Whether or not you think the
iPad is in and of itself a worthy purchase, let's not forget the investment doesn't end at the retail counter or online shopping cart. Two little newsbits have popped up to serve as a helpful reminder to just that effect. The first comes way of verbiage from the iPad end-user licensing agreement dug up by MacRumors; in a nutshell, it suggests that while iPad OS 4.x updates will be provided gratis, subsequent releases (5.x, 6.x, and so on) could be offered at a premium, à la how
iPod touch handles firmware. This is far from a confirmation, but it's well within Apple's right to do so. The second bit is derived by
The Consumerist by way a
supposed leaked app store video. Comparing the prices of iPad-optimized software with the iPhone equivalents showed quite a hefty uptick in consumer cost -- e.g., $4.99 Flight Control HD vs. $0.99 Flight Control. The pool of eight apps seen in the video would cost $53 in all to purchase, while the same set for the iPhone is $27. That screen real estate don't come cheap, y'know -- that is, should the prices seen prove legit. At this point we can't confirm, and more than likely, we won't know for sure until the eleventh hour.
Update: The
BBC has word direct from developers that iPad apps will indeed be costlier than their iPhone / iPod touch brethren. Multiple devs are cited in the
Beeb's article saying that their 99 cent apps will grow in price to $1.99 and $2.99 price points for the slate device [thanks, Ben].
posted March 30th 2010 9:07PM
I'm confused at all the bitching and moaning towards apple.
App prices are set 100% by developers. They are to blame for the increase in ipad app prices. if you want prices to reduce for apps, then dont buy them. the developers are just testing waters to earn more money for their work. who can blame them? after a while, if sales are not well, they will lower prices to find a better "sweet spot". Then you can buy.
iPad update price is 100% normal. Apple charges when you upgrade OS of Macs. Windows charges when you upgrade OS of PC's. This is a portable computer, with a OS. Any major updates will cost a fee, and small dot dot fixes are free. just like all the past years of computing. So why the crying now?
@BenderBends
+1 totally agree..
The din of imbeciles that constantly bemoan Apple as the devil is becoming annoying.
Anyone that feels that the work of a software developer ought not be compensated should be forced to provide _their_ services for free.
I'd like to see them spend 10 hours a day (sometimes more) for a month or two pouring over software code only to have some mindless forum troll announce that they refuse to pay anything for it.
Apple, Microsoft, google and everyone else should charge for major updates. At the end of the day who do you think is paying the bills?
@BenderBends At least someone out there has thought this through... Interestingly enough for WinMo devices you can't get new major upgrades without buying a new device (or getting a cooked ROM for it that's not distributed by MS). Also of note that a good majority of the Android market works this way as well... Your device may or MAY not get updated with the new OS so you only choice is to wait for a some kid in his basement to hack and slash an update together for you and hope you don't lose functionality by installing it OR buy a new device... Also the devices that do get the update, get them MONTHS (sometimes almost a year when ANOTHER new OS is about to debut). I currently have an iPhone, HD2, and Hero and I'd definitely be willing to pay $10 to update to winMo 7 and the newest Android 2.1...
Learn about accounting rules, then come back.
Yeah, these $10 charges for major OS updates are just awful. But it's OK to pay $15 a month for a Zune Pass.
@Ed T Zune Pass is a service just like cable, netflix, or internet. You get to use something for a monthly nominal fee. At least the Zune firmware/software updates are free without requiring a Zune Pass. Or hell I would have had to spend a good $20-$30 just on what Microsoft has already provided for free in updates.
People aren't really thinking this through.
First up: App Prices.
Are people comparing the iPad price with the current iPhone app price, or the price they originally launched at? A lot of games came out on the iPhone at $9.99, and slowly drift down over time. Seems silly to accuse a massive update to a game of being a rip-off simply because they're returning to the original cost and not maintaining the discounted one.
Secondly: The OS Updates.
My understanding of the wording is that all update up to and including 4.0 are free. So that means the next major upgrade is FREE. After that, there is nothing to say they won't continue to be free - they're just not committing to it (In other words - Apple is keeping it's options open).
The cost of apps will be a result of market demand and supply and are likely to be the same across all platforms as the 000's of developers that have moved into this space want to cash in....
Though I think Apple should be providing the OS updates as a courtesy as they do with iPhone...
As an app developer, I'm glad to see that $1.99 is the new $.99
While you might think that thousands of app developers are raking in the cash, most are struggling to recoup their investments in development gear, and their time.
I hope more app developers adjust their prices upwards. I know I'll be down-ranked for saying that, but baby needs new shoes.
There are multiple ways to look at this...seriously...multiple...the screen on the iPad is about 7 1/2 times larger than that of the iPhone. If the developers want to put a premium on that then that's their business model. Bitching that Steve and Apple have anything to do with it just doesn't make sense...most everyone in this world has to make a living. And of those (aka Us) people want to make the most that they can! Apple has given developers (and everyday folk) the ability to get a 'program' out there, to start their own company, to do something they enjoy, to be the next Adobe or Corel or Peachtree, etc. Apple takes 30% to handle the distribution, some marketing, billing, and 'taxes'...in return the developer gets the rest and can be setting in his underwear in his kitchen writing code! Rock out! I'm not going to upgrade my solitaire app, I'm just going to scale it up! But I'm going to buy apps that cater to that screen space and they must cater well! Dropping $500 on Photoshop is one thing,...but dropping $10 on a photo 'program' for the iPad is another! Sorry if the haters out there think I'm getting my lemur on and following the masses...but the iPad will perform perfectly for what I'm going to do with it! I'm willing to spend money for the quality of life that I'm looking for!
Personally, as long as the iPad applications are not simply a large screen version of the iPhone application then I would not mind paying extra. If the iPad version is effectively the same as the iPhone version then I would expect customers to shy away from those applications and for the prices of them to drop close to parity with the iPhone version. If the iPhone version does the same as the iPad version then customer would probably do better to simply buy the iPhone version (since it will work fine on the iPad) and save the extra cost.
@Kelmon
There should be a substantial difference between the basic iPhone and iPad version of the app. More buttons, better interface, much higher resolutions, more usability. If it's not dramatically different, just get the cheaper iPhone version and run it on the pad...
@zelannii
To be honest, I'd mostly only be interested in applications that I don't already own and which I could not already get on the iPhone. There would be exceptions, to be sure, but I don't see much point in duplicating functionality unless it really makes sense to do so. It's those applications that are unique to the iPad and which would not really work anywhere else that will be most attractive, not least because they show that developers have really thought about how to best make use of the platform rather than just rehashing an existing idea.
So? Apple people are dumb and always overpay anyways. A friend of mine pointed me towards 2 20inch apple monitors on ebay from one of Best Buys outlet selling accounts and they each went for over 380. TN craptacular panels for 380 just because they are blessed with the name/logo on them.
So go on pay 5 bucks for your next ipadfarting app and other apps that could be webapps if not for the devs being so lazy. Honestly streamlining content delivery just for this slate device is truely pathetic.
@Amusednow I'm not sure what you're looking at but you do realize Apples doesn't sell any monitors with TN panels right? Every monitor they have for sale uses IPS... and no matter which manufacturer you go to IPS panels will be more expensive because they are better quality... If you're going to bitch about something at least make the facts accurate :(
It's worth baring in mind what great value most apps are. People will pay $4.99 for an app if they think it's worth it, if they don't, they won't. Simple really.
@Wesscoast
I believe the willingness to spend more depends on what the application does to take advantage of the extra space. If it is simply a case that the application fills the available space but does nothing extra then I am with Dale P - they can whistle for the money. If the iPad version does something that the iPhone version does not then I'm more likely to buy it. Mind you, if I already own the iPhone version then they are going to have to deliver something really spectacular to get an additional payment.
@Kelmon Also it's pertinent to note that A LOT of developers are doing what Apple encourages and that is universal binaries... meaning that both the iPad and iPhone version are packed into the same executable... so you get BOTH version for the same price... so even at $1.99 it's like paying $.99 for the iPhone version and $.99 for the iPad version.
@mrt2
Hmm, I've not heard of that before, and that's probably good information if you own both an iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch. That said, if the iPad version doesn't do anything more than the iPhone version then you might as well just buy the iPhone version and save yourself some money. If the iPad version is significantly "upgraded", however, then a combined package is probably quite a deal if you don't already own the iPhone version.
I would gladly give you seven of my wives for iPad PuzzleQuest!
Wow what a deal. Buy a big iPod for $500, check. Get bent over by software devs because they have to use extra pixles, check. Get the privilege to pay Apple for OS updates, check. Man all they have to do is stick nails in that broomstick before they jam it up your ass and it will be a complete package!
@Darkseider
So, your Android device comes with free OS upgrades? Can it even BE upgraded? Yea, Windows is free too. Oh, and the licenses you have today, they can be installed on that other device (several of them in fact) without buying another licence copy? No? Oh, so sorry.
ALL new apps come at a premium, then they go down in price. This is initial market reaction. With significantly improved function, and better graphics, yea, so long as the average app price stays under $5, I have NO COMPLAINTS. Any other platform costs WAY more and has way less selection and competition.
Apple is a pathetic company that should have died in the 80's. They don't deserve to be making a comeback at all, taking advantage of the low IQ technology illiterate consumer market.
@syph007
Seriously, so selling a Windows based device not optimized for a touch screen (let alone even supporting at all multitouch), and equipping it with under-performing hardware that can't do H.264 video at its native screen resolution, and failing to clue people in that it's still a windows machine (basic version) and you need unique licenses, security software and plug-ins for it too, and oh, it;s not always on, and requires an expensive, contract based data plan.... and it costs more. No, you;de have to be an idiot to accept that vs a $499 iPad...
It's a MEDIA PLATFORM, and it CAN NOT DO MEDIA. It's got a touch screen, but the OS and apps don't natively support touch. It;s got HDMI out, but it can't do HDMI resolutions? WTF! Who's the idiot!?!?!
@syph007
Right on, brother! Companies should only be making tech products for the sort of technological elitist bastards who read Engadget! Fuck the man in the street - they don't deserve to use technology!
Bring back the CLI! Burn the GUI!
Geeze. As much as the "other costs" of the iPad there may be, fact remains that even with the price bump of a few bucks, the iPad apps will still cost on average less than Android and other platform apps (let alone Windows where even "dollar store" apps like bejeweled start at $20), and you know damn well that high rez Androd apps for android tablets will ALSO cost more.
Then there's what you;re NOT paying for on the iPad vs most other platforms (especially windows), all the apps you ALREADY own which are completely portable (gotta buy one for EACH device on all other platforms), the antivirus you won't need to buy on that comparable Windows based tablet, the full version licenses of Word, Outlook, etc...
Honestly, saying the device might cost more, without actually comparing the cost to the COMPETITION equally, complete BS.
@fuesse hum... not to be rude, but they should improve quality by 300% to make it 4x better, not 400% (that would make it 5x better...) See, if you increase something by 100% it's twice as good already!
When there is an open tablet say Chrome OS maybe Android where I don't have to pay EXTRA for a freakin' USB port and still be limited to what I can and cannot install. Then I'll consider one of these. Even still I see no real use other than having it lying around the house for instant large screen Internet access.
@dasik
you got my point, mr smartass.