iApps for a Charge?

[arn]

This thread: http://forums.appleinsider.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=13&t=000013

at AppleInsider is getting some attention... basically, Apple may start charging for iApps. I usually don't link to random threads... but I have reasons to believe that this will be true.

arn

 

[dricci]

I don't think Apple will charge for the iApps.. It just wouldn't make sense. First, we could blame the "higher" cost of Macs on free e-mail and web hosting, then we lost that but have a growing digital hub of Apps that make the Mac what it is. If we loose this, then what compelling features do we have to offer other than a really nifty OS?

 

[arn]

Originally posted by dricci
I don't think Apple will charge for the iApps.. It just wouldn't make sense. First, we could blame the "higher" cost of Macs on free e-mail and web hosting, then we lost that but have a growing digital hub of Apps that make the Mac what it is. If we loose this, then what compelling features do we have to offer other than a really nifty OS?

I'd imagine it would be charging for upgrades... rather than actual apps when you buy a computer.

they did charge for iMovie 2.0 for users of iMovie 1.0.

Maybe for iTunes 4.0? With AAC?

arn

 

[jholzner]

I hope Apple doesn't go this route. If they charge for each and every iApp update (or major updates anyway) I won't be able to afford to buy all of them. I use iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, iSync, iCal and couldn't afford to pay to update them all. I guess that doesn't matter to apple 'cause any revenue generated from these apps is better than nothing (which is what they get now). However, I view many of these Apps as part of the OS (even though I know they're not) and MacOS X wouldn't be the same without them being free. I know that they charged for iMovie but I think that was before they had the vision of the digital hub and a set of Apps as part of the OS.

 

[kishba]

i've been the victim of apple upgrade (oops i mean "shipping and handling") costs several times. i had just bought my old powerbook when iMovie 2 was released... i ended up paying for the upgrade.

my family bought a quicksilver g4 a week before idvd 2 began shipping with the towers. luckily, i contacted and eventually sweet-talked a female apple tech into sending me a copy

i honestly believe apple will charge for some iApp upgrades... but hopefully only if the feature set is impressive enough to merit it.

this could actually be good for the iApps. not only will apple spend more time developing them, but i also think that many more minor upgrades will be offered... the iCal 1.0.1 release was a vast improvement over iCal 1.0... hopefully all .0.1 increases will be this nice

 

[4409723]

I wouldn't mind this....

You know those vouchers you get when you buy your mac that you hardly ever use? Well, you get 3 iApp updates for free (one for each voucher), then after that you have to pay $30 each app or so... sound good/bad?

 

[kishba]

Originally posted by W-_-W
I wouldn't mind this....

You know those vouchers you get when you buy your mac that you hardly ever use? Well, you get 3 iApp updates for free (one for each voucher), then after that you have to pay $30 each app or so... sound good/bad?

no offense... but that sounds really bad i don't think the vouchers are meant to be used that way at all.

 

[4409723]

Originally posted by kishba


no offense... but that sounds really bad i don't think the vouchers are meant to be used that way at all.

They are for software upgrades, aren't they? Like from 10.0 to 10.1? Well it's my way, or $99 for iMovie, iDVD and iPhoto .

 

[pivo6]

I wouldn't be surprised if Apple does start charging for upgrades or possibly making the upgrades free if you have a .Mac account.

Just a guess..

Glenn

 

[Tiauguinho]

One of the things that I've noticed that appeals more to PC users are the iApp's. If they start charging for them I think that it will be a dumb mistake, since we already pay a very high premium price for Apple Hardware that should and does include all this great things that belong to the Mac User Experience.

 

[Ambrose Chapel]

add it up

I think this would be a bad idea - how often do they upgrade each iApp - twice a year or so? So there's $50-60 a year per App. Plus there will be annual OS X .x upgrades at $130. Plus the already high cost of buying a Mac in the 1st place. There's just no way people are going to be able to pay for all that, even if they wanted to (especially in a wartime economy).

We'll have to wait and see, but I just can't see this being a successful strategy.

 

[Timo_Existencia]

Advanced features...

If they must begin to charge, I'd prefer they went the route of quicktime, offering a "pro" version of each app. The basic version is free, but for $29, you could unlock additional features.

I think this model is more than fair...

 

[JINX]

I can never really appreciate this line of reasoning that folks have in response to Apple starting to charge for something they've given away free for x amount of time. Of course I would 'like' it if they continued to make the iApps free forever. That would be great for me personally. I use iCal every day and I use iMovie to edit simple videoclips all the time. And I don't know what I would do without iTunes at this point. But the truth is I like them so much that I would definitely pay for them. They are exactly the kind of software I would pay for because they work and are simple. So I might 'like' Apple to keep them free, but how can anyone say it would be more 'fair' for Apple to keep them free. What have I done to deserve free software? What has Apple done to deserve not being paid for the best software I use. Moreover I think it would be much fairer to competitor programs if Apple did charge. I'm sure the folks at Watson would feel they could compete better with Sherlock if Sherlock went for $29.95.

Anyway, I understand wanting everything to be free but I don't think that has anything to do with being fair. Why not be grateful about the 2-3 years we all got them free. Its not as if the current free versions won't work anymore. If you don't think the new feature sets are worth it (if they charge, that is) then don't buy them. Personally, I feel pretty good knowing that my money may be going towards the R&D of the most innovative computer company around.

JINX

 

[TMJ1974]

charging for iapps

I agree with one of the posts above........if they decide to start charging, how about the way QuickTime is done - a "basic" version for free, then a "pro" version for maybe $20.

I'd pay for iTunes "pro" with AAC, for example. Or iDVD "pro" with chapter markers.

To charge for even the basic version, I think, would be a mistake. That is one of the reasons I (and many others) switched.

Although I'm happy with .mac, maybe throw the pro version in with .mac, make it really worth the money.

Just some thoughts.

Tim

 

[drastik]

maybe we are looking at this the wrong way. My guess would be that iApp charging would be included in system upgrades, like 10.2. Think about it. Why pay however much to upgrade iPhoto or something, when you are just going to shell out for the Panther upgrade nect summer. I can't believe they would strip the iApps from the OS upgrades. So thats my guess, but the .mac membership thing makes since too.

I for one, will wait to upgrade my sytem entirely before I upgrade an iApp, saves a little money.

 

[sparkleytone]

the charge isnt what sets me back. its the amount. the guy in that thread said $99. ouch. i dont have that much to spend.

on the other hand. iTunes, iMovie, and iPhoto are due for some pretty large updates. as it stands, at least iTunes will probably have AAC, part of mpeg4. therefore there would need to be some cost for the codec useage. i would be willing to pay for that. but i know i'm gonna be a hard sell for the other apps.

 

[medea]

Apple should not start charging for all of their iApps, that would be rediculous, I would not pay for iChat, iCal, iSync or even iTunes. Maybe they should charge for iMovie and iPhoto, but does Microsoft charge for its movie-maker software? Apple should not do anything to make Windows look like a better option.

 

[valypan]

Originally posted by medea
Apple should not start charging for all of their iApps, that would be rediculous, I would not pay for iChat, iCal, iSync or even iTunes. Maybe they should charge for iMovie and iPhoto, but does Microsoft charge for its movie-maker software? Apple should not do anything to make Windows look like a better option.

I agree with you! Iapps are included in the OS and I sure hope it will remain this way! It´s already a big expense to pay for the OS upgrade roughly each year + .MAC subscription. Iapps are a big part of why macs are so great! If you have to pay for them then you might as well get other similar software for the PC and pay for that. Thats how potential mac buyers are going to look at it anyway. Well anyway we will wait and see what happens before even starting discussing this for good

 

[Kid Red]

Just to clarify, the rumor is -

iDVD, iMovie and iPhoto bundled for $99. The other iApps are not involved at this time and may remain free. We will have to wait and see what happens.

 

[DaveGee]

The rumor (for what it's worth) is the following:

----------------------------------------------

A bundle that for LESS THAN $99 will include:

- Updated iDVD
- Updated iMovie
- Updated iPhoto

The rumor goes on to say...

Apple has been working on a browser and from what I know it will be released next week. It will be called iBrowse. That is all I know about this but as I find out more I will let you know.

----------------------------------------------

Finally this speculation was just posted by 'programmer' someone who tends to be pretty level headed.

"Another part of the original post is that some functionality might be tied into .mac ... perhaps the cost model isn't to charge for the iApps directly, but instead to make certain new features dependent on having a .mac account (i.e. the same $99/month you're already paying for). This would be a better strategy for Apple because it makes the .mac account more valuable to the users and (hopefully) that gets them more subscriptions with is an important income stream."

While this might be an unpopular position to take... I too am okay will this move. The more Apple profits from software the less it will need to charge in the form of hardware premiums.

Dave

 

[FelixDerKater]

When Micro$oft starts charging for Windows Media Player and IE, I'll pay for iTunes. If Apple tries to sell their iBrowser, which is based on Chimera, they can keep it. Apple's only argument left is that they make stylish hardware and their computers have "better apps", such as the included iApps. I love Apple and their design, and have been using them since the Apple ][, but there is only so deep they can keep digging in our wallets. You already pay 2-5X more for their computers than you would for a higher performance wintel machine. The reason we all still use Macs is that they generally work without troubles, have a nice OS, they just look nice, and they run Apple's in-house apps, such as iTunes, iMovie, FinalCut Pro, etc. Hopefully, apple won't take away one more reason.

 

[Goblin2099]

Apple may as well have their next iApp be iPatch, pirating software geared towards the new fee based programs...

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, Apple already made the iApps fee based with Jaguar...Sherlock 3, iCal, Address Book, iSync are all 10.2 only, which means you need to pay the $130 upgrade (regardless of what other features of 10.2 you need). Even iTunes became 10.x only. The only thing that makes sense is further .mac integration (i.e. crippling the program for non-.mac subscribers).

Apple must be getting pretty desperate if it's risking pissing off its loyal users for the second year in a row...couldn't it just fall back on its cash reserves and brave the storm for a while?

 

[Durandal7]

It's nothing new. It's just like the $49 upgrade to iMovie 2 except now it's for a few more programs. You would still get it free with OS upgrades or a new computer. Now it just applies to iPhoto and iDVD as well. It's nothing new so get over yourself.

 

[arn]

News.com has a similar story:

https://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/01/20030103154305.shtml

 

[medea]

So it looks like, according to cnet, that the price will be around $50 instead of $99, which is much better I'd say, and the iApps will still be included for free with new macs.