http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/12/10/trouble-in-the-99-cent-app-store/
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Interesting article!
From my personal experience i would like to add that if i was unsure buying a game i always went to the developer’s site. All the good apps had a webpage behind with a video demoing their app which always was a great help. Secondly reading through the users comments also is helpful to avoid the worst but in some cases i also found those ratings quite useless because i ended up with a different opinion. Another help is if you browse through the similar apps the store suggests to you when you selected your app.
Whilst i agree that a general demo functionality would be welcome the above already helps you as a user to find out if something might be worth your money. Additional to that, several developers are demoing their software already by offering two, a lite (free version with limited functionality) and a full version (unlimited version for $) of their apps, kind of a demo version, huh?!
As a third note i would say that if an app is worth the money to you, you gratefully pay more than $1 but to be honest there also does exist a lot of crap which is in no way worth more than that and already this sometimes is too much considering the alternatives.
A few examples:
a) The first episode of 1112 costed me €6. I saw it and bought it and it was worth the money without any doubt. Many user were complaining that the price was too high so the developer already dropped the price to €4 for the further episodes. Nedless in my opinion but okay if it calcs for them.
b) I also bought pocket guitar for i guess it was €0.79. Before i did that i compared it to all the other guitar apps and watched the videos on their sites. In my opinion the program is much more worth than that but i guess it also helps the author against the competition.
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If an app is worth the money i obviously don’t have any problems with paying more but you also have to say that there exists a pile of stuff which isn’t worth the $1-$6 pricetag and much more important your time. Sometimes i suspect there also is some whining involved like hey i developed this great, awesome game and only a few are buying it whilst it might not be this great and awesome.
Thanks for sharing the article, it was a good read.
I agree that the App Store has problems; and trying to make a profit selling apps at 99 cents is one of them. Seems like the App Store is caught in a 99 cent paradigm that the iTunes music store has created. My thoughts about this is; if developers decide that selling on the App Store isn’t profitable they will move on to more profitable venues (desktop apps, consoles, or whatever). I think the demand for damn-near free apps on the App Store will in a way “kill” the App Store.
Read more about this topic on this post http://forum.unity3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=16650
Maybe, if the market continues to grow and if Apple reorganizes the App Store to allow for easier discovery of ALL apps, then a 99 cent app could become profitable (enough) to draw and retain a large number of Good developers.
I still think it’s a big chance for a developer without a profile getting things started and you also shouldn’t underestimate that a sale for a low price is better than no sale at all. If you have some experience with games sold on portals then you know what i mean. Good apps have a good chance also making a profit on the store but bad ones get what they deserve no matter if it’s sold for $1 or $10.
The fact that there are free games available on the store also is a huge argument for attracting people to the platform and so enlarging the userbase. I think it normally works like this, in the beginning you first try out some free apps as you’re maybe a bit suspicious and new in there, then you try out different things and after some time you’ll make your first buy and once you got used to it you’ll buy more and more because you’re familiar with the procedure and it’s just so easy. But you also have to make something which is worth the money of the people.
Could the store beeing enhanced, yep, but it’ also not so bad like some people make it sound like.
This topic seems to be coming up a lot. Here is another article…
Interesting articles. I just noticed that Super Monkey Ball has dropped from $9.99 in July to $7.99 today. I wonder if SEGA were influenced by the giant sucking sound of 0.99 apps as well.
By comparison on the WiiStore, if I recall, most games are around $10-$20, there are some $5 ones but those typically have a pay-for-more-levels. (e.g. Space Invaders Get Even)
Very interesting indeed…
… I have to say I do wonder about the customers views on what is expensive and what is not in the app store, reading the comments on the article is entertaining AND annoying at the same time, people seem to want something for nothing when they’d probably be happy to throw a couple of bucks while passing a tramp or buying a coffee but wouldn’t pay more than 99cent for an app or video game.
All other places where you can purchase apps or games the prices are much much higher (and thus more sustainable), how come these armchair critics cant see that by demanding things at such a low price they are directly effecting the quality of the products they will be able to choose from.
Who was it who said “Where we choose to spend our money makes the world we live in” something like that anyway… in fact it was on a poster sort of opposite the Unite conference in the design museum in Copenhagen (what a cool place that is).
They’ll happily whine about so called high prices, but then complain when they don’t have anything decent to play.
The app store is very much in danger of becoming the Daily mail of the software world, being forced into pandering to the lowest common denominator, and therefore becoming the shite the lowest common denominator demand.
rant rant rant… 
having said that we’re quite exited about producing some nice little 99cent games… 
I’ve already said this but I want to say it again…
The 99 cents price doesn’t bother me nearly as much as the fact that all apps have such a short length of time before they get buried and drop to nearly 0 sales per day. This is due to the way Apple has the App Store setup. It only highlights the 50 or so newest and best-selling apps, leaving the rest to only be found by searching or paging through endless lists.
The nice thing is that this is a problem that we are all in a position to control the outcome of (versus the many problems in this world where we are more or less helpless observers due to the scale of the problem or personal circumstance)
My thoughts are:
As a developer:
- Design games that are fun to begin with.
- Focus on quality. Optimize your game and get it to perform.
- Seriously, the average quality of an iPhone game is way too low.
- Charge for that quality. Making a game is a massive investment of time - and if it is good, it will bring enjoyment to players. Charge accordingly.
- Support your game when it is done. Fix things quickly. Add improvements. Make people who own it realize there is some value there, but don’t spam them with pointless updates.
As a consumer:
- Buy good games. Rate them and review them. Blog about them. Comment on posts about them on iPhone news sites. Provide constructive feedback.
- Rate down reviews that are garbage. Rate up reviews that are constructive.
You forgot one…
…everyone should be nice to each other all the time and have no wars ever
I have to say that Apple should have had a bit more quality control with what apps they allowed out, which I understand would make our lives as developers harder, but in the long run they wouldn’t be in a position that they are right now.
There are loads of apps/games out there that are worth $10 or even more, but in a sea of half assed attempts and a chart system like they have on itunes they all get lost very very quickly and finding them nothing short of a difficult task, infact I’m going to start a post in the gossip section asking people about the great iphone app finds they’ve found (if theres not one already).
Its an interesting issue as the convenience of having something like the app store and itunes seems like a huge benefit for consumers and developers, but as we’ve discovered presenting people with “what they want” does not necessarily make for a balanced selection…
World problems on the other hand are way more important than any opinion or grip on this forum as I’m sure everyone here understands that, but without them how can we ever make a difference?
Mine are things that can be done in the scope of your professional practice as a game developer. What you do in the scope of your life as a human being is another issue entirely.
@Charles Hinshaw
I have another one for what developers could help too.
Removing the Splash screen from the Indie version or lowering the price of Pro.
Apparently Apple is listening to the developers…
This quote sums up the ‘problem’ with iPhone development…
I think we should all form one giant app store cartel and have a net meeting every 3 months to set prices… 8)
You may laugh at my idea but it works pretty good for Opec and Debeers Diamonds.
Seriously though if my game is anything but the simple quick games available currently I will try selling it for $2.49. If it is what I’d consider to be decent enough to show up on another platform in addition to iPhone I’d charge $4.99. But, if my game is a basic quick and simple arcade game which is well basically like the rest of the stuff on the app store currently I’d charge $0.99 for it just cuz I’d feel guilty otherwise.
My hope is that they create a 3D games section on the app store. Unless I’m mistaken and have missed it somehow up till now. Not saying there are not some really awesome 2D games and some really crappy 3D ones out there but it would be a step in the right direction of organization. But really the cartel thing would be ideal :lol: