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'AppStore Secrets' : Price Drops, Usage and Ad-Supported Models

...Pinch Media discovered that only about 1% of downloads end up being used long-term[/QUOTE]

So in other words iPhones apps are mostly just novelties that ware off very soon and most people have no need to them at all and just get them only because they are free of very low cost.

Kind of figures... for most people cell phones are like that too. Just entertainment that they don't really need.
 
Bonte said:
Do the apps need to be used long term?
We pay $3 to rent a movie that has 2 hours of entertainment, 99 cent for a fun app is a no brainer for most users.
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Was wondering when someone would say this. I mean, let's say you get 10hrs of entertainment out of a 99 cent app. I know of plenty of people who buy video games for their PS3/Wii/360 that get less than 10 * 50 hrs of entertainment out of them so from that perspective a 99 cent app can actually provide more entertainment than a $50 console game. As for me - I've probably gotten over 50hrs of entertainment out of Orions and easily over 100hrs of entertainment out of RealSoccer. I've also gotten probably 50hrs or more out of Wordle (a 100% free app w/ no ads).
 
I'm not sure if their reasoning is correct. There are some apps out there that I love, but will never use on a daily basis. Shazam, Labyrinth, heck--even default ones like Weather or Stocks.
 
Interesting that people are willing to pay for throwaway apps that "last" them only a day or two.

But I guess it fits the current model of instant and temporary gratification.

Heck, in comparison, I only get about five minute's pleasure from a 99 cent Peppermint Patty or Twinkie. :)
 
ChrisA said:
So in other words iPhones apps are mostly just novelties that ware off very soon and most people have no need to them at all and just get them only because they are free of very low cost.
Click to expand...

Makes sense to me. Most of the apps I buy are games and while very entertaining, there really aren't that many games on ANY platform that have infinite replay value. With my PS3 and my Wii I usually buy a game, finish it, and almost never play it again (the notable exceptions being simulation and party games). My iPhone is the same way. I've got two or three staples on my front page that have true replay value and the rest of the games get played and then uninstalled. That does NOT mean they weren't worth the cost, nor does it mean that they were just novelties.
 
Depends how you can integrate it into your daily life

If it "makes my life easier"..

There are a few apps I use daily.. like the one that shows delays on the subway (TubeStatus). Just lets me know if I should make alternative travel plans.. very simple... brill!

There are other apps I want to use. Like Where. I got this for when I actually travel, but I wanted to test it out in my home city, so used it like crazy for a few days... I haven't used it since, but will do when I go on vacation.

Games... are a fad. And I only play with them for a few days/weeks before I get bored.

Have maybe 50% apps, I would likely not use again. Partly due to the network.. takes too long. The free WiFi is too slow, more often than not slower than 3G in some areas... and/or the refresh is too slow.

The 24hr test is a good idea. Especially for the more expensive apps. Or insist they have "lite" versions. ie any app over USD5 (or GBP3)
 
Simple free app

I have a web page I'd like to make available as an app. Just to get more hits. Has Apple ever approved something like that? If they have, can anyone give me the Xcode of the app so I can just copy in my URL and submit? Please send your reply (if positive!) to henry@jhu.edu so I don't miss it. Thanx!
 
so true

Enuratique said:
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that there's no consequence to free apps. In general, you get what you pay for. There are notable exceptions (RolandoLite, etc) however a lot of apps are just buggy or not worth the paid version... People realize this after the first use.

The only free app I can recall using on a regular basis is Sudoku by Mighty Mighty Good Games. It's what I do when on the ******* at work.
Click to expand...


My thoughts EXACTLY. I do the SAME thing at work.
 
Skins? Apple release skins? Talk about a pipe dream.

But on topic, looking at my iPhone I have 17 apps, 9 of them free, 1 ad-supported, and I'll admit of the free apps, I use only 3 everyday but the other ones are on my phone for when I need them.

If my computer is on and I remember, I will check the weather there instead of using the Accuweather app (the default weather app is slightly better than looking out the window). Which would be a reason why I don't use some apps daily.

I have 4 games on my phone, 2 of which have been on the phone since I got it. Of my purchased apps, the 2 I paid the most for I still have on the phone and use at least weekly.
 
Baseball

As the author of the (currently) free iPhone app "Baseball", that graph seems to be somewhat close to what I've seen except for seasonal influence of the baseball season. There have been over 400,000 downloads of Baseball, almost all of them during last year's season but there is a small but steady continuing flow of downloads. I am planning to release version 2.0 in the next few weeks and charge $2.99. It will be interesting to see if it drops to 25% of the free version or not.
-Mark
 
ChrisA said:
...Pinch Media discovered that only about 1% of downloads end up being used long-term
Click to expand...

So in other words iPhones apps are mostly just novelties that ware off very soon and most people have no need to them at all and just get them only because they are free of very low cost.

Kind of figures... for most people cell phones are like that too. Just entertainment that they don't really need.[/QUOTE]


Absolutely, there is a lot of money to be made in selling people things they don't really need/won't really use.
 
mirv said:
As the author of the (currently) free iPhone app "Baseball", that graph seems to be somewhat close to what I've seen except for seasonal influence of the baseball season. There have been over 400,000 downloads of Baseball, almost all of them during last year's season but there is a small but steady continuing flow of downloads. I am planning to release version 2.0 in the next few weeks and charge $2.99. It will be interesting to see if it drops to 25% of the free version or not.
-Mark
Click to expand...
Is that the one with all the old teams whose logos you had to remove?
 
Where do they get the info?

Maybe I'm missing something here, but how can Pinch Media tell how many times you use an app?

I realize they can find out quite easily how many apps are downloaded but how the heck do they know how many times you actually touch the icon to open the app on your iPhone? This amount of knowledge seems to be a bit of overkill - why would anyone want to waste the server space to catalog the number of times you use an app after you buy or download it?

Does Adobe track how many times you open Photoshop, etc?

Just asking for info . . . .
 
MacEyeDoc said:
Maybe I'm missing something here, but how can Pinch Media tell how many times you use an app?

I realize they can find out quite easily how many apps are downloaded but how the heck do they know how many times you actually touch the icon to open the app on your iPhone?
Click to expand...

That's what i thought by myselft. I have no idea and hope that they just made a guess............
 
MacEyeDoc said:
I realize they can find out quite easily how many apps are downloaded but how the heck do they know how many times you actually touch the icon to open the app on your iPhone? This amount of knowledge seems to be a bit of overkill - why would anyone want to waste the server space to catalog the number of times you use an app after you buy or download it?

Does Adobe track how many times you open Photoshop, etc?

Just asking for info . . . .
Click to expand...

Not overkill at all, in fact I would argue that how many times an app is used is more important that how many times it is downloaded...

Many Iphone apps connect to a server for content. This allows developers to track their usage. Its also how they can track how many more copies of the app have been cracked and stolen vs. downloaded from the app store.

and yes, photoshop and the rest of the creative suite does "call home" just about every time you open it... I don't think too many people outside of adobe knows what they do with that data. I assume that a great deal of it is ignored. Last time I was at Adobe's headquarters, however, I was very impressed at the types of penetration and usage statistics they were able to present to me.
 
lucidmedia said:
Not overkill at all, in fact I would argue that how many times an app is used is more important that how many times it is downloaded...

Many Iphone apps connect to a server for content. This allows developers to track their usage. Its also how they can track how many more copies of the app have been cracked and stolen vs. downloaded from the app store.

and yes, photoshop and the rest of the creative suite does "call home" just about every time you open it... I don't think too many people outside of adobe knows what they do with that data. I assume that a great deal of it is ignored. Last time I was at Adobe's headquarters, however, I was very impressed at the types of penetration and usage statistics they were able to present to me.
Click to expand...


Thanks for your answer. I can see now that a developer might want to know how many times an app is used. I'm surprised that data is so easily obtained.

Still the ability for someone else to know exactly how many times I use an app is a little unsettling. Now that my eyes are opened a bit, I could see that someone could be tracking not only how many times I use an app, but what time of day it is, or where I am when I do it.

In fact, lucidmedia, I cracked open that database and found that you used the app "iFart" 3600 times in the last month. And 1000 of those times where in church!! (Just kidding - but you see where this could lead)

I like being informed of who knows what about what I'm doing. It is interesting that a few years ago you could buy a CD and listen to it once or 1 million times, and no one would know the difference. Now, apparently, if you use something on the iPhone, someone knows exactly what, when, where and how many times you are doing that "thing".

Kinda sobering . . . . . .
 
There are some itune apps and 3rd party apps that I use ona daily basis.
I tend o pay a lot more for 3rd party apps than I would on an itunes apps.
 
manhattanboy said:
This confirms what most people already know... most of the apps on the store are useless.
Now if we can just get a streaming 3G hulu app..........
Click to expand...

agreed. Hulu would be awesome, and this article is pointing out the obvious. People become bored with apps that either addicting (games), useful (Yelp, maps, etc.) or community based (facebook, twitter).

It would be much more interesting if they broke out each of the various types of apps.
 
The problem is, there is no "Demo" available for apps.

If I download a free app to see what it is, and don't like it, I remove it.

Paid apps NEED to be able to get a sample prior to purchase.
 
Enuratique said:
The only free app I can recall using on a regular basis is Sudoku by Mighty Mighty Good Games. It's what I do when on the ******* at work.
Click to expand...

goodwilldrums said:
My thoughts EXACTLY. I do the SAME thing at work.
Click to expand...

Aaargh. Thanks for that, I'll do my best to blot those images from my mind for the rest of the day. :)

wooo said:
I'd have to agree here, sure the fart and beer apps etc. are going to be collecting dust and are really just a fad (a lucrative one of course)
Click to expand...

marine610610 said:
Kind of figures... for most people cell phones are like that too. Just entertainment that they don't really need.
Click to expand...

Definitely agree with this. In the UK we have multiple mobile phone game/ringtone/wallpaper download services: probably the best known one is Jamster (may they burn in Hell for the Crazy Frog). These things cost £4.50 PER WEEK to subscribe to, just to get something that you could get for free with 10 minutes on google. People will, quite obviously, pay good money for any old crap. From that point of view I'd guess that the average MacRumors member is a bit of an edge case, as we probably tend to be more techy than the average phone user and maybe more likely to be discerning about what we download and more likely to take the DIY route than paying for stuff we can easily do ourselves.
 
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