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There are a few apps that are making a lot of money from the freemium model. As long as that continues other developers will chase that dream.

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Hmm.. which all are? Its hardly even a choice. As a consumer myself, anything not free doesn't interest me anymore. Companies are spoiling consumers (including me) silly.

Look at the apps on the top grossing chart. Supercell, for example, makes over a billion a year.

I'm not sure freemium games with in-app purchases are a very good model for apps in general (I'm not saying you're suggesting anything other than that they make a lot of money, just pointing it out in the context of this discussion).

It's hard for me to see how they're anything but a form of unregulated (yet) gambling/exploitation of people vulnerable to gambling.

Who in their right minds think that tens, hundreds of dollars is a good price to pay for virtual gemstones?

At any rate, for others that where unfamiliar with Supercell, I'm assuming parent means the makers of:

https://thinkgaming.com/app-sales-data/1/clash-of-clans/

A somewhat related article:

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2013/mar/26/...

(And there's of course been a number of articles on "predatory" game design, based around compulsive/addictive behaviour)

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