, some developers skip incremental upgrades and label any update as a full upgrade

2) Are we pre-warned that we will be charged. Eric says that we weren't.

If it we know how much it's going to cost, and that cost is justifiable, then it's up to us to decide if it fits out budget.

The problem is developers (on all platforms) are too keen to rush to the next 'x.o' of an app, whether it justifies the moniker or not.

It is of great concern though that the AppStore has created this new culture of free upgrades. I think Apple screwed up there. Full upgrades should be charged for. It's up to the buyer to decide if the upgrade warrants paying for. And then the iPhone needs a flag to let you skip a version if you don't want it (I'm thinking NetNewsWire 2.0 here, which I can't bag enough)

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

thomaswii4life — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:47:50 -0000

I agree too on paying for apps. When you do it encourages people to build more apps. And also the people not making them even though they have the ability too. I don't use twitter though, so i haven't tried it. I'm slow. I just got a facebook account a few ago. hehe.
Two Voices | Two Guys

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Guest — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:36:05 -0000

Robert,
Your giving these spammers distribution! That UGG spam is on 3 (at least) of your posts! --- and this one is just obviously keyword spamming. It doesn't look good when you don't moderate your comments. Especially after that Gillmor Gang about SideWiki where you defended your right to control your own page. THIS STUFF IS ON YOUR PAGE - it's not hosted by google and presented to google's toolbar users -- it's presented to EVERYONE, by you!

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

imjustagoyle — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:59:57 -0000

I love this post! We were told by a developer that iPhone apps aren't profitable, so that if we built one for JobShouts, we would likely have to make it free or no one would want it. So why is it that people want apps but don't want to pay for them? Probably for the same reason they complain when Twitter is down, or any free service doesn't meet their needs - their expectations are out of whack. I appreciate our developers and feel they should be rewarded for their work, not doing it for a pat on the back.

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Guest — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:59:13 -0000

um scoble... you might want to do something about this

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

lorilaurentsmith — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:20:40 -0000

Perhaps a better analogy is a sequel. The latte example is comparing chalk and cheese. Apps are about the experience, not product consumption (as lattes are).

The sequel continues elements of the original story, often with the same characters and settings. Sequels build on this familiarity with a installed fan base. People pay for sequels (look no further than the publishing sector where sequels turn into series or in the film industry where the majority of moves have a number following the title).

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

Schaeffer — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:03:26 -0000

A similar problem exists for any designer, including architects of the building type. It's a small % of people who not only appreciate good design, but value the service and professionalism that goes into the making of the thing. In the architectural world, I'm looking for the micropayment model and tracking the media/journalism conversation threads. I applaud the iPhone app model, and will gladly keep paying for incremental upgrades. rock on!

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

rickymaveety — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:13:18 -0000

I completely agree with you. This is the same way I felt about the "upgrade." However, Robert's point about the $3.00 latte just happens to fall on deaf ears in this household. That sort of waste of money on low priority goodies just isn't an option here.

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

rickymaveety — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:09:58 -0000

Not whining. And, I'm not buying it. It's not so much that I am "unusual" ... it's simply that (1) I live out in the middle of nowhere, and (2) my iPhone is pretty much my only link with the outside. The landline is only for emergencies.

I don't think I'd mind "if" I was paying for an upgrade that I would actually use for hours and hours, but that wasn't the point, and still isn't the point.

Mr. Scoble (and you) seem to think that everyone should have exactly the same priorities about spending their disposable income as you do. If we don't then we are .... to quote Mr. Scoble ... either "lame" or "cheapskates."

You take it one step further, if we state our priorities (that they are not all about lattes), then we are "whiners." Name calling does not make for much of an argument, and if you have to stoop to that, then the basis for your argument must be extremely weak.

Re: Digital iPhone cheapskates

missrogue — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:05:08 -0000

"Anyway, the main point here is that it’s not the app store that’s screwed up: it’s our expectation that developers should work for free."

Bravo for saying this Robert! The whole entitled free culture thing drives me nuts.