Should apps be more expensive?

I agree that good apps are worth paying for, but I don't wholly agree with this article in Macworld by Lex Friedman (@lexfri), which was cited and tweeted by The Daring Fireball, for its implication that the onus is on the consumer to be willing to pay more for apps.

It is my belief that consumers aren't quite as free with their money on mobile devices as desktops for the following (good) reasons:

(1) there's often no trial version, refund opportunity, detailed instructions or guarantee that the app developer will stay in business, and it is not unreasonable that this causes some consumers to hesitate before purchasing (sometimes indefinitely)
(2) even if the developer does stay in business, some (big) developers have deleted apps and discontinued support in the past, replacing them with new versions that must be paid for again (and this harms trust, and lowers the amount of money people are willing to 'gamble' on apps across the board)
(3) mobile devices are supplementary - we've already paid our money to Adobe, Microsoft or Apple for desktop apps, and we don't necessarily want to pay the same sorts of sums all over again for mobile versions
(4) if we buy an app it doesn't always do all the things we expect, so we end up buying multiple apps for the same task - vector design, bitmap design, word-processing, photo-processing, film-making, music, etc. - so we can use the correct file types, or perform the specific function we need. (We know from experience this is a risk with every app, and so factor it into the price we're willing to pay.)
(5) not everyone has settled on an eco-system, they're trying out iOS and Android (even Windows 8 and BlackBerry), so whatever they buy needs to be at a 'throw-a-way' price, because that is exactly what might happen to the app if they switch platforms
(6) historically mobile apps (and devices) have been made obsolete far quicker than desktop apps and devices. (A mobile app might go unsupported after six months to a year, whereas we'd expect 3-5 years of support on a desktop app.)

Summary

Overall, the low price of apps works for new developers. It provides an opportunity, without which we might not have GoodReader or iDraw or Procreate (not to mention Pixelmator on OS X). This is because the pricing makes it worth taking a punt, it also makes us willing to explore more, to pick up apps that perform similar functions just for an extra feature or two. Whereas on the desktop we're unlikely to purchase multiple word processors, typesetting software or vector packages.

As Lex Friedman, the author of the Macworld article, asserts the Omni apps are successful and command high prices for the App Store. It should follow that an app that becomes successful can increase its price over time or with new versions. The problem is that in order to do so, the app needs to stay significantly ahead of the competition in terms of quality and features, otherwise another developer can come in cheaper and grab the market.

All of this makes the App Store highly dynamic. The downside is that establishing a firm foothold is difficult.

This doesn't mean it is impossible to establish an app and a company, and I'd point to iDraw (Indeeo), TouchDraw (Elevenworks), Textastic (Alexander Blach), and Daedalus Touch and Ulysses (Soulmen) as successful apps and companies which have released apps in the iOS and OS X stores and are leveraging every opportunity to make their businesses work.

I'd also add that people are already paying $5+ for these apps and others like them, because they are truly useful and have value. Whether in time they should reach the Omni level of pricing is another question. As a consumer, I'd rather they didn't because the current pricing levels mean I can comfortably follow up my interests rather than being restricted by cost as has historically been the case on the desktop.

What is clear, is that in-app purchasing needs a moral clean-up if it is going to be part of the solution. Nobody begrudges companies and individuals making a living from their work, but the bad apples of in-app purchasing spoil the reputation for all. If there was a way to better regulate this area of apps it would be most welcome.

Finally, consumers and developers should be equally congratulated for their commitment to the post-PC era. Consumers for being willing to pay for apps on the basis of future promise, and developers for delivering on their promises and keeping apps up to date. Meanwhile both should be congratulated on their trust in the available platforms and ecosystems, which has enabled the platforms to quickly flourish. If developers seek now to extract every last penny or if consumers expect everything for free, then we will see the post-PC era throttled at birth, and it will be to everybody's detriment.

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