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First-Day Mac App Store Sales Results: 'Chopper 2' Grosses Nearly $30,000
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Not really...I'm not saying huge like Broderbund or EA or Microsoft...but software companies of say 100+ employees. Heck, even 50 employees at a company requires a good income to pay for everything.
I'm sure there are (or will be) plenty of Mac App development houses of 1-5 guys.
Because the "not willing to pay $29 to upgrade my OS" group and the "still chugging along on my 5 year old computer" group are where the real money is at.
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Any details on sales of any non-games? Going by this website, you never know that iOS and MacOS had any apps besides games.
Any details on sales of any non-games? Going by this website, you never know that iOS and MacOS had any apps besides games.
Wait and See...
If everyone remembers the availability of iPad ready apps were few and far between when it first launched... and they quickly materialized in the following weeks of launch... I think some of the same will happen here... while I'll admit that some of the price points are a little higher than I would like to see them (I would like to see most apps in the below $20 range)... I think its a good start... I think things will settle in the coming months... personally I like the concept of Freemium pricing
For me, the whole concept of the Mac App Store is exciting and long overdue... I think its a great way to shop for apps... given the approval process by Apple I think it also gives users a sense of comfort in that the software they are downloading is legit software and not something that might be packed with spyware, or malware...
If everyone remembers the availability of iPad ready apps were few and far between when it first launched... and they quickly materialized in the following weeks of launch... I think some of the same will happen here... while I'll admit that some of the price points are a little higher than I would like to see them (I would like to see most apps in the below $20 range)... I think its a good start... I think things will settle in the coming months... personally I like the concept of Freemium pricing
For me, the whole concept of the Mac App Store is exciting and long overdue... I think its a great way to shop for apps... given the approval process by Apple I think it also gives users a sense of comfort in that the software they are downloading is legit software and not something that might be packed with spyware, or malware...
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I fail to see any relationship between spending thousands of dollars on a new PC and buying applications. And not everyone even knows they even can update to 10.6. Face it, not allowing this on 10.5 and above limits the market unnecessarily.
BaldiMac said:
I fail to see any relationship between spending thousands of dollars on a new PC and buying applications. And not everyone even knows they even can update to 10.6. Face it, not allowing this on 10.5 and above limits the market unnecessarily.
PDF Toolkit sales number
As an additional point of comparison, sales of PDF Toolkit for the first day were 76, at a price point of $4.99.
As an additional point of comparison, sales of PDF Toolkit for the first day were 76, at a price point of $4.99.
You can't see any relationship? You don't think someone that spends money to upgrade their PC and OS regularly and likes to be on the leading edge is more likely to spend money on software?
Regardless, I'd bet the main reason for the decision is to limit the app store to Intel only. Smaller downloads. Less issues for developers.
I would say that the majority of these $1-$2 apps are made by individuals or small companies for whom an annual turnover of $700k would be an absolute dream come true.
Errr... no? You pay Apple 30% no matter how much you charge. $0.30 for a $1 app, $3 for a $10 app. 2000 people buying your $1 app makes you much more money than 30 people buying your $10 app, and that's why some of the most profitable apps on iOS has been extremely cheap. It opens your app up to a much wider audience and allows you to make much more money. And at $1 you get to enjoy plenty of impulse buys.
The exceptions to this rule: your app is marvelous enough that people will happily buy it at higher prices (e.g. console-quality games or professional software; it still might make sense to sell it cheaper), or your app appeals to a niche market which prevents you from selling to a reasonable slice of the app store's addressable market.
And $700K probably pays, nicely, for most apps out there.
No, money isn't everything. I haven't downloaded Chopper 2 because I don't like the graphics much and it doesn't seem very appealing, neither have I downloaded any of the free ones either. In fact I paid the $4.99 for Angry Birds.
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The point about intel only is a good one. But I'd still argue that the intent of the app store is to sell software to exact opposite of the person you describe. The leading edge user already knows how to seek out and buy software they want. The app store is for the normal user, who is less likely to be on 10.6.6.
In fact I have yet to upgrade my intel machines to 10.6. Didn't see a reason to. I will now though because I would like to use the app store.
BaldiMac said:
The point about intel only is a good one. But I'd still argue that the intent of the app store is to sell software to exact opposite of the person you describe. The leading edge user already knows how to seek out and buy software they want. The app store is for the normal user, who is less likely to be on 10.6.6.
In fact I have yet to upgrade my intel machines to 10.6. Didn't see a reason to. I will now though because I would like to use the app store.
I disagree about the target user. My point was more about spending money, not being leading edge, tinkerer supreme. I think the app store is targeted at new computer users. Someone with their first Mac. Someone who switched because of an iOS device. Not someone who has had the same computer setup for 5 years. They've already made most of their major purchases anyway.
An interesting consideration, but this probably won't be the case. A key benefit of the app store is discoverability. Aside from power users who literally turn their computers into their hobby, many of those 'leading edge users' aren't aware of all the programs out there, and even if they are, they are probably quite frustrated with their ability to evaluate, compare, and get user feedback about them. The App Store will probably be a big hit with them, and they're probably more likely to spend than a user who isn't upgrading their OS.
That said, I can see plenty of reason for the App Store to be successful in previous versions of Mac OS. I think the Intel-only theory is the best one to describe this decision.
This is probably the best comment and response to all the pre-SnowLeopard comments.
It's about money after all.
"It's nothing new, of course. Mas OS X has been a consistency nightmare for years now, with boatloads of different themes, and functionally identical UI elements that look entirely different from one another. Where Apple once stood at the forefront of consistent, sensible UI design (Platinum, I salute you!), the company took a left turn to bananas a few years ago."
Amen.
http://www.osnews.com/story/24218/Co...hioned_Stodgy_
Amen.
http://www.osnews.com/story/24218/Co...hioned_Stodgy_
Seems these games are a bit sophmoric for a full scale OS. I mean, I have angry birds on my iphone because it's great for killing time but I would hope the games available on Mac would be a bit better than Stuff on the scale of Super Mario bros era gaming.
I can think of a few reasons.
- It required an OS update, and Apple isn't updating 10.5 (except for security issues) at this point.
- Intel only means smaller downloads and less work for developers.
- Only one OS to support makes it easier for developers for the initial rollout.
- Apple is not a big fan of legacy support.
I publish an app called Todolicious on the Mac App Store. I published my first day sales numbers for it, including its position in the charts.