Will the Mac App Store make the sky fall?
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Will the Mac App Store make the sky fall?
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Re: Will the Mac App Store make the sky fall?
#2Sky falling? No.
I do expect that there will be some short-term pain. iOS device owners are pretty well conditioned to expect low app prices from the App Store.
Eventually, though, users will adjust. The App Store will have the software they need. Desktop software isn't dominated by impulse buys the way phone apps are.
Re: Will the Mac App Store make the sky fall?
#3Sky falling? No. I do expect that there will be some short-term pain. iOS device owners are pretty well conditioned to expect low app prices from the App Store. Eventually, though, users will adjust. The App Store will have the software they need. Desktop software isn't dominated by impulse buys the way phone apps are.
I think it's a win for any talented developer, even in the short-term. Lots more customers, even at a lower price, equals more revenue. Sure, Apple's taking a cut, but retailers used to take a cut, too, plus sales tax, plus the cost of boxing software...
Re: Will the Mac App Store make the sky fall?
#4Sky falling? No. I do expect that there will be some short-term pain. iOS device owners are pretty well conditioned to expect low app prices from the App Store. Eventually, though, users will adjust. The App Store will have the software they need. Desktop software isn't dominated by impulse buys the way phone apps are.
> Desktop software isn't dominated by impulse buys the way phone apps are.
Ah, but perhaps that is true because there has been no desktop App Store. But now there is. Things may very well change.
Re: Will the Mac App Store make the sky fall?
#5Sky falling? No. I do expect that there will be some short-term pain. iOS device owners are pretty well conditioned to expect low app prices from the App Store. Eventually, though, users will adjust. The App Store will have the software they need. Desktop software isn't dominated by impulse buys the way phone apps are.
> Desktop software isn't dominated by impulse buys the way phone apps are. Ah, but perhaps that is true because there has been no desktop App Store. But now there is. Things may very well change.
There is a pretty good desktop app store which drives a lot of impulse purchases: Steam. Sure, it's game specific, but they've done a very good job with it.
Re: Will the Mac App Store make the sky fall?
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Desktop software isn't dominated by impulse buys the way phone apps are. Ah, but perhaps that is true because there has been no desktop App Store. But now there is. Things may very well change.
There is a pretty good desktop app store which drives a lot of impulse purchases: Steam. Sure, it's game specific, but they've done a very good job with it.
Stuff like these recent holiday daily deal days have spurred plenty of impulse buying for me.
Re: Will the Mac App Store make the sky fall?
#7This may be a bit out of topic, but I wonder why doesn't Ubuntu (and other Linux distros) improve their App Centre quicker. They have it since so long, but it still looks crappy IMO. From the screenshots I've seen of the Mac App Store, it looks really nice and a giant step in front of Linux.
Re: Will the Mac App Store make the sky fall?
#8The implicit assumption is that prices of existing applications will be forced lower. Considering that the app store gives new comers a leg up over traditional channels and puts them on equal footing with established products, there is reason to be pessimistic about the prospects of some pre-appstore products. Particularly when existing products may not conform to the technical restrictions required for appstore approval.
Re: Will the Mac App Store make the sky fall?
#9The implicit assumption is that prices of existing applications will be forced lower. Considering that the app store gives new comers a leg up over traditional channels and puts them on equal footing with established products, there is reason to be pessimistic about the prospects of some pre-appstore products. Particularly when existing products may not conform to the technical restrictions required for appstore appr…
History with iOS suggests a level playing field will be very short-lived. Once a couple of indie developers hit it big with MacFart desktop apps (don't hate - a friend who bought an iPad for Christmas is proudest of a fart app), the big developers will rush in, crowd the store with marginally higher quality apps compared to the indie developers with fewer features than before, and dominate.
Re: Will the Mac App Store make the sky fall?
#10The implicit assumption is that prices of existing applications will be forced lower. Considering that the app store gives new comers a leg up over traditional channels and puts them on equal footing with established products, there is reason to be pessimistic about the prospects of some pre-appstore products. Particularly when existing products may not conform to the technical restrictions required for appstore appr…
History with iOS suggests a level playing field will be very short-lived. Once a couple of indie developers hit it big with MacFart desktop apps (don't hate - a friend who bought an iPad for Christmas is proudest of a fart app), the big developers will rush in, crowd the store with marginally higher quality apps compared to the indie developers with fewer features than before, and dominate.
I don't believe the iOS model is necessarily the appropriate analog. There were no established iOS applications when the Appstore started. That's not the case with the Mac platform where there are many established products which because of implementation will not be eligible for the MacAppStore due to the implementation restrictions on applications.
In addition, many dual platform [Win/OSX] applications might take a 30% margin hit because of Apple's cut. Such companies face the prospect of either raising their price on all their products and thus loosing any cost advantage; forgoing the appstore altogether and missing a distribution channel; or providing different pricing depending on platform and potentially alienating Mac customers. Companies which have long supported the Mac such as Adobe and Nemetschek AG in particular face these issues.