But the paid Android Market does not exist yet, so one should rather compare to prices as can be found on sites like Handango (in the $10- $30 range, or up to $99 for yearly subscriptions).
Once the Market accepts payment I agree the pricing will probably go more in the direction of the app store - but then there will be also more customers buying the software in an easy way. I'm just saying, it doesn't make much sense for us to drop the price *right now*... And, those people who really need the full versions of the apps right now, and don't want to wait for the payment processor of Android Market will be happy to pay the (compared to the app store perceived) higher price as early adopter. Peli On 12 Dez., 17:08, Al Sutton <[email protected]> wrote: > The iPhone app store seems to be congregating around a few price points; > > $0.99 - Trivial apps which the developer wants to charge for > $1.99 to $2.99 - Simple apps which will have mass market appeal. > $4.99 to $5.99 - Reasonably complex apps which would appeal to 25%+ of users > $7.99 to $9.99 - The top end stuff. > > The iPhone market has had to time to evolve and so is ahead of the curve > in terms of market place maturity than the currently embryonic Android > market place, and it's what people will see as a parallel marketplace > and will most likely compare Android apps to apps on it. > > I know there's a lot of talk about the iPhone market not covering costs, > and to a large extent this may be true for $70 an hour developers, but > you have to consider the value to the user of the software and how the > benefit the user gains from the software stacks up to the other jobs the > $70 an hour develop works on. > > As an example; In the past I've been charged out at $1500 a day for > doing system design and dev work by a company in the financial sector, > but at the time I was writing a systems such as one project which was > projected to save a bank $1+ million a month. I'd never expect to cover > that sort of cost on an Android application at the moment because the > market isn't large enough (yet), and with applications like Pkt Auction, > Maps, the Music app, YouTube, OI News Reader being given away for "free" > the app would have to be pretty spectacular when compared to those in > order to justify the required high cost. > > Anyway, that's my take on it based on my experience of 15 years+ of > being in the software development industry, so hopefully this will be of > use to someone :). > > Al. > > Peli wrote: > > The price is a matter of supply and demand. > > > For Timesheet, there are contractors with hourly rates of $70 and > > above who need to accurately track their times for their customers. At > > least one of them needed this application urgently on Android and was > > willing to (and actually paid) a multiple of the price at which we > > sell this application now. > > > We are on purpose aiming at the professional sector here for whom $20 > > or $30 are "peanuts". > > > If you don't need the output of the data into a CSV file, and are > > happy with a maximum of 10 jobs, you can use the application for free > > (i.e. the hobby sector). There is currently no time limitation on this > > trial version. > > > For PocketPlay we aim at the more casual user, so may I ask what would > > be a price that you would be willing to pay and think would be a fair > > price for both sides? (Just for information - not that this would have > > any immediate impact on the price). > > > Peli > > > On Dec 12, 3:28 pm, Eric Mill <[email protected]> wrote: > > >> Jose, I can't agree with you more that those kinds of comments on the > >> Market are nothing but destructive. Actually, I've been surprised and > >> disturbed at the negative tone of app reviews on the Market for a > >> while now. > > >> My response is not one of those comments, and I don't think all > >> software has to cost nothing to the consumer. I'm suggesting that the > >> price for your apps seems too high, not that the existence of a price > >> at all is somehow insulting. And I stand by that - I'm willing to pay > >> for high quality software, but mobile apps are smaller apps, their > >> scope of features is smaller, and I don't think many people will pay > >> more than a few dollars for a little icon in their phone's list of > >> apps. It is possible for me to conceive of extremely novel, high > >> quality applications for one's location-aware phone that would bring > >> such a benefit to the user's life that you could charge $20, but OI so > >> far isn't making those, just utilities. > > >> Again, the OI team is a good team, and I'm sure your software is of > >> high quality -- if I like the trial, and the price comes down to my > >> level, PocketPlay could be one of the first apps that I buy. > > >> Best, > >> Eric > > >> On Dec 12, 6:46 am, qvark <[email protected]> wrote: > > >>> I completly agree with Peli. Google should moderate that kind of > >>> offensive comments. Commercial software is an alternative as valid as > >>> open source. If you don't like it or aren't willing to pay for it just > >>> don't use it and write your own. > > >>> You cannot walk into street and get all sort of free things (beer, > >>> food, whatever) unless they are just samples. Why software has to be > >>> different? There is a lot of work behind those apps and developers > >>> also have mortages to pay. > > >>> I love open source software and I use it a lot, but commercial > >>> software is an option that should be respected. > > >>> Jose Luis. > > >>> On Dec 11, 6:57 pm, Peli <[email protected]> wrote: > > >>>> Hi, > > >>>> First of all, I'm sorry to all the early adapters who downloaded > >>>> PocketPlay - it contained a critical bug that had slipped our QA which > >>>> made the app crash. We have taken it from the Market and will at least > >>>> make it stable. > > >>>> About the price: It is true - people don't want to pay for software. > >>>> The problem is, it is good to love software developing and we do many > >>>> things for fun, but one can not live on fun alone. Somehow Google made > >>>> people to believe that an open-source platform would only provide > >>>> "free" software - free as in free beer. > > >>>> Yes, we developers sit there, neglect our family, code all night, fix > >>>> bugs we may never encounter when using the apps just for ourselves, > >>>> just to see comments like these: > > >>>> "This shit sucks. Does not work properly!!!! AND THEY WANNA CHARGE F > >>>> DAT BITCHEZZZ" > > >>>> "Maybe you should be charged every time when you play with/in your > >>>> pocket..." > > >>>> "Worst app ever. Would never pay for this BS. Cant even get it to play > >>>> a song. Forces close constantly. Learn to code before you try to > >>>> charge a$$h0le" > > >>>> "Attn All G1 users. We did not get this phone to pay for apps. Give > >>>> one str and post the name of another program that does the same thing > >>>> for free." > > >>>> "Pay for something I have free? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah" > > >>>> "I hate peopple that complayin about free apps. But trying to sell > >>>> this shit. Fuck you." > > >>>> "Pay 0.00 Dollars" > > >>>> "So.... your desiging something for an open source phone that you 14 > >>>> days into it start chargin money???? Bad idea if you ask me! And > >>>> crashes everytime!" > > >>>> Open source != free. I think this is what people have to understand. > > >>>> We will not lower the price just because of comments like these. > >>>> Nobody is forced to buy anything. If you like it and you think it is > >>>> worth the money, we hope that you will like to pay for it, just as you > >>>> pay for other things in your life as well. > > >>>> If you don't like it, don't pay for it. At least, we give you trial > >>>> versions for free so that you can carefully check whether the > >>>> application is indeed what you are looking for. > > >>>> But to ask the developer to give all their work away for free is not > >>>> the best attitude. > > >>>> Of course we will try to maximize the value for everyone. If there are > >>>> more than twice as many people who would buy it for half the price, of > >>>> course we can lower the price and have a good deal for everyone. We > >>>> will experiment with prices, and see what works. > > >>>> But we will not lower the price just because someone thinks we have to > >>>> give them our work for free. > > >>>> If you don't like it, just don't buy it, or write a better one > >>>> yourself. That's how I see it. I hope you understand. > > >>>> Peli > > >>>> On Dec 11, 3:42 pm, JP <[email protected]> wrote: > > >>>>> A related story on > >>>>> Slashdot:http://developers.slashdot.org/developers/08/12/10/2322242.shtml > >>>>> "iPhone App Pricing Limits Developers" > >>>>> Unless an app is developed to help leverage the back end, such as > >>>>> eBay's client app for Android, there is no business model for the > >>>>> sustained development of "standalone" mobile apps at this time. $10- > >>>>> $30 per pop sounds right for "making the numbers", but it does not > >>>>> align with customer "dollar store" expectations. And to add insult to > >>>>> injury, Apple leverages these apps into sales for themselves and > >>>>> AT&T. > > >>>>> On Dec 11, 6:24 am, Eric Mill <[email protected]> wrote: > > >>>>>> The OI team is a good team, so I'm sure the apps are of high quality > >>>>>> -- but $10 for a minimal music player, and $20 for a time tracker > >>>>>> seems very much overpriced (and these are the holiday discount > >>>>>> prices). I could be wrong -- I'm interested to know what you discover > >>>>>> about appropriate Android app market pricing over the next 6-10 > >>>>>> months. > > >>>>>> Good luck, > >>>>>> Eric > > >>>>>> On Dec 10, 7:35 pm, Peli <[email protected]> wrote: > > >>>>>>> I'd like to introduce OpenIntents.biz - the new business web site and > >>>>>>> partner site of OpenIntents.org:http://www.openintents.biz/ > > >>>>>>> Since our team of developers wanted to code closed source as well as > >>>>>>> open source applications, we decided to separate them more cleanly. > >>>>>>> All open source applications carry the "OI" in their name, while the > >>>>>>> closed source applications don't. > > >>>>>>> The first two applications that you can buy from our website are: > > >>>>>>> * > > ... > > Erfahren Sie mehr » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Discuss" group. 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