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Apr 12, 2001
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Alongside the international App Store pricing changes, Apple has introduced a new Volume Purchase program for the App Store. According to Apple, the App Store Volume Purchase Program allows businesses and educational institutions in the U.S. to purchase apps in volume and distribute them within their organizations.
Streamline your purchasing process and put more power and productivity in the hands of your workforce. Every paid app in the App Store is available for businesses to buy in volume through the program website. Simply search for the apps you need, enter the quantity you want to buy, and complete the transaction with your corporate credit card. Apps are available for purchase at the same price listed in the App Store.
Separately, Apple is also allowing businesses to sell and distribute custom B2B apps for business customers. These custom B2B apps can be developed for specific needs and distributed to businesses through the same App Store mechanism. Apple had previously offered volume sales for educational institutions and is extending this to businesses.


Article Link: Apple Introduces Volume App Purchasing for Business and Education Including Discounts
 
Last edited by a moderator:

jpg

macrumors regular
May 15, 2009
176
3
Now the only thing that is missing is educational pricing options for consumers...
 

BlueParadox

macrumors 6502
Sep 3, 2010
306
331
Melbourne, Australia
Education discounts...

Finally.

Now I'd like to see multi-platform (iPhone, iPad, etc.) prices for an app at the same price. A rule, that is. None of this 0.99c for the iPhone version, $2.99 for the iPad.
 

devynm37

macrumors newbie
Jun 16, 2011
4
0
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8J2)

I wish now Apple would allow me to try Apps in a trial before I buy. I still want to try FCPX, regardless of what many are saying about it.
 

scottparker999

macrumors member
Aug 4, 2009
98
0
"Aside from the volume purchasing, they allows allow developers to set but educational discount pricing that is 50% off of list price when they purchase 20 or more copies of your app."

You might want to make some changes to the closing paragraph.
 

WardC

macrumors 68030
Oct 17, 2007
2,726
213
Fort Worth, TX
They already allow you to install an unlimited number of copies on "all of your Macs" with an AppleID, so if you have like 100 Macs, you can install the apps on all of your computers with one app purchase (already this is the rule). So I don't see the point of this. Apple just wants your money (if you fall for this trap)
 

Don Kosak

macrumors 6502a
Mar 12, 2010
860
4
Hilo, Hawaii
Super news for both developers, and for businesses with iPhone/iPad investments.

The pricing for these Apps is a huge deal as well.
 

Matthew Yohe

macrumors 68020
Oct 12, 2006
2,200
142
They already allow you to install an unlimited number of copies on "all of your Macs" with an AppleID, so if you have like 100 Macs, you can install the apps on all of your computers with one app purchase (already this is the rule). So I don't see the point of this. Apple just wants your money (if you fall for this trap)

This is for businesses, and education. Those two entities cannot do what you are suggesting.
 

justinfreid

macrumors 6502a
Nov 24, 2009
501
23
NEW Jersey / USA
Edit first, Post Second

"Aside from the volume purchasing, they allows allow developers to set but educational discount pricing that is 50% off of list price when they purchase 20 or more copies of your app."

You might want to make some changes to the closing paragraph.

MacRumors seems to consistently rush stories out without even a cursory check for typos. Seldom is there an imperative to release information so quickly that checking and editing it first is unwarranted. In this story, for instance, the errors are such that specific facts are unclear. This happens more on this site than most others I read.

As for the topic at hand, I'll be among those to say Lion must be coming...
 

arn

macrumors god
Staff member
Apr 9, 2001
16,362
5,795
MacRumors seems to consistently rush stories out without even a cursory check for typos. Seldom is there an imperative to release information so quickly that checking and editing it first is unwarranted.

Sorry for the typos.

- Devs can set apps to be discounted 50% for educational customers buying 20 or more apps
- It doesn't appear you can set arbitrary discounts
- It's only for educational customers.
- Devs have to opt in.

arn
 

LowKeyed

macrumors member
May 27, 2011
37
22
This is not new. Apple created a volume purchasing program for education months ago. Purchasing the apps is only half the problem. The bigger part, especially for state schools who spend tax payer money is who ends up owning the license.

When you buy a bulk package of apps what you get is a list of vouchers you send to which ever users/employees you want. They use a normal unmanaged consumer iTunes/app store account to redeem the app and then it belongs to them. When they quite or get fired the university has to buy the app or distribute another voucher for the replacement employee while the exiting employee keeps all the applications the company or school paid for.

I'm a fan boy and will defend and praise apple for a lot of stuff. But that they haven't even acknowledged this problem is really disappointing and frustrating.
 

Don Kosak

macrumors 6502a
Mar 12, 2010
860
4
Hilo, Hawaii
MacRumors seems to consistently rush stories out without even a cursory check for typos. Seldom is there an imperative to release information so quickly that checking and editing it first is unwarranted.

I'm willing to accept a "rough" first draft posted at the time news breaks with a follow up edit for clarity. This is the internet, not a novel.

--

On the news story itself, the second part of the post unveils the custom B2B program with lets developers have custom versions of Apps for large customers. In addition to corporate branding/logos, you might even see custom functionality per customer. This is also very big news -- and very different than the approach other players in the space have taken.

Apple continues to push the envelope in the App Store space. I see a lot of potential for custom spins of business apps sold in volume.
 

LowKeyed

macrumors member
May 27, 2011
37
22
I'd like to see a master account that could reclaim an app distributed with a voucher. That way the school or business doesn't have to buy apps for specific employees but instead for positions and/or functions. When the master account reclaims an app then it should automatically be removed from the device or computer. In the case of the OS the computer should become locked to all logins except when authorized with the master account's appleid.
 

jjsagona

macrumors newbie
Jul 13, 2011
4
3
Dayton, OH
They use a normal unmanaged consumer iTunes/app store account to redeem the app and then it belongs to them. When they quite or get fired the university has to buy the app or distribute another voucher for the replacement employee while the exiting employee keeps all the applications the company or school paid for.


What we have done since the VPP for Ed program was established is create district-owned iTunes accounts for each building/department specifically for these VPP purchases. We only install "district-purchased apps" on "district-owned devices" so we can police the licensing (not easily though *sigh* still waiting for an inexpensive mobile device management solution for that), but it at least guarantees continued district ownership of the licenses.
 

iRobby

macrumors 6502a
Mar 22, 2011
994
6
Fort Myers, FL USA
MacRumors seems to consistently rush stories out without even a cursory check for typos. Seldom is there an imperative to release information so quickly that checking and editing it first is unwarranted. In this story, for instance, the errors are such that specific facts are unclear. This happens more on this site than most others I read.

As for the topic at hand, I'll be among those to say Lion must be coming...

Sorry for the typos.

- Devs can set apps to be discounted 50% for educational customers buying 20 or more apps
- It doesn't appear you can set arbitrary discounts
- It's only for educational customers.
- Devs have to opt in.

arn

This is not new. Apple created a volume purchasing program for education months ago. Purchasing the apps is only half the problem. The bigger part, especially for state schools who spend tax payer money is who ends up owning the license.

When you buy a bulk package of apps what you get is a list of vouchers you send to which ever users/employees you want. They use a normal unmanaged consumer iTunes/app store account to redeem the app and then it belongs to them. When they quite or get fired the university has to buy the app or distribute another voucher for the replacement employee while the exiting employee keeps all the applications the company or school paid for.

I'm a fan boy and will defend and praise apple for a lot of stuff. But that they haven't even acknowledged this problem is really disappointing and frustrating.

You are correct. So volume for business and B2B sales is the new portion.

arn


How come everyone jumps on Arn's case about typos and Article Titles?

GIVE THE MAN A BREAK!!
 

Nepenthe

macrumors regular
Feb 24, 2003
102
13
Minnesota
This is for businesses, and education. Those two entities cannot do what you are suggesting.

I work at an educational institution that has been part of the early Volume Purchase Program trial. Many deployment scenarios exist, but Apple recommends that we use one "master" copy of an App and install it on all our devices. However, we must still purchase one license per device, even though all devices will share a license. Their reasoning is that A: it's the right thing to do, and B: it's a good way to track inventory.

It is a rather clumsy system, but it's all we have for now.
 

ks-man

macrumors 6502a
Sep 25, 2007
742
15
Finally.

Now I'd like to see multi-platform (iPhone, iPad, etc.) prices for an app at the same price. A rule, that is. None of this 0.99c for the iPhone version, $2.99 for the iPad.

I disagree with this. It makes complete sense for developers to have different pricing for iPhone and iPad apps. Most iPad apps offer more than the iPhone counterparts. That means more development work and they need to recoup the cost with a higher price.

Either you have to force iPhone app users to help fund those costs (in terms of higher prices for the iPhone app) or you are telling the developer they can't charge for their extra work in the iPad version (which will mean less unique features to take advantage of with the extra iPad real estate).

It is for the developer to decide how to price their apps and if they should make them universal or separate. That is capitalism and the best way to allow the pricing of individual apps to continue imho.
 

philmo

macrumors member
Nov 16, 2005
45
0
So you can e-mail redemption codes to employees and let them redeem the apps (including, I assume, Lion?) after signing in with their own accounts? Is the app then linked to their personal account? Is there a way that the company can transfer the license to another employee if the first one leaves?
 

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
39,775
7,497
Los Angeles
If this works like the education volume discount program, an administrator can designate one or more other people with permission to distribute purchases, and you make purchases with vouchers that you buy first in even amounts. The program seems fairly well designed.

At our school it's a matter of syncing student devices to the Mac used for purchases, rather than emailing codes.
 
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