Reviews, prices, trial software
While we appreciate all the wonderful feedback that we have received via the appstore reviews, I do want to pick a nit or two. First, in my opinion it’s entirely unfair and inappropriate to write a review with a poor rating if you haven’t even tried the product. Typically this is done by two kinds of folks: “firsters” and “too expensivites.”
The first type of person is exemplified by the “first!” review. Someone sees a piece of software with no reviews and decides to get his dubious three minutes of fame.
This is of no value to anyone.
The second is the “i won’t buy this because it costs too much.” First, if it costs too much, feel free not to buy it. But your view of “too much” is not necessarily the same as anyone else’s. And your “review” doesn’t actually review the software on the merits. Perhaps if you actually tried it you’d find that it is amazing software, well worth the $5 the developer asks for.
Of course, we understand that without “trial” versions it is hard for you to judge whether to spend your money on these programs; this is one of the reasons reviews are so important, by the way. Unfortunately, Apple makes it very difficult to produce trial versions; it requires maintaining two different code bases, and negotiating two sets of product approvals from Apple, etc. This is not a cheap proposition for independent software developers.
Because of this, software developers have been forced to lower their prices substantially, so that hesitant buyers will give their software a try. Although we are all now used to iPhone software prices in the single digits, in comparison to every other platform this is a huge bargain. For example, a leading Hearts game on Palm OS and Windows Mobile costs $15. Note that developers are not getting rich at the $4 price point; we’d much rather give away a free version with limited functionality, and then sell copies of the full software at $10 each, with the hope that you’ll find the software worth it.
Now, I’m not saying that complaints about price are always uncalled for; indeed, if you’ve actually tried the software and found it not worth the price, that’s important information for other potential customers. We just ask that everyone refrain from complaining about the price while assigning 1-star when they haven’t even tried the software. If you want the developer to know that the price is too high, go ahead and email them.
And, remember, you can always ask Apple to refund your money if you find our software (or anyone else’s) not worth your hard earned money! We don’t want any unhappy customers!
The first type of person is exemplified by the “first!” review. Someone sees a piece of software with no reviews and decides to get his dubious three minutes of fame.
This is of no value to anyone.
The second is the “i won’t buy this because it costs too much.” First, if it costs too much, feel free not to buy it. But your view of “too much” is not necessarily the same as anyone else’s. And your “review” doesn’t actually review the software on the merits. Perhaps if you actually tried it you’d find that it is amazing software, well worth the $5 the developer asks for.
Of course, we understand that without “trial” versions it is hard for you to judge whether to spend your money on these programs; this is one of the reasons reviews are so important, by the way. Unfortunately, Apple makes it very difficult to produce trial versions; it requires maintaining two different code bases, and negotiating two sets of product approvals from Apple, etc. This is not a cheap proposition for independent software developers.
Because of this, software developers have been forced to lower their prices substantially, so that hesitant buyers will give their software a try. Although we are all now used to iPhone software prices in the single digits, in comparison to every other platform this is a huge bargain. For example, a leading Hearts game on Palm OS and Windows Mobile costs $15. Note that developers are not getting rich at the $4 price point; we’d much rather give away a free version with limited functionality, and then sell copies of the full software at $10 each, with the hope that you’ll find the software worth it.
Now, I’m not saying that complaints about price are always uncalled for; indeed, if you’ve actually tried the software and found it not worth the price, that’s important information for other potential customers. We just ask that everyone refrain from complaining about the price while assigning 1-star when they haven’t even tried the software. If you want the developer to know that the price is too high, go ahead and email them.
And, remember, you can always ask Apple to refund your money if you find our software (or anyone else’s) not worth your hard earned money! We don’t want any unhappy customers!