Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Apple, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Would Blackberry's price minimum ensure a quality App Store?
Here's an interesting idea for the App Store. Gizmodo posts that the new Blackberry "App World" has set a minimum price on its apps, asking no less than $2.99 for whatever you buy in there. At first glance, that's pretty rough -- there are a lot of free apps on the App Store right now that we wouldn't pay 99 cents for, much less $2.99. But then again, Gizmodo is willing to at least suggest the benefit of the doubt: maybe it's done on purpose, to get us past the scourge of the many fart and other useless apps populating the App Store. Maybe if every app is sold for $3 or more, they'll end up all being worth that much, too.But we have to agree with Gizmodo's conclusion, too: while it would be nice if every app on the store was worth more than $3, there are definitely a few apps out there that are worth having the lower (and free) prices for. And to add to that, it's hard to believe that, even at $3, every app would strive to live up to that price -- most likely what will happen is that you'll end up with just as much crap on the Blackberry's store, except that you'll be paying $2 more for it.
Still, it's an idea. If Apple did a little price tweaking, is it possible that they could ensure a little more quality to what shows up on the store? Or, in the case of the junk that's on there now, will we just end up with higher-priced junk?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jason mark said 9:18AM on 3-06-2009
Your summary makes it sound like Blackberry won't allow free apps, but that's not true according to the link you provided. They still allow free apps, but their paid apps start at $2.99.
You might want to adjust your overview to reflect this.
Jason
http://www.gravityswitch.com
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crazypenguin said 11:50AM on 3-06-2009
Exactly what i was going to say... blackberry is still going to have useless free apps, don't worry
designGuyB said 9:32AM on 3-06-2009
This is a shame.
I like the idea of the App store having under-priced apps. Its like a garage sale where you find hidden gems. I don't want it to morph into some profitable conventional business. There's something noble about people creating these apps in their spare time and as part of 'volunteer'-type work. The last thing I want to see is people making their livelihoods out of creating Apps all day. Its not quite open-source grass-roots, but its close enough and I would like to see people do this out of passion and fun. We need a place for our anarchy and anti-capitalist efforts.
.....
I don't actually believe what I was saying - but it was fun to get it out.. now all better.
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jonny appleseed said 9:41AM on 3-06-2009
I call BS. They are trying to insure a certain amount of monetary flow - given the immense competition from Apple and the iPhone/App store market. Anyways, within any market you're going to have good and bad, regardless of price that the app sells for. AS posted above, there will be plenty of garbage on that store, just $3 garbage.
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h8rain said 10:11AM on 3-06-2009
"most likely what will happen is that you'll end up with just as much crap on the Blackberry's store, except that you'll be paying $2 more for it."
Never forget, "A fool and his money are soon departed."
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Kurt said 10:20AM on 3-06-2009
Bad analogy. Blackberries don't have any restrictions on software installation - so if you find that perfect third-party solution you're looking for on some random site, you're free to install it. There is no single "Blackberry store" through which all apps are funneled for sale. I can go to my friend's site and install his latest development version, or I can go to handango or somewhere else if I want to pay for an app written by another developer who's choosing to make some money.
Apple, on the other hand, requires all (non-jailbroken) devices to use its store for software installations. It's an entirely different model - and to suggest that all Blackberry software costs money is incorrect.
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James Donevan said 10:35AM on 3-06-2009
Bad analogy? Huh?
Schramm is comparing pricing policies of the two stores, nothing more, and pondering if a similar policy would benefit the Apple model. Whether Blackberry does or does not have any restrictions on installation has no bearing on the original post.
Jake said 6:03PM on 3-06-2009
It IS a bad analogy, James, because if the Apple App store requires a minimum price point of $3, that means that there will be no freeware applications for the iPhone (except for jailbroken units). Blackberry's store, on the other hand, does not enjoy a monopoly, so even if it were to set its policy as described above, it won't kill off free/lower cost apps - it would just mean that users would go somewhere else to get them.
The App Store model results in a very inflexible distribution mechanism if policies like this get put into place.
LD said 11:07AM on 3-06-2009
It's a terrible policy that won't help anyone, the developer or the consumer.
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CaptainCol said 11:34AM on 3-06-2009
I totally agree that the logic is flawed. you will just end up with overpriced garbage.
Just like virtually all commercial software that exists at the moment.
Oh. Did I mention that iFART was my favorite application ?
My 9 year old son overdubs pop tunes on GarageBand with the latest farts and it is absolutely brilliant.
Long live the App Store
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Christina Warren said 11:39AM on 3-06-2009
Well, the existing BlackBerry app market for paid apps already has a pricing structure that is significantly more expensive than the average iPhone app. I mean, a BlackBerry "theme" is $5 - $7 (if not more), IM apps are $15 - $20, alarm apps are in the $20 - $30 range, etc., etc. I think that setting a minimum price is a mistake and it won't end up keeping crap out anyway -- but it also goes inline with what their existing app markets pricing ceilings already are. There are plenty of free apps, sure -- but the paid apps are all overpriced, comparatively, when you put them up against what sorts of apps are available for other mobile platforms. I mean, $15 for a screenshot app (the free alternatives are either kludgy, require Windows or both), WTF-ever.
Clearly I'm a jaded BlackBerry user. Love the e-mail. Love the keyboard. I'm totally over the OS and the vast majority of the software.
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Chris Quenelle said 5:16PM on 3-06-2009
If you can't tell what's crap on the Apple store, then there are two answers. 1) Better social ranking of apps. 2) Better user interface in the App store to allow filtering by social results. For example: Show me all the apps that my facebook friends have downloaded. Don't bother explaining that Apple Corp is a walled garden and wouldn't share APIs with facebook. I already know that.
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BJ Nemeth said 12:20PM on 3-06-2009
We must get rid of all those evil, useless $1 fart apps, and everything like them! It's so horrible how they automatically download themselves on our iPhones and charge us $0.99 in the process ... oh, wait ...
If you hate "American Idol," and think it signals the downfall of society, that doesn't change the fact that there are a heck of a lot of people out there who really like it. If you don't like it, don't watch it.
The same goes for fart apps, and similar so-called "junk." You don't have to buy it.
If hundreds of thousands of people are willingly paying for these programs, what's the problem? How does my purchase of iFart negatively affect any of you or the App Store?
I think Blackberry is making a mistake, one motivated solely by greed on their part. (Blackberry likely doesn't want to deal with credit card fees on small purchases of $1-2, whereas Apple bites the bullet to serve its customers, and ultimately, itself.)
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SteveD said 2:13PM on 3-06-2009
If I was a developer and made a fart app and the choice was free or $2.99, I would GLADLY take the $2.99 but that wouldn't make me a better developer, nor would it make the app better!! The $2.99 wouldn't make me develop better apps. It would make me develop more apps that do little faster. Like a fart app for every day of the week. Just think 365 X $2.99 = $1091.35 So, watch out more fart apps are coming your way!!! :-)
Look at Cadillac, they are pontiac parts with higher prices but doesn't make the part inherently better. It doesn't make GM build better cars or make GM a better car company. (I used to work in a cadillac/pontiac parts department, I confirmed this myself.)
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DT said 2:04PM on 3-06-2009
Thanks BJ Nemeth, you already wrote everything I wanted to.
By the way, I still don't get it why Apple removed "I Am Rich", that 999.99$ app, from the store.
But much more important is this: Apple should update the AppStore, very soon. Its usability level is non-existent at the moment. In fact, I don't go there anymore, because it simply sucks. 25000 apps ordered by only 10 categories. Or is 12? Whatever.
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Le Big Mac said 4:18PM on 3-06-2009
While I'd agree it's better to let the market determine it, if every sale of I am Rich resulted in a call to AppStore customer service with a complaint and request for refund (or even 50% of sales), then Apple could reasonably conclude there's a serious problem and not want to be bothered with it.
Josh said 2:28PM on 3-06-2009
I am having a hard time figuring out why you or anyone could possibly think that by paying more for something you are automatically supposed to expect that it is of higher quality. Your logic makes no sense to me at all.
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Le Big Mac said 4:15PM on 3-06-2009
The only way it would have any benefit is to rid the app store of the worthless clutter because fewer people buy junk for $2.99, the apps would fail, and perhaps be removed for low sales. Or something. That's the only benefit I can see. And I think it's well outweight by the likelihood it will attract only more crap, because selling crap for 3x more is, well, 3x as enriching.
jim berry said 11:36AM on 3-07-2009
Whatever happened to the consumer being the judge of the worth of a product?
It's pretty easy to just delete a worthless app.
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mike said 3:33AM on 3-08-2009
idiotic thread. 90% of everything is going to be crap.
90% of movies, 90% of Xbox 360 games, 90% of TV Shows.
A bell curve is a bell curve, the premiere stuff is hard to find, more so if you DEFINE it as the 'top 10%' or the top '5%'
By the way, after all your bitching and moaning, is this an admission that you wish the App Review/Vetting process at Apple HQ to be MORE stringent?
Morons.
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