Apple Now Allowing Developers to Offer App Pre-Orders

[MacRumors]

Apple is implementing a new feature that allows developers to offer pre-orders for unreleased apps, letting customers purchase popular apps ahead of their release date.

The pre-order feature is listed in a new iTunes Connect Resource and Help document, which was discovered this afternoon by MacStories. The document says that developers are able to "make new apps available for pre-order on all Apple platforms."

Customers can see your product page and order your app before it's released for download. Once your app is released, customers will be notified and your app will automatically download to their device. For paid apps, customers will be charged before download.

Apple outlines the specific steps developers will need to take to list an app for pre-order, which includes navigating to the Pricing and Availability section of iTunes Connect, choosing "make available for pre-order," and submitting an app for review.

To be made available for pre-order, an app must have a release date at least two days in the future, but no more than 90 days in the future. Pre-orders are available for both free and paid apps.

When an app is pre-ordered, on release date, it'll be automatically downloaded to a customers device. With paid apps, the purchase price will be charged when the app is released, not before.

As our sister site TouchArcade points out, there are already two apps available for purchase using the new pre-order feature. Both Gorogoa ($4.99) and Inside (Free) can be pre-ordered from the App Store ahead of a release coming later this week.

Apple today also announced the general availability of introductory pricing for subscriptions, allowing developers to charge less for the first few months of an auto-renewing subscription. This is a feature that was initially introduced in iOS 11.2.

Article Link: Apple Now Allowing Developers to Offer App Pre-Orders

 

[6803390]

All new features are welcomed. However, I don’t see myself using this.

 

[Apple_Robert]

As a customer, I don't see this as a positive. All I need to do is add an app to the wishlist.

 

[Nermal]

As a customer, I don't see this as a positive. All I need to do is add an app to the wishlist.

Indeed. It actually seems a bit strange; wouldn't it be better to wait for some reviews to come in before dropping money on an app?

 

[appleguy123]

Pre-orders with no easy refund process in the US. Not very customer friendly. Can’t even look at reviews to determine if an app is trash if it’s a preorder.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Indeed. It actually seems a bit strange; wouldn't it be better to wait for some reviews to come in before dropping money on an app?

Absolutely. I agree with you. It does seem weird for Apple to be doing this. It is just as odd as pre-ordering a movie or t.v. show from iTunes, as if there will be a limited supply of digital media to go around.
[doublepost=1513037451][/doublepost]

Pre-orders with no easy refund process in the US. Not very customer friendly. Can’t even look at reviews to determine if an app is trash if it’s a preorder.

Technically, one is not billed until the app is released.

 

[Zoboomafoo]

Indeed. It actually seems a bit strange; wouldn't it be better to wait for some reviews to come in before dropping money on an app?

But it's entirely common. Regardless of supply/demand, giving people the opportunity to purchase a product in advance seems fairly intuitive.

1 - If the product ends up being bad, well, you got their money. Not the nicest thing, but it's a reality. You see it a lot in movies, not screening movies for critics or releasing reviews (hi, Justice league) until you've started to collect real ticket purchases.
2 - Regardless of the product's quality, if a customer is looking at the product page, the option to preorder provides the opportunity to complete the transaction. When the product launches, they're charged and it shows on their device. Wishlisting is similar, but it requires a second impression a second chance for the customer to either ignore the reminder or have a second decision point of "do i want to spend my money on this"

 

[now i see it]

Pre-order app with no financial incentive = rediculous

 

[TMRJIJ]

Indeed. It actually seems a bit strange; wouldn't it be better to wait for some reviews to come in before dropping money on an app?

Pre-orders with no easy refund process in the US. Not very customer friendly. Can’t even look at reviews to determine if an app is trash if it’s a preorder.

Pre-orders aren’t charged until the product releases. Consumers would still have time to request a refund assuming they haven’t exhausted their rights to one.

 

[zorinlynx]

What the heck is the point of a pre-order for a product that has basically unlimited supply?

Pre-orders make sense for manufactured products because this way the company can get an idea of demand and use that to determine how much product to manufacture. But for apps, which are basically unlimited, it is completely pointless.

 

[appleguy123]

Pre-orders aren’t charged until the product releases. Consumers would still have time to request a refund assuming they haven’t exhausted their rights to one.

In the US if you want an AppStore refund these days you have to email iTunes support and explain why the app is literally unusable for you. And then they take 3-5 days to personally decide and respond to you. This would get worse with preorders.

I bought a voice recognition TelePrompTer app that didn’t work for my use case (class presentations). Contacted Apple for a refund and they didn’t issue one because I should have read more reviews.

 

[GCHASE1995]

Requires iOS 11.2 to preorder
[doublepost=1513040297][/doublepost]Picture for proof

 

[kmm1482]

What the heck is the point of a pre-order for a product that has basically unlimited supply?

Pre-orders make sense for manufactured products because this way the company can get an idea of demand and use that to determine how much product to manufacture. But for apps, which are basically unlimited, it is completely pointless.

Same for pre-ordering a movie on iTunes. “Oh! I can pre-order The Last Jedi on iTunes, already?!” What’s the point of it?

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

What the heck is the point of a pre-order for a product that has basically unlimited supply?

Pre-orders make sense for manufactured products because this way the company can get an idea of demand and use that to determine how much product to manufacture. But for apps, which are basically unlimited, it is completely pointless.

People do it with all kinds of stuff that's fairly unlimited. Look at all the other games on PC they do it with. Not like they can't crank out millions of DVDs with it or unlimited downloads and yet people do it like crazy.

Anticipation sells. Offering pre-orders means potential for higher sales. That's a win for the developers we support and want to see succeed.

Remember that every change doesn't need to benefit the customer. Helping developers out is key too. If we, the consumer, want better apps then the developers need to be taken care of. If Apple fails to take care of them, they'll invest their time elsewhere, which leaves the consumer worse off.
[doublepost=1513041353][/doublepost]

Same for pre-ordering a movie on iTunes. “Oh! I can pre-order The Last Jedi on iTunes, already?!” What’s the point of it?

Order it now when you're thinking of it and then you don't have to remember later. Then it downloads while you're at work and when you get home, there it is ready for you, even if you forget about it on release day.

I fail to see why being able to pre-order is bad. Why not let people have more options to get the things they want? No one is being forced to pre-order a thing but those that want to now have the option. How is that bad?

 

[lunarworks]

The games industry thrives on preorders. People plop down cash on a game before they know it's good or not.

 

[lsutigerfan1976]

This is going to sound like a dumb question. But why? Does a consumer worry that these apps will be sold out? lol

 

[Peel]

The only way I see this making sense is if a developer could say "Pre-order for $0.99. Will be $1.99 after launch". That way they can get a jump on sales of a new app, and those taking a risk on the un-reviewed nature of a new app can get it at a discount. But since you don't pay for the app until it downloads, I don't know if this is possible.

 

[chales]

This is actually incredibly important; developers can now convert someone interested in your app into a guaranteed download when you have the users attention, for either paid or free apps. For a lot of apps that aren't name brands, if you lose the user's attention that could be it.

It can be insanely valuable for growing an emerging business to know what kind of interest you'll have once you launch your app, too.

Think of this move as great for businesses.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Apple is implementing a new feature that allows developers to offer pre-orders for unreleased apps, letting customers purchase popular apps ahead of their release date.

The pre-order feature is listed in a new iTunes Connect Resource and Help document, which was discovered this afternoon by MacStories. The document says that developers are able to "make new apps available for pre-order on all Apple platforms."

Apple outlines the specific steps developers will need to take to list an app for pre-order, which includes navigating to the Pricing and Availability section of iTunes Connect, choosing "make available for pre-order," and submitting an app for review.

To be made available for pre-order, an app must have a release date at least two days in the future, but no more than 90 days in the future. Pre-orders are available for both free and paid apps.

When an app is pre-ordered, on release date, it'll be automatically downloaded to a customers device. With paid apps, the purchase price will be charged when the app is released, not before.

As our sister site TouchArcade points out, there are already two apps available for purchase using the new pre-order feature. Both Gorogoa ($4.99) and Inside (Free) can be pre-ordered from the App Store ahead of a release coming later this week.

Apple today also announced the general availability of introductory pricing for subscriptions, allowing developers to charge less for the first few months of an auto-renewing subscription. This is a feature that was initially introduced in iOS 11.2.

Article Link: Apple Now Allowing Developers to Offer App Pre-Orders

NOT a fan of this!

Refunds are NOT available in IOS App Store and as such rogue developers can easily SCAM users for pre-sales and never deliver. There is NO Gaurantee that the uploaded apps are fully working in an "acceptable manner" to the end users or that can be replaced with a junk app.

 

[coolfactor]

What the heck is the point of a pre-order for a product that has basically unlimited supply?

Pre-orders make sense for manufactured products because this way the company can get an idea of demand and use that to determine how much product to manufacture. But for apps, which are basically unlimited, it is completely pointless.

Has very little to do with physical supplies. More of an indicator about demand/interest to help developers/management decide how much time/resources to invest into an app before release.

 

[ossifer]

Of pre-order I could care less. I am commenting because Gorogoa is a great product, having seen its development from the earliest stages. It's beautiful. It's intelligent.

 

[harriska2]

I do this with ebooks from my local authors. That way I support them on day 1 and amazon emails me that the download is ready.

 

[Avieshek]

Absolutely. I agree with you. It does seem weird for Apple to be doing this. It is just as odd as pre-ordering a movie or t.v. show from iTunes, as if there will be a limited supply of digital media to go around.

Everything that Apple has been coming up is becoming wierd. Apple itself have become wierd.

 

[kmm1482]

People do it with all kinds of stuff that's fairly unlimited. Look at all the other games on PC they do it with. Not like they can't crank out millions of DVDs with it or unlimited downloads and yet people do it like crazy.

Anticipation sells. Offering pre-orders means potential for higher sales. That's a win for the developers we support and want to see succeed.

Remember that every change doesn't need to benefit the customer. Helping developers out is key too. If we, the consumer, want better apps then the developers need to be taken care of. If Apple fails to take care of them, they'll invest their time elsewhere, which leaves the consumer worse off.
[doublepost=1513041353][/doublepost]

Order it now when you're thinking of it and then you don't have to remember later. Then it downloads while you're at work and when you get home, there it is ready for you, even if you forget about it on release day.

I fail to see why being able to pre-order is bad. Why not let people have more options to get the things they want? No one is being forced to pre-order a thing but those that want to now have the option. How is that bad?

When did I say it was bad? And since when does iTunes NOT promote a huge movie that you want to own? You’re going to forget a movie you really really want to own comes out on a certain day? And since when does a movie on iTunes take an entire day to download? Anytime I’ve ever bought one, it’s ready to watch within a minute, maybe less. I just see no point in it. But you go ahead and keep thinking I’m saying something that I’m not.

 

[Zoboomafoo]

This is actually incredibly important; developers can now convert someone interested in your app into a guaranteed download when you have the users attention, for either paid or free apps. For a lot of apps that aren't name brands, if you lose the user's attention that could be it.

It can be insanely valuable for growing an emerging business to know what kind of interest you'll have once you launch your app, too.

Think of this move as great for businesses.

yup, this. the nike app (not the snkrs app) allows me to look ahead to upcoming shoe releases, but it doesn't allow me to purchase them. I actually don't even think it lets me set a reminder. You have my attention, you have something i want, why are you asking me to come back later and risk that i never will? take my money now.