Realmac Consolidating 'Clear' iOS Apps, Limited Free Offer to Migrate Coming Soon

[itbeme]

What the @*¨ ?

So let me see if I get this.

1) I bought the original Clear
2) They introduced Clear+ - I bought it again
3) Now so appease those who never bought Clear+, they are retiring the app that I paid for and moving back to an app that they've upgraded to appease customers who never paid for the upgrade.

In the confusion, if I don't time it just right and make their two "free upgrades" back to the original, I will have to pay - again ! Oh wait ! I can sign up to be notified so that I don't have to pay a third time. Now you can spam me to your heart's content …he he.

Folks - in living color, here it is - a showcase for why 20 something kids (or teenagers for that matter) may be great coders, but can't tie their shoe laces when it comes to business.

And blaming big,bad Apple and the App Store ..please, the whole ecosystem isn't a mess, RealMac is. What a joke.

Rgds,

 

[mrbofus]

RealMac did handle their "upgrade" to Clear+ very poorly, but it's just sad that iOS users are so adverse to paying for upgrades (or anything for that matter).

I paid for Clear and I paid for the Clear+. Realmac is also handling this pretty poorly too. The founder never once apologizes in his open letter. In the letter and their related FAQ, they basically say that they want to give refunds but can't because of Apple. While they may not be able to give refunds through Apple's system, what is stopping Realmac from giving refunds themselves?

 

[mrbofus]

So let me see if I get this.

1) I bought the original Clear
2) They introduced Clear+ - I bought it again
3) Now so appease those who never bought Clear+, they are retiring the app that I paid for and moving back to an app that they've upgraded to appease customers who never paid for the upgrade.

In the confusion, if I don't time it just right and make their two "free upgrades" back to the original, I will have to pay - again ! Oh wait ! I can sign up to be notified so that I don't have to pay a third time. Now you can spam me to your heart's content …he he.

Folks - in living color, here it is - a showcase for why 20 something kids (or teenagers for that matter) may be great coders, but can't tie their shoe laces when it comes to business.

And blaming big,bad Apple and the App Store ..please, the whole ecosystem isn't a mess, RealMac is. What a joke.

Rgds,

Exactly!!!! I too purchased Clear and Clear+. And boy, am I offended/pissed/confused about Realmac.

I e-mailed the founder (Dan) and his reply was a joke too (and riddled with grammatical errors).

He never once apologizes; in his open letter nor in his e-mail response to me. He (and Realmac) keep blaming Apple for not being able to issue refunds, and sure, maybe they can't issue refunds through Apple's system, but what is stopping Realmac from issuing refunds themselves? Dan now has my contact information; he could offer to refund me via PayPal, or offer to write me a check, or offer to pay me back through an Amazon gift card, or something. But no offer is ever made.

He actually had the balls (and the lack of ethics) to say that they're a small independent company of 8 people with families, all just trying to survive and make a living. So I guess if I accidentally take some money for him, it's OK for me to keep it even after realizing I had a mistake just because I'm trying to survive and make a living? And how is a company of 8 people "just trying to survive" on millions and millions of dollars? They say in their FAQ that Clear has over 1.5 million users and that Clear+ has a "significantly lower number of users." They charge $4.99, so they have at least $5 million from Clear alone (after Apple's 30%), plus probably at least another $1 million from Clear+, if not more. Plus there's whatever money they have from the Clear for Mac app, which they charge $9.99 for. They also charge $49.99 for Ember on the Mac App Store, and $79.99 for RapidWeaver.

 

[itbeme]

Thanks mrbofus -

Now after reading your note below (which validates what I said and then some), it becomes crystal clear (as if I had any doubts to begin with, see my original note) - these guys just don't get it - have absolutely no clue.

If you want to take care of your families - then what you do is "build" for the long term. Unfortunately you cannot, will not in a million lifetimes ever do that without taking into account customer satisfaction. In order to do that, Realmac needs to understand who that the folks who buy their software are their customers…... not Apple's !. It' YOU Realmac, stop playing the blame-game. If there were 100,000 debacles like this then you could blame it on the App Store - or rather, you wouldn't have to, the App Store would go out of business. Which by the way is where Realmac is headed... unless they hire someone with at least a modicum of business sense to begin with. Yeah, the "man" is keeping me down.

I want to cry when I read this kind of feedback - these guys just compounded things. BTW - not at all surprised by the arrogance.

Yeah - one more time - I paid twice - that`s 1+1 that if Realmac had a clue might realize is one time too many to begin with.

I very, very rarely ever post on forums about stuff like this - but I have to say, this is pathetic, utterly incompetent.

Rgds,

 

[hamis92]

So let me see if I get this.

1) I bought the original Clear
2) They introduced Clear+ - I bought it again
3) Now so appease those who never bought Clear+, they are retiring the app that I paid for and moving back to an app that they've upgraded to appease customers who never paid for the upgrade.

In the confusion, if I don't time it just right and make their two "free upgrades" back to the original, I will have to pay - again ! Oh wait ! I can sign up to be notified so that I don't have to pay a third time. Now you can spam me to your heart's content …he he.

Better double-check your logic, because this is how it actually works:

Since you already bought the original Clear, you can download it again for free from the App Store at any time, because it's tied to your iTunes account. Any previous purchases can always be re-downloaded for free.

It's not even possible to pay twice for an app you already own.

 

[C DM]

Better double-check your logic, because this is how it actually works:

Since you already bought the original Clear, you can download it again for free from the App Store at any time, because it's tied to your iTunes account. Any previous purchases can always be re-downloaded for free.

It's not even possible to pay twice for an app you already own.

It seems that at least part of the logic there is as follows: those who originally purchased Clear paid X, and then they paid Y for Clear+, and now they are going back to Clear having paid X+Y total, while those who only bought Clear originally for X and never bought Clear+ or those who will simply buy the new Clear now for X will simply pay X. So, those who were actually loyal to the product spent an extra Y amount essentially just for being loyal, while those who weren't, got to save that Y amount.

 

[willcapellaro]

About time. The product could not be more fragmented.

----------

It's not even possible to pay twice for an app you already own.

Yes it is, it's called Clear 2. Plenty of devs do it if they need a quick cash grab.

----------

One more thing: Realmac, when you do release the new magical app(s), please let us know which ones we need to use to get them to sync.

 

[mrbofus]

Better double-check your logic, because this is how it actually works:

Since you already bought the original Clear, you can download it again for free from the App Store at any time, because it's tied to your iTunes account. Any previous purchases can always be re-downloaded for free.

It's not even possible to pay twice for an app you already own.

For me, the issue isn't that I already bought Clear; that's fine. My issue is that I bought Clear+ and am being told by the company and its founder that it doesn't matter that I was a loyal user and supporter of a small developer. I paid for Clear and Clear+, so if they're going back to Clear, why shouldn't I get my money back for Clear+? They keep blaming Apple for not being able to issue refunds, and that's fine in that I understand they can't issue refunds through Apple's system. But there is nothing stopping Realmac from issuing refunds themselves.

 

[bareynolds]

Confusing

When Clear first came out it was sexy, simple and fun to use .. I got it. As I wanted the syncing function on the iPad I got Clear+, and was happy to pay for it [although I thought it was a bit expensive]. Now you confuse me, you are discontinuing Clear+ and will not automatically migrate me to the new format but rather give me a "window of opportunity" to do so. Which means if I am busy or traveling I may miss this opportunity. I personally do not have the time, patience or desire to keep an eye out for the mysterious time to change back. Too much trouble for a platform that has changed little since its introduction and other apps have come on the market with greater functionality. Bye Clear and Clear+.

 

[itbeme]

When Clear first came out it was sexy, simple and fun to use .. I got it. As I wanted the syncing function on the iPad I got Clear+, and was happy to pay for it [although I thought it was a bit expensive]. Now you confuse me, you are discontinuing Clear+ and will not automatically migrate me to the new format but rather give me a "window of opportunity" to do so. Which means if I am busy or traveling I may miss this opportunity. I personally do not have the time, patience or desire to keep an eye out for the mysterious time to change back. Too much trouble for a platform that has changed little since its introduction and other apps have come on the market with greater functionality. Bye Clear and Clear+.

Bingo - and per above - how the #!* do you reward people who never made the upgrade and potentially "freeze out" the loyal, honest people who did. This silly "window of opportunity" thing is complete BS. They should simply leave the folks who paid 2x (Clear, then again Clear +) alone - i.e. give them a free pass, and then make sure those who never paid for Clear+ in the first place ante up.

The logic here is beyond me - and it's going to backfire. I can only imagine the meeting where this decision was made.

Somebody help these folks find the plug in the wall labeled "reality" so they can get reconnected to it.

Rgds,

 

[mrbofus]

Bingo - and per above - how the #!* do you reward people who never made the upgrade and potentially "freeze out" the loyal, honest people who did. This silly "window of opportunity" thing is complete BS. They should simply leave the folks who paid 2x (Clear, then again Clear +) alone - i.e. give them a free pass, and then make sure those who never paid for Clear+ in the first place ante up.

The logic here is beyond me - and it's going to backfire. I can only imagine the meeting where this decision was made.

Somebody help these folks find the plug in the wall labeled "reality" so they can get reconnected to it.

Rgds,

It's all about money. In their FAQ about the transition ( http://help.realmacsoftware.com/hc/en-us/articles/200236701 ), they say that Clear has over 1.5 million users and Clear+ "has a significantly lower number of users", so they're basically saying that they would rather screw their loyal customers because there are fewer of us. By rewarding the people who didn't care about iPad support enough to pay for it, Realmac is hoping when they introduce Clear 2, there will be more people around to pay for it.

Of course, to me, that doesn't make sense, because the people who paid for Clear+ are the kind of users to pay for Clear 2; the kind of people who never bothered to pay for Clear+ are the kind of people who won't pay for Clear 2.

Either way, the fact that they still won't apologize and continue to blame Apple shows how inconsiderate/idiotic/stubborn/arrogant/deluded Realmac's 8 employees are.

 

[hamis92]

It seems that at least part of the logic there is as follows: those who originally purchased Clear paid X, and then they paid Y for Clear+, and now they are going back to Clear having paid X+Y total, while those who only bought Clear originally for X and never bought Clear+ or those who will simply buy the new Clear now for X will simply pay X. So, those who were actually loyal to the product spent an extra Y amount essentially just for being loyal, while those who weren't, got to save that Y amount.

You're right. It wasn't my intention to try to imply this whole episode is a non-issue, I simply wanted to correct that tiny bit of misinformation there I wholeheartedly agree this arrangement is unfair toward users who purchased both applications (or even just Clear+ if they happen to miss the timeframes when Clear is free).

Yes it is, it's called Clear 2. Plenty of devs do it if they need a quick cash grab.

While the user might see it that way, and I don't blame them, from the technical standpoint it's not the same application. The developer as well as the App Store must and does treat them as separate entities. I likewise agree Apple have made it impossible for developers to implement paid upgrades in a way that is not confusing and problematic for users.

Of course, to me, that doesn't make sense, because the people who paid for Clear+ are the kind of users to pay for Clear 2; the kind of people who never bothered to pay for Clear+ are the kind of people who won't pay for Clear 2..

It's not so simple. I didn't buy Clear+ because it wouldn't have given me any benefits over the original (my iPad doesn't meet the requirements). Many people may simply think they don't need it on their iPads so they passed. Either way, I'm sure many of these people would pay for a major upgrade that has things they would actually use. I would.

 

[SmoMo]

3c Art

Sure. Lets continue to devalue our creations to a point where you can't even pay the fees for the payment processing.

And if your app costs 2 Dollars you only need 15,000 downloads to make the same amount of money. That's much more likely than selling one Million copies of your 3 cent app. There is a good chance that your app won't even get 1 million downloads if it's free.
The times were any ****** app gets massive of downloads are over. Don't look at Flappy Bird too much, that's the one in a million that disproves the rule. You won't create the next flappy bird.

Yes, this price will still be too high for the majority of the people who won't buy your app for 1 Dollar. It's not about the actual price, it's about paying or not paying and the value of your app.

Even if every single person in the world has an iPhone you will never be able to make a living with an app that costs 3 cents.

Imagine if 0.01% of your customers have a question about the app and they start to email you. Who do you want to be? The guy who sold 1 million copies or the one who sold 15,000 copies for the same revenue?

You make a good point about the support costs, but (conveniently ) ignoring that issue for now, I don't think the idea of 3cent apps should be written off so quickly as a bad thing.

If we assume that the cost of developing game Apps is a constant ( in fact it is decreasing but lets assume it is a constant ) then I am suggesting that each time the potential market size doubles the price of the Apps can halve.

Otherwise App developers would be making twice as much as they did previously for exactly the same effort/expense, and that would be a peculiar situation in a relatively free market.

Now to your second point, 'Do I want to be the guy who sold 1million copies or the one who sold 15,000 copies for the same revenue' I can answer with absolute certainty I'd rather sell the million (please).

I've only been in the video games industry since 1996, but judging from the people I've worked with that would be the normal response for anyone that is even remotely artistic.
The purpose of all the toil and love put into the product is ultimately to reach an audience, and the bigger the audience the better.

 

[mrbofus]

It's not so simple. I didn't buy Clear+ because it wouldn't have given me any benefits over the original (my iPad doesn't meet the requirements). Many people may simply think they don't need it on their iPads so they passed. Either way, I'm sure many of these people would pay for a major upgrade that has things they would actually use. I would.

Well, I wasn't saying that people who didn't need Clear+ would buy Clear+ blindly; I was assuming that the people who bought Clear+ had iPads that supported it.

 

[netsped]

It's free now, only for today.

 

[tracyglover]

sadly, people do bite the bait.

http://iaf-ifa.org/