Hacker News Reader

Comment by aabalkan | Hacker News Reader

I am really pissed off when the app producers release major versions of their apps as a new app in the store so you have to purchase again. Same thing happened with Reeder app (which is a prominent RSS reader) or Shares app.

I already pay you $5-$10-$15 whatever to trust that this will be a lifetime purchase. Why would app developers do it? Why does Apple allow this? If I develop an app and publish 10 versions (all has new features every time) as a new app in the store, is it legitimate at all?

Anyway I purchased this one as well but it is not about $2.99, it is about the brand and I started to hate Tapbots. When Twitter releases a better client, I will throw the app I paid for away just because I don't Tapbots apps anymore.

View on HN

What makes you think $15 entitles you to a lifetime purchase let alone $2.99? What else in your life do you get to keep forever for that amount?

A pair of levi jeans: ~$50 of ~3 years; an iPhone ~$500 for ~3 years; a beer ~$5 for ~30 mins.

I bought a coffee in Starbucks yesterday. How dare they charge me for another today!

Most apps are priced at even less than a coffee. The profit on most apps is less than that on one tomato.

Yet, you feel entitled?

That's not the same thing. Why are you comparing consumables with software? I don't care how much Tweetbot costs, if it does the job, I can pay $30, but I when I buy it, I must know the release policy of the publisher.

Is it going to be Microsoft Office where I have to pay for upgrades? Or is it going to be like Instapaper, a lifetime purchase? This is the point I tried to make.

You paid for the software that now resides on your phone. Have they deleted it from your phone and you have to buy the new version?

They are all like Microsoft Office where you have to pay for upgrades: one way or another you will, eventually, have to pay for an upgrade. Software is expensive to develop and eventually a constantly expanding market won't be enough to sustain development costs. Eventually everyone who wants one will have a copy of Instapaper and then something will need to change to pay for its development.

If a developer redesigns and rewrites an application why are they not entitled to make their users pay for it again? You could just keep using the old version.

I think it's absurd that people complain about iOS apps being "yet another $5" given the amount of time it takes to make a beautiful application.

Given that iOS developers have no ability to offer upgrade discounts, I fully support them charging full price for new versions. They deserve it, especially given the hundreds of dollars people pay for new versions of Office, Creative Suite, etc each year.

It's sad that the app store's lack of support for paid upgrades has created this totally unrealistic expectation that a $5 purchase entitles you to a lifetime of upgrades. Do you really think that is sustainable? You still have the original version you purchased, it's not like the developers have taken something away from you!

Reply on news.ycombinator.com