DigiDNA Team Blog

An Opinion on App Store Pricing Options

If you missed the latest debate around the App Store, it’s about In-App purchase in free Apps. Implementation of the freemium model by developers is causing some discontentment apparently. Firemint’s Real Racing for example is being widely discussed. But there are good reasons to believe this pricing model is here to stay.

It’s a Long Story

Discussions around App Store pricing haven been in the air for ever. The debate goes mostly in circles, ending up with rants claiming that developers are ripping people off and software should be free. 

The App Store sells software to some people that are not aware that they are actually buying software. They get an “App” form an App Store they were subscribed to de facto as they bought the device.

The “cup of coffee” analogy causes a lot of damage because it tends to let people think of software like service, disposable good or worse, that anyone could write an App just like they make a coffee!

Software Pricing includes Future Uncertainty

Price factors affecting Apps are not just offer and demand on the spot. 

Writing software has a cost, but that’s fine, it’s generally an investment an independent software is ready to make, that’s the risk his enterprise is ready to take. Selling a license normally covers this cost and should grant a premium for the risk taken by the developer.

Once a license has been sold, that means that there is a contract between the licensee and the developers and the terms of the contract involve that the licensee has a right to use the software. That means, conversely that the developer has an obligation to let the licensee enjoy the software.

Whatever the details of the license, whatever the fine print: the seller has a moral obligation to make sure the software will work “as advertised”. This changes the game, because that involves constant adaptation to the Operating System changes, maintenance and support, which is hard work. The longer the usage’s time span, the more work it is to maintain the app. 

This work, the perspectives of the updates and the support associated with the changes in environment should be built in the Apps price.

Absorbing the Costs of Maintaining Software

Desktop software can ask a fee to upgrade to a specific version. This is often justified by the developers with addition of new features and understood by users as it often provide enhancements they have been demanding or expecting.

This way of doing is well perceived generally as the legacy version keeps on working all other things remaining equal - that is, on the same platform with the same hardware.

The Case for the App Store

The App Store however grants a lifetime update cycle to any app purchase. There is no other option for developers but to stop supporting an App and launch another one.

In-App purchase significantly widens the possibilities of future revenue for developers. And although recurring fees are not something users seem to be ready to pay for now for productivity or utility apps but is widely accepted for newspapers and more and more games.

This model is economically justified: the more users enjoy the software the more he has to pay. 

Freemium or Ads

But is it strategically desirable to charge more people that are the the App’s biggest fans and promoter? 

Freemium should set some standards, as for Real Racing 3, it’s less the model that is at stake but the lack of visibility. It is difficult to establish what the payment’s effect will be in the longer run, which can be the deal breaker.

One alternative enabling a revenue stream is advertising. It’s not an option for most developers. We loathe advertising as users - we mostly hate it as developers. Because we hold in high esteem our users, no matter if they chose the free version. And because we want our Apps to be cool, effective unobtrusive.

So Where do We Go From There?

We keep innovating, growing, capturing a bigger audience among the million new iPhone, iPad and iPod users! We keep offering good free software and ensure that people that really use it an appreciate it get what they need when they do us the pleasure of buying our premium version.

Vic - DigiDNA Team

PS: My opinions are mine, feel free to bash them - if you dare.

We often answer questions revolving around iPhone security through DiskAid’s support. One of the usual suspect comes up every now and then and is pretty sneaky. Some basically assume they found a threat to their privacy because DiskAid can read the content of any iPhone.

Some users get really upset about that. Some even believe we are causing it. But what is it about, really?

What DiskAid does is to use the Apple Mobile Device Service (AMDS) - the iTunes “driver” in other words - to read the contents of the iPhone file system. In doing so DiskAid only strictly follows the rules that allow access to the device:

• If a device is not protected by a passcode, iTunes will connect to it right away.
• If a device is protected with a passcode, iTunes will ask the user to unlock the device with a passcode. If this passcode is entered, access will be granted. This is what we call the pairing (as we explain here).

Whereas iTunes only displays the music and media on the device, any file browser will show it’s whole contents. But that’s fine, assuming that the user just entered the passcode while the device was connected.

The problem is the following: 

iTunes will always remember that this passcode was entered. Worse, iTunes will never let the user undo the pairing. And this bond will remain even through a Wi-Fi connection - which is something built-in iTunes.

That’s right, once you have entered the passcode while connecting an iOS device to a computer this computer will access this device, forever. And yes, if this computer runs an iPhone file transfer software it will also access all data, including all files contained in apps - only “thanks” to iTunes’ pairing.

Oh, we have come up with a solution in DiskAid 6 Wi-Fi for Mac. We added a command called “Forget this device” and that removes the pairing - in DiskAid, in iTunes, for good - no matter what.

Vic - DigiDNA Team

(One last thing: this is a free feature in DiskAid ;-)

Adam and Eve by Albrecht Dürer (1507)

The latest jailbreak has been just released, after a long wait and an unusual teasing. But the exploit revealed it always provoke the same awe: it’s a marvel of reverse engineering, how do these guys find their way to the root of the iPhone file system? 

Biting the Bullet Apple this Time - Again

This time it has a particular flavour, as the Librarian of Congress has rendered unlocking illegal - unlocking is not synonymous to jailbreaking - but suddenly jailbreaking regains the rogue appeal it lost over time.

As we all began fiddling with the iPhone back in the days jailbreaking was a not only a way to explore the new machine and expand it’s capacity. It was certainly stating a sense of freedom, we were cyber punks breaking in the system, we were adopting the technology by hacking it. And Geohot was the legend.

Geohot at 19

How many nights have I spent turning my friends and family’s iPhones into bricks, reviving them and render them free I can’t remember, but I certainly recall the aura that gave me. Coworkers would shamefully walk to my desk and ask whispering “can you unlock my phone?” Whether it was for switching carriers or just this cool springboard theme.

Over time this feeling vanished (for most)?

Probably  because the successive iterations of iOS widened the existing interactions - who remembers iOS 1.0 could not even copy/paste - and greatly lowered the UI constraints (there was no background image before 3.2).

I believe that most likely one lost interest because over time the iPhone became mainstream. It is not carrying then luster it used to have, the appeal to the “early adopters”, the geeks, the leaders of the technology opinion anymore.

We share a part of the burden too as developers I must confess (boasting) when we rendered the access to the file system without SSH using DiskAid. That contributed to render the whole thing secure - SSH is the primary security threat associated with jailbreaking, but it was not a necessary evil anymore ever since.

Almost every serious Apple fan blogger has given his opinion on the matter since. Chris Breen has reaffirmed his stance with consistence and details. Many contribute to the discussion with very good, reasonable and pretty cool arguments.

So What is it About, now?

This time it is special again, thanks to this obscure and apparently immensely powerful library “clerk”. This time it also took more time - it’s actually taking more time for each iOS generation, incidentally. So it’s a long awaited frolic.

Source: CultOfMac

The jailbreaking team Evad3rs have explained how complex the process was in an interview with Andy Greenberg at Forbes - yeah , Forbes! This hints that Apple is continuously making it harder to break out of their closed OS design, but the passionate developers overcome the computer giant Apple. 

We will keep on jailbreaking

If not for any specific usage or technical reason just because I love Apple I will continue to jailbreak the iPhone. I’m sure a lot of others will do too. We all prefer to be on the side of David against Goliath, we want the prophecy “Think Different” to realise, we will remain rebels to the establishment and we will keep breaking the barriers.

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

We make tools for these kinds of people.

While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Vic - DigiDNA Team

PS: Don’t jailbreak - it’s bad and it will void your Apple warranty.

In a quiet holiday period with little tech news headline, the last weeks’ interest has been drifting to a raging discussion about Apple’s “mojo”.

This is being defined whether as the legendary innovation pace and force of the company, or the capacity to keep up with it’s incredible aura, and/or various other financial-like viewpoints .

The Question asked is whether the “mojo” is vanishing, or going to be gone, or a pretext for just any other crazy assumption - always assorted with the “let’s not ask ourself what if Steve Jobs was still here” gimmick.

I encourage you to read this piece by Ted Landau if you haven’t already had too much about it, and if you have, just stop by consider those two elements I believe are key.

Long Lasting Innovation

One is the magnitude of the Apple brand footprint. During the last decade Apple only has durably and consistently changed:

- The way we consume music with iPod/iTunes and has revolutionised the music industry as a whole.

- The way we connect to the internet with the iPhone, this incidentally has given birth to a whole software industry (with apps) and it is now shaping the telecommunications ecosystem. 

- The computer landscape with the addition of the tablet, Netbooks are dead just as Apple has predicted it, and this is only the beginning as the form factor for hardware has only started to break free from the keyboard/screen/mouse (or trackpad) paradigm.

Even if this is now the end of innovation for Apple those profound changes have impacted the public and this is going to last. Just as Microsoft still profits from the sensation it made by releasing Windows many years ago.

They Deliver

The second is what and how Apple delivers. Like no other computer firm. The devices, products and software appeal to the largest public, the distribution, sales and advertising are well up to speed. The actual product line is extremely profitable and I see no reason for it to be less profitable in the mid-term. 

The (Real) Challenge

These two reasons give Apple heaps of time for the next big thing to come and will keep it’s “mojo” for a while. Apple still remains way cooler and younger than any other computing brand.

The only real threat for Apple’s position and goodwill is the new comer, the underdog, the one company that will take over the lead. But I see no one coming up, do you?

[EDIT] WWDC ‘13 Keynote has proven that whatever some say, Apple can still innovate - and surprise :)

Some users have noticed their iPhone data storage showing considerable space clogged with ‘Other’ things than their expected media and files types.

Apparently when confronted to the issue the ‘official’ response from Apple representatives is that a full restore is required. In reality the restore process triggers a full backup of the data stored on the device, so there is a great chance for the files to be restored and will appear uncategorised as they were before - very unfortunately.

This situation is pretty awkward. iOS by design offers no way to access or manage files and folders but only offers to delete the apps or their contents via the usage stats. 

Since no native component or command that manually allows to manage the files and folders is part of the system, then the system should be able to diagnose the issue and offer a workaround. 

Apparently most of theses ‘Other’ files are orphaned files, cached data or folders that cannot be attributed to a specific media type or app. The uncontrolled growth of these items - hence the ‘clogging’ of the file system - is happening over time during successive syncs and upgrades that create discrepancies between the actual stored files and their corresponding databases.

While we have a way - for advanced users - to browse the contents of the file system with the cunning use of the free file transfer feature in DiskAid, it is showing the very limits of a computing system built outside of file system tree. 

[Edit] We have been discussing this with my fellow (genuine) developers.

And they have opposed a different viewpoint on the existence of “Other” files on the device as reported to iTunes.

It appears after more research and testing that some of this data is Text Messages, for example. Some other files are cache or related to iCloud or iTunes Match and that their purpose is only to enhance user’s experience - they can be deleted, but this has a price: some features will be hindered.

So finally the question was not why and what where those files, but rather: should Apple actually disclose the very nature of files that were elements or creations of the OS? The available storage already discounts the space taken by the iOS operating system, so why display the usage of files that only some users can interpret or care about - geeks, mostly.

Vic

PS: Practical propositions and links on solving this issue and reclaiming this ‘Other’ file space are available in an article on our support website. Oh, and all the views above are mine.

[EDIT] Today I deleted the 3942 text messages on my iPhone, the amount of “Other” data shrunk from 2.2 to 1.9 GB ;-)

iTunes 11 will not bring anything fundamentally new I bet, and according to previews. The interface is undergoing cosmetic changes, adding history of searches, a mini player showing the artwork, but is this really the game changer - I don’t think so.

iTunes ever since the iTunes Store has been around has never really changed, and it has been plagued with 2 major issues:

1) It keeps music locked in devices

2) It is not geared toward productivity - oh no

1) iTunes music sync feature only adds or deletes music tracks onto a device. That means it populates a specific device with selected contents from your iTunes media library. This isn’t an issue, unless you have more than one computer, or no computer at all. If you have lost your library there is no way you can recover the library that you created and saved onto the device (to the only exception of the tracks you have purchased in iTunes, if they were DRM free). Period. 

The next time you connect all that remains of your collection sitting on the device iTunes will wipe it clean, no alternative, no turning back. No matter if this was your entire CD collection you purchased and ripped religiously. No way. Why is that, I would really love to know - but by the same token working around this aberration is my everyday bread.

The problem in reality lies in the fact that one device can be tied to one computer and if a device has been paired to a computer there is no other way to connect it to another but to delete and overwrite it’s contents. Even if the two computer and libraries are owned by the very same person, share the same iTunes account and the same tracks. Most of Mac users have had more than one computer, come on, what is the logic here? 

2) iTunes is a media supermarket. It’s a wonderful application that truly embodies the definition of multi media distribution channel. But it is the single and only interface between the computer and the iPhone. This can be a serious issue in itself in the corporate world. The choice left to IT managers is let employees use the iPhone as a business phone and use iTunes - with all the bells and whistles - or nothing.

This does not seems like a big deal since the iPhone supports Overt The Air syncing with so many platforms, including Microsoft Exchange. But what about files, documents, folders, all the data that one would carry on an iPad or iPhone on the road? No solution. The bare bones File Sharing in iTunes isn’t a real solution either, to tell the truth. 

No one will be surprised.  The idea of a file structure in an iOS device is something dogmatically loathed by Apple. iOS is an operating system without a file system, there is no reason why iTunes or any other subsidiary Apple software would achieve proper file sharing. Nonetheless by experience, we know that there are millions of users that still rely on a file system organised in folders - a file tree of some sort. Doctors, pilots, police, clerks, salespeople (to name a few) need to keep documents into a central location, organised by folders that gather different file types and have something in common that can’t be materialised without the help of a folder.

Will iTunes 11 - change this, I don’t think so. But after all it’s not an issue. The new interface will please, the performance will rise, so be it. That will leave room for innovation and execution of a better iOS/computer experience to developers and this is rather a good thing to believe that Apple leaves this open, after all.

Vic

PS: The views expressed above are mine - but keep in mind that at DigiDNA we designed an iPhone file transfer desktop shareware and a file browser for iOS.