Will iPad Pro Drive Up The Price of Apps?

[jazz1]

I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the IPP. However, it got me to thinking that if this is an "enterprise" device is there going to be some "pro" tiered apps with higher prices than we are used accustomed?

One of the great features of the iPad in the first place was that the apps were very reasonably priced and acceptably "low powered" compared to apps for Apple computers. I'm not a developer and I'm not familiar with the rules governing pricing of apps via the official Apple app stores.

With the larger screen and "higher power" of the IPP could we be looking at prices that compare to applications for full blown computers?

That said good software is worth supporting through purchase.

 

[engineerben]

I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the IPP. However, it got me to thinking that if this is an "enterprise" device is there going to be some "pro" tiered apps with higher prices than we are used accustomed?

One of the great features of the iPad in the first place was that the apps were very reasonably priced and acceptably "low powered" compared to apps for Apple computers. I'm not a developer and I'm not familiar with the rules governing pricing of apps via the official Apple app stores.

With the larger screen and "higher power" of the IPP could we be looking at prices that compare to applications for full blown computers?

That said good software is worth supporting through purchase.

You know, Microsoft has already done that. On the iPad you can use Word for IOS to edit files without a subscription; on the IPP you have to have an Office 365 subscription to edit files (you can always view files).

I agree - good software is worth paying for, and I suspect software that takes advantage of the bigger screen, faster CPU and pencil will be priced somewhat higher.

 

[Dranix]

My price target for special iPP apps is currently in the 10-20eur range while I see normal iPad apps at max 10eur. But this is developer thinking. No guess how the market will react to it.

 

[sjleworthy]

i suspect there'll be a higher general bottom line flat rate for Pro sized apps. but i dont suspect it'll be that much higher.
but i highly suspect devs will take the new liberty of charging more than the usual for more 'pro' pro apps. as mentioned above, i can certainly see 10-20 bucks a piece for the 'better' softwares. and i suspect we'll see some truly awesome and deserving apps made available.

 

[Amazing Ox Space Monkey]

I wouldn't mind it if those programs have a trial period or free version with limited features.

 

[jazz1]

i suspect there'll be a higher general bottom line flat rate for Pro sized apps. but i dont suspect it'll be that much higher.
but i highly suspect devs will take the new liberty of charging more than the usual for more 'pro' pro apps. as mentioned above, i can certainly see 10-20 bucks a piece for the 'better' softwares. and i suspect we'll see some truly awesome and deserving apps made available.

Well I hope the developers remember that the one "premium" app can't be a one trick pony. Meaning, it only does one thing. I think that the "premium" app has to provide several features that truly takes advantage of the larger screen, limited multi-tasking, higher end CPU. Failing that a suite of bundled apps dedicated to a specific purpose, say for instance photography. I'm no developer, just a consumer that wants good apps for a fair price. Again, I don't have any idea what the developers face with the rules governing them on the iTunes Store. They do have to make a living, and I appreciate that.

 

[Dranix]

Well that race to the bottom pricing of most apps isn't fair for the developers - It's hard to get at least a black zero with 0.99ct apps. I really hope we get the level of iOS apps higher, but I fear people won't be willig to pay survivable prices.

 

[nickyD410]

I feel like the 10-20 range is about how much I would be willing to pay. But the apps need to be somewhat "pro" level and not just a larger regular ipad app.

 

[sracer]

I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the IPP. However, it got me to thinking that if this is an "enterprise" device is there going to be some "pro" tiered apps with higher prices than we are used accustomed?

One of the great features of the iPad in the first place was that the apps were very reasonably priced and acceptably "low powered" compared to apps for Apple computers. I'm not a developer and I'm not familiar with the rules governing pricing of apps via the official Apple app stores.

With the larger screen and "higher power" of the IPP could we be looking at prices that compare to applications for full blown computers?

That said good software is worth supporting through purchase.

You can expect pricing to rise...and pretty significantly at that... but not until either the 2nd gen of the iPad Pro, or an update to iOS that expands the scope of "pro" capabilities.

The introduction of the Apple Pencil by itself isn't going to increase the number of "pro" apps. The larger screen might make a few more things feasible that weren't on the smaller screens.

The introduction of a file manager (exposed file system), support for pointing devices, support for external storage, etc. would definitely usher in higher-priced "pro" apps. Leisure/casual apps can only demand a particular price... productivity apps can garner higher prices.

 

[engineerben]

You can expect pricing to rise...and pretty significantly at that... but not until either the 2nd gen of the iPad Pro, or an update to iOS that expands the scope of "pro" capabilities.

The introduction of the Apple Pencil by itself isn't going to increase the number of "pro" apps. The larger screen might make a few more things feasible that weren't on the smaller screens.

The introduction of a file manager (exposed file system), support for pointing devices, support for external storage, etc. would definitely usher in higher-priced "pro" apps. Leisure/casual apps can only demand a particular price... productivity apps can garner higher prices.

I don't know, sracer - I'm not sure the one (notebook-style features) has much to do with the other (availability of pro apps).

The reason the pro apps are available on the Microsoft products is because the Surface runs unmodified Windows. There's zero development cost, so any additional sales the developer makes on the Surface platform is just gravy. Similarly, if Apple decided to build a Macbook convertible, then OS X apps would automatically run on that, and any new revenue would be icing on the cake to the developer. </food_analogies>

What about IOS? New platform, available for developers 2008, iPad intro 2010. Five years later, MS has ported a significant subset of their office suite to the platform, and there are quite a few pro apps available. For example, OmniGraffle (I have no connection to the Omni Group) is a worthy competitor to MS Visio, an app that isn't available on either OS X or IOS. It's $50 in the app store, with a $50 in-app purchase to bump it to "pro" status. So, $100 for a "pro" level app. And since I already use and love OmniGraffle on my MBP, if OG supports the pencil, I'll probably drop the $100 to get the app on the IPP.

If the more well-known brands see enough of that sales traffic, they won't sit on the sidelines, regardless of whether the app has notebook features (exposed file system, mouse support, etc.)

 

[sracer]

I don't know, sracer - I'm not sure the one (notebook-style features) has much to do with the other (availability of pro apps).

The reason the pro apps are available on the Microsoft products is because the Surface runs unmodified Windows. There's zero development cost, so any additional sales the developer makes on the Surface platform is just gravy. Similarly, if Apple decided to build a Macbook convertible, then OS X apps would automatically run on that, and any new revenue would be icing on the cake to the developer. </food_analogies>

That is why the Surface line continues to lag behind in tablet user experience compared to Android and iOS. Running desktop apps on a touchscreen device is not ideal. Yes it can be done, but that is inferior to apps that are specifically designed for a touch UI. In that regard, the Surface is not really a pro "tablet". Look at the apps showcased for the Surface... desktop versions of apps.

What about IOS? New platform, available for developers 2008, iPad intro 2010. Five years later, MS has ported a significant subset of their office suite to the platform, and there are quite a few pro apps available. For example, OmniGraffle (I have no connection to the Omni Group) is a worthy competitor to MS Visio, an app that isn't available on either OS X or IOS. It's $50 in the app store, with a $50 in-app purchase to bump it to "pro" status. So, $100 for a "pro" level app. And since I already use and love OmniGraffle on my MBP, if OG supports the pencil, I'll probably drop the $100 to get the app on the IPP.

If the more well-known brands see enough of that sales traffic, they won't sit on the sidelines, regardless of whether the app has notebook features (exposed file system, mouse support, etc.)

Part of it is practicality, but part of it is perception. There is nothing uniquely "pro" about the iPad Pro. It's a larger iPad that is faster and supports an active stylus. That will move things forward slightly, but to give the perception that the iPad Pro can be a more productive device than the iPad, Apple should expanding its capabilities to move it more toward notebook-like features. Doing those things that I suggested do not compromise their vision for the iPad but give a greater perception of the iPad being usable for productive work. (That's not to say that productive work cannot be accomplished with the current iPad hardware... it certain can. I do.)

 

[Badrottie]

Premium apps should cost at lease 10.00 or more. Freebies should remain FREE. Unpopular apps can be priced 99 cents for all iPad Pro.

 

[sjleworthy]

But how and who defines a premium app? And a jump to 10 bucks is massive as a standard. But then, some apps coat so much more.

 

[DynamicSausage]

I wouldn't be suprised if many apps stayed the same but the iPad Pro inspired some new "professional" apps in the same way that many Mac Apps are fairly low priced and then Logic Pro is just thrown in there at £149.99, still actually quite cheap in my opinion.

I don't expect we'll be paying those sorts of prices but twice or three times the price of your average mobile app is a real possibility.

 

[masotime]

I think we need to change the expectation that apps should be 99c "cheap". No company is going to spend the time and money to hire dozens of developers (easily tens of millions a year in costs) to develop a full fledged pro-level application and then hope that tens of millions of people will buy them.

This is especially an issue since people are now conditioned to get app updates for free forever - developers don't work for free to maintain and improve an app once it has been launched.

If we aren't willing to accept higher prices for quality apps with full functionality, and to expect to pay for new versions, then it isn't going to happen, period. You're probably better off going for a full-fledged laptop OS like OS X or Windows then, where prices aren't so cheap.

There is a threshold of course. $500 - $1000 (Adobe I'm looking at you...) apps used to be the norm in the past, which always felt ridiculous to me. That shouldn't happen again, especially as software delivery systems are now so much more sophisticated.

 

[jazz1]

Well my worst nightmare is if they go Microsoft and we get to rent our pro apps

 

[mw360]

The clues are there that Apple doesn't expect to ship millions of this thing, so the market for these pro apps will be modest, and RoI more difficult. With the attitude to "fair" pricing that's going around these days, I don't see how it's going to work. The mechanics of the App store doesn't support high pricing at all, and the customers certainly don't. I see people quite proud of their generosity when they're willing to pay $10. That seems bizarre to me. I remember single purpose shareware apps being in the £30-£50 range, and it being no great hardship to invest in them if they were useful.

I think Apple has fostered this deliberately, with their no-demo policy etc., and perhaps not-so-deliberately with the legions of savages leaving their reviews. I don't see any sign of that changing, so I'm not quite sure exactly what they expect developers to do. The App Store certainly isn't a very "Pro" environment.

 

[jazz1]

The clues are there that Apple doesn't expect to ship millions of this thing, so the market for these pro apps will be modest, and RoI more difficult. With the attitude to "fair" pricing that's going around these days, I don't see how it's going to work. The mechanics of the App store doesn't support high pricing at all, and the customers certainly don't. I see people quite proud of their generosity when they're willing to pay $10. That seems bizarre to me. I remember single purpose shareware apps being in the £30-£50 range, and it being no great hardship to invest in them if they were useful.

I think Apple has fostered this deliberately, with their no-demo policy etc., and perhaps not-so-deliberately with the legions of savages leaving their reviews. I don't see any sign of that changing, so I'm not quite sure exactly what they expect developers to do. The App Store certainly isn't a very "Pro" environment.

Very interesting take regarding the the market for the IPP and subsequently "pro" software should it become a reality. I wondering if there are any developers out there that would care to comment, or would that be against their better interests interests (or NDA)?

Maybe I'm all wrong about "pro" apps emerging. Maybe the iTunes store will remain the same regardless of the hardware? It will be interesting to find out.

 

[justin216]

As a developer, I hope the average price rises. Current situation is such that you have to have a top-10 hit to make back an app investment in a reasonable period of time, or have the app be a small part of a larger ecosystem outside of the App Store that generates the revenue. Or, it's a small indie house with outside investors that are playing the long game, or it's a labor of love.

As a consumer, I'm ok with spending more on apps as long as functionality and support match the investment. To be honest, I'm not adverse to paying a premium for creative and development related tools. If an app helps me be more productive and generate revenue for my business, I can justify higher costs.

Will be interesting to see where it all goes.

 

[engineerben]

The clues are there that Apple doesn't expect to ship millions of this thing, so the market for these pro apps will be modest, and RoI more difficult. With the attitude to "fair" pricing that's going around these days, I don't see how it's going to work. The mechanics of the App store doesn't support high pricing at all, and the customers certainly don't. I see people quite proud of their generosity when they're willing to pay $10. That seems bizarre to me. I remember single purpose shareware apps being in the £30-£50 range, and it being no great hardship to invest in them if they were useful.

I think Apple has fostered this deliberately, with their no-demo policy etc., and perhaps not-so-deliberately with the legions of savages leaving their reviews. I don't see any sign of that changing, so I'm not quite sure exactly what they expect developers to do. The App Store certainly isn't a very "Pro" environment.

Interesting points - what clues have you heard concerning Apple's expected sales volume for the IPP? Sometimes we'll get whispers out of the suppliers in the far East that they're bringing on more people, or they're short of this or that subcomponent, but I've heard nothing this go round.

I'm not sure what's inherently not 'pro' about the app store. If you want a 'try before you buy' experience you can have the app downloadable for free with a full-function unlock available as an in-app purchase. Interesting, too, that Microsoft has pretty much copied the app store experience for the 'store' app in Windows 10.

I suspect Apple will sell a slug of these tablets, and Microsoft will sell a slug of Surface models of various configurations. The IOS franchise doesn't depend on the success of the IPP, and the Windows franchise doesn't depend on the success of the Surface line (or for that matter, hybrid PC/tablets in general).

 

[DynamicSausage]

As a consumer, I'm ok with spending more on apps as long as functionality and support match the investment. To be honest, I'm not adverse to paying a premium for creative and development related tools. If an app helps me be more productive and generate revenue for my business, I can justify higher costs.

Will be interesting to see where it all goes.

I really agree with you and hope it happens, even though it doesn't really affect me. My belief is that the App store may not be seen as a "pro environment" because it is so widespread amongst millions of devices, full of games, commuter apps and social medias. I could be wrong here, I really am guessing, but maybe the iPad has never really been viewed as a fully fledged professional tool before because it is a part of this system, hence affecting price of even the most productive apps.

I think the iPad Pro is a real opportunity to breathe new life in to it as a platform and I think it will work too. This really is a tool I can see companies buying by the shed load in creative departments and as you say, if an app delivers it's moneys worth then prices for professional apps could become more in line with what we are used to seeing.

 

[Dave245]

It could be that Apple intend to create a section on the App store called "Pro Apps" for the iPad Pro, these apps could cost more because they are more powerful (desktop class maybe?). It will be interesting to see what happens with apps but i do think we will see them evolve and get more powerful with time, and i think the iPad Pro will help with this. The apps that Adobe showed off at the Apple event where the iPad Pro was shown looked really good. They even mentioned the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil at their own Adobe event (https://max.adobe.com/sessions/max-online/#/video/4921 - around the 7:55 mark).

 

[itbeme]

Well that race to the bottom pricing of most apps isn't fair for the developers - It's hard to get at least a black zero with 0.99ct apps. I really hope we get the level of iOS apps higher, but I fear people won't be willig to pay survivable prices.

Thank you. The typical " can't we please have something for nothing". I hope prices will be allowed to go up (reasonably) in line with the quality of the apps so that developers will be willing to invest in developing high end apps. Otherwise we will continue to see Candy Crush in a larger format. You get what you pay for, nothing more, nothing less. Unless there is a market for developers to make a profit developing high end and more complex apps, we will never see them. To believe otherwise is folly.

 

[daniel1948]

I am always amazed when a nice, useful, or fun app is 99 cents. iOS apps generally seem a LOT cheaper than their OS X counterparts. Perhaps it's the sheer number of apps and the ease of finding them in one convenient location at the app store, that creates competition that keeps the prices down. Or perhaps it's the fact that most of the apps people put on their phones and tablets are entertainment and therefore cannot demand a high price. But if a good 99 cent app is surprising, I am baffled by the sheer number of free apps. Some make their money with in-app purchases, and some are just completely free. I have a sudoku app that was free and came with 100 puzzles of mixed difficulty, and additional puzzles are 99 cents for 100 puzzles. That's a penny a puzzle, which is as near free as makes no difference. I'd happily pay ten times that much.

But I don't think the iPad Pro will raise the general price of apps. The same competition will still exist. Most iOS users will still be using their present devices. If anything, there may be new high-end apps at higher prices, to take advantage of the hardware. And there may be a few sleazy companies like Microsoft that figure out ways to charge Pro users more. But existing apps are not likely to take a big jump. Inflation has got to hit prices eventually, but I don't think the Pro will be the reason.

Just my thoughts.