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Apple To Charge for Some iApps
randomErr writes "News.com has this story that according to sources familiar with the plans, Apple is expected to announce at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco Tuesday that consumers will have to pay for new versions of iDVD, iPhoto and iMovie. Previously, Apple had offered upgrades to its digital media, or 'i' applications, for free."
apple plans to make money. Of course they'll charge for apps at some point. You buy their hardware, it'll come installed on the equipment and you won't have to buy it (or the costs of them are buried in the total cost of the product, much as they are now). However, if you want to keep current with additional features, you should pay for it, just as you do with every other piece of software written by companies who are interested in making a profit. why wouldn't they? and why is the rumor news here? ;-)
"Oh I see your gimick, the first ones are free than you jack up the price! ....Ok you win"
At the mall eating cookie samples.
*Paraphrase of the comments my Dad's brother made to him, about Microsoft, in 1985.
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
i've been talking with someone who's had inside inf before, including the LCD iMac info, and the god awful flower power macs.
this looks like it's true. as long as it's only upgrades you pay for, i don't see that it's that big of a deal. get a new machine and you get the new software for free anyway, that's pretty much how it is now.
maybe if they can make money off it they'll update iMovie and iPhoto, both need it badly.
iPhoto recently lost all 501 of my photos, and Apple (UK) wanted me to pay £35 to ask one question about how to get them back as my hardware (500Mhz G4 Tibook). I refused because I had no guarantee they could help me. I hope that with the paid version, support comes included.
O'WONDERWe're working on it.
Seriously though. Apple is a corporation. Besides the "community/family" factor, they need to boost the stock prices.
I'm not an avid Mac user, but I would rather pay for few small upgrades from Apple which would amount to $30 bucks, than to switch Office suite versions twice a year.
The prevailing rumor is that the asking price will be around $50 for iDVD, iMovie, and iPhoto together.
In other news, Apple is rumored to make an announcement about 802.11g.
I write in my journal
Gee, is anyone really surprised Apple is starting to use the shareware model? These iApps require significant investments of time and money and they have to recoup their investment somehow. Apple is a publically traded company you know...
Besides the consumer application of many of these iApps, I also know lots of folks (including myself) that are using them for scientific and business purposes and then upgrading to the more expensive Pro apps when needs outstrip the consumer products. So, by getting these application "free" when you purchase a new computer and then paying to get the latest versions combined with using them as a portal to the Pro stuff, it seems to be a pretty good business model. If the iApps don't cost too much, are helping me to be more productive and are well written, more power to them.
Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
As far as iDVD goes, I could see them charging for upgrades, or if you want to use it with a non-OEM/External DVD-R drive. That would actually be an improvement over the current situation.
--
The internet is the greatest source of biased information in the history of mankind.
Given the economic climate, I'm hardly surprised. Companies need to turn a profit. I just wonder if this won't backfire: companies are losing money, but consumers don't have the extra money to spend. It's not like the iApps are must-have upgrades.
The only way I can see this working out is if Apple stops including the iApps on all their Macs or ships lesser-powered versions (like they do with Quicktime).
----------
Something cleverWhile I do have a few gripes w/ Apple, this is a perfectly decent strategy. Every machine will come with the iApps included, and if you don't need upgrades, don't pay for them.
I don't remember anything in my purchase that said upgrades to all software would be free forever....
Quicktime is still free. If you want to use it to develop content and convert media, you pay for Quicktime Pro. It's a fairly good deal for what you get.
It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
As someone who is waiting for a compelling reason to buy a new mac I agree that compared to Wintel hardware mac hardware is overpriced.
.Mac. Now I definately will not be switching if the big annoucement at the expo is to charge for the Iapps. These apps along with .mac should be free to encourage people to switch.
.mac and now this a lot of people are going to see the light finally.
Ive tried several of the iApps and think they are pretty nice applications and I used to think a good reason for switching was the *FREE*
My big problem with Apple is they dont really seem to care about getting new customers as much as they just want to take advantage of the existing loyal customers. These people arent going to hang around forever. With the charging 129 for an upgrade that finally brought performance to the level originally promised, taking away the formerly free
Oh, and the next version is for a fee.
How is this any sort of bait and switch? It's a lot like shareware software that gives you a trial version with no expiration, but if you pay you can unlock the full features... which is what Apple has been doing with Quicktime vs. Quicktime Pro for years.
And as for Microsoft not ever pulling this, what about Word 95, Word 96, Word 97, Word 98, Word 99, Word ME, Word 2000, Word 2001, Word XP, etc. You complain about things getting EOL'd with every major upgrade, but you forget the primary Apple business model - they make money on hardware, not software. Most users get a Mac and stick with the operating system on it and never upgrade. When they buy a new machine, that's when they upgrade to a new OS. Very few Mac people ever upgrade their OS independantly of the hardware.
Additionally, the incremental upgrades of Mac OS are free - they only charge when it's a major change.
For instance, 7.0 to 7.1 was free. 7.5 to 7.6 was free. 8.0 to 8.1 was free. 8.5 to 8.6 was free. 9.0 to 9.1 to 9.2 was free. X to X.1 was free. Windows has done the same thing - patches and service packs are (usually) free, but major changes - 95 to 98 to ME to XP cost money.
Stop bitching 'cause you don't understand the business and think you should be given everything.
-T
No, if you bought the computer with the DVD-ROM, then it comes with iDVD for free.
The reason you can't crack the player to run on other hardware is that Apple wasn't concerned about protecting their player - rather they didn't want to have to deal with thousands of different models of DVD-ROMs requiring thousands of different drivers. With an Apple DVD-ROM, you know that it will work perfectly, no need for drivers or any sort of configuration.
-T
... so I guess this is the "Bait and Switch" campaign, right?
Tuus crepidae innexilis sunt.
When iMovie 2 was released, the upgrade was not free for those who had the original iMovie (around $30 I think).
iMovie 2 came with new hardware, was easily pirated, and was later released as part of the major ($99) OS upgrades so most likely many people probably never heard of this policy.
I got iMovie 2 when I bought my TiBook and it. It's an easy to use linear editing system. If I wanted better titling, snazzy effects, or non-linear abilities I'd be looking at something in the $1K range. This works fine for me and I haven't really had any desire for more features for my home videos.
If Apple comes out with a new version, my current version doesn't stop working. It very well may have difficulties if I were to buy a new Mac, but then I'd be given the new iMovie 3.0 with that purchase. So there isn't a strong pressure to pay for an upgrade based on stability and compatability problems. This is the most refreshing thing. If I find that the features Apple offers in the iMovie 3.0 version compelling then I may choose to buy an upgrade, but that's based on what I find important features.
My cell phone, PDA, and MP3 player meet my current needs, but they aren't compelling. However, if a Sprint compatible version of the Kyocera 7135 SmartPhone is released in the US, I'd jump on the chance to upgrade for the features that it offers. Similarly iCal, iSync, iTunes, and the AddressBook aren't compelling apps but if they offered integration with a Kyocera 7135 feature set I'd easily pay a good chunk of change for the upgrades needed (they may work now, I have to get my 7135 to find out though).
As another example, I won't use iPhoto at all. I find its abilities aren't what I'm looking for in a digitial photo album. Even though it's free, I prefer my own system of folders in the file system. If Apple adds enough features to iPhoto that I changed my mind about using it, I think I'd also be okay with tossing in some bucks for the upgrade.
If the software is EOL'd every 6 months the hardware becomes useless.
What, your machine just turns into a lump of inert plastic? What ever happened to buying a piece of technology that does what you want and using it until what you want something better?
There are millions of Mac users with ancient machines running exactly the same software they set them up with years ago. The machine worked fine for them then, and works the same way now.
There's no one holding a gun to your head forcing you to "upgrade".
More likely, what's happening is that you want to upgrade, because the new software or hardware does something your old system doesn't. Guess what, time to pay for something new. It's not a $1500 lifetime membership to everything Apple will ever invent.
IMHO, software companies created this brain damaged thought process when they beat it into people's heads that it was a license instead of a purchase. Maybe if they started making it clear that we're buying a physical product, people wouldn't feel such entitlement to every future iteration. Honda doesn't send you the latest model every year for any less than the full price, why should Apple?
-pmb
I've heard they were putting a lot of work into properly Cocoaizing iPhoto for the next release, a serious upgrade. You can tell with the 10.2.3 update that it, along with iTunes, aren't really properly Cocoaized because the stoplight buttons don't look right anymore.
--hongpong.com
Yes, but when 10.3 appears all this software will get some mysterious 'incompatibility' with the new OS. Guess what fixes that?
The fact that those iApps probably will ship with 10.3, if 10.3 is a pay-for upgrade?
Apple doesn't intentionally break software with new OS versions.
And if those iApps do break in 10.3, and do not ship as new versions in 10.3, perhaps your friends will choose not to upgrade to 10.3.
Or maybe 10.3 will be so amazing they they will want to pay for both 10.3, and the updated iApps. They do pay for software they find useful, right?
No one is forcing people to upgrade. More likely, you're a power user who never considered the idea that you don't have to be running the latest and greatest software of the given moment, and it's psychologically traumatizing to consider the possibility of not upgrading.
-pmb
That would imply they lured you in with a "free updates forever" and then tried to get you to buy the "updates will cost you extra."
That makes no sense. The iApps aren't meant to be long-term user apps anyways. They are:
1) proof-of-concept Cocoa applications.
2) stopgaps for the "why should I use the new OS which has no Apps, why should I write Apps for the OS with no users" conundrum.
3) setting the bar for 3rd party App quality
If you want free updates forever, then I suggest you look into supporting the GNU projects on OS-X. Things like GTKAqua will bring the gamut of GTK apps from the FreeBSD ports collection to OS-X. This includes GIMP, and forthcoming GIMP-Film.
"Waaaaah... If I have to pay, I might as well pay Microsoft" will get you diddly squat. Oh, and the best portables: TiBooks don't run Windows. They run OS-X (Darwin). You just don't know what your options are.
--- Nothing clever here: move along now...
It would be like MS making you buy Media Player
You seam to be forgetting that Quicktime Pro has hundreds of features that Media Player doesn't. QTPro isn't just a player. It arranges/edits/layers various forms of time-based media, and allows encoding and preparing of media clips in about 20-30 different audio and video formats for a variety of applications, such as streaming applications or DVD authoring. It has support for sprites, links, vector based animation for building interactive multimedia projects. Can your Media Player do this?
This is where I get my recommended daily allowance of "Foot in Mouth."
Lets sit back and ONCE AGAIN remind everyone that rumors are, at best, rumors. Now that we've done this, let's just look at the prices involved...
If the rumors are true, Apple wants to charge users $50.00 to update three pieces of software: iPhoto, iDVD, and iMovie. The rumor article even doesn't coroborate if Apple is even considering of doing something similar with it's other applications, just speculating that if the rumor is true it might be the first move toward that.
Now, let's assume the first rumor is true. That the three apps named - iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD - are going to charge for updates. It goes on to state that iPhoto manages your digital photos, where iMovie and iDVD allow you to edit digital videos and burn them to DVD. Now, having worked the retail sector before, this seems like a very good price for this. However, just to be certain, lets look at the prices of a few competitors...
After searching around on CompUSA's website, this is what I found. First, Pinnacle Studio version 8. After checking what software I could find that would actually burn MOVIES onto DVD, I ran across this particular title. This does the job (I'm speculating here, give or take a few features) of iMovie and iDVD. As for Photos, lets just go with Ulead PhotoExplorer Pro 7.0, again with the same disclaimer: based on speculation from knowing the basics of what the applications do, give or take some features.
Now let's compare the prices.
the Mac iBundle
iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD: $50.00
TOTAL: $50.00 + applicable tax
Ulead + Pinnacle Studio
Pinnacle: $99.99
Ulead: $24.99
TOTAL: $124.98 + applicable tax
All in all paying $50.00 for all three apps would not be a horrible fate by any means. Slightly annoying in that it used to be free, but not ripping anyone off either.
----- I want my LART.
A lot of shareware authors, particularly those with programs that are fairly popular have been switching to a new registration scheme that this Apple upgrade policy reminds me of.
Shareware authors tend to call it something like "upgrade protection". Basically when you register the software, you get any updates for some period of time (usually a year) afterwards. If you want to upgrade again after that, you must purchase the upgrade protection fee.
I know all the arguments why they do it, how they need the money, etc.
But it makes me mad, and I refuse to play that game.
I registered a certain shareware internet application a couple years ago that had always been "free upgrades" ever since version 1.0 (it was version 3.x when I purchased it). The version AFTER I got mine, the author decided to start this upgrade protection nonsense. No continuing free versions for previous customers, we all get to play the protection racket game.
Needless to say, I immediately went looking for a keygen and made myself a valid key for the new versions.
I know everyone on their moral highground will defend the author and probably give me a hard time. So be it, I can accept that.
Had I known about this policy before making my purchase, I would've chosen another product to spend my money on. My _trust_ was violated, regardless of the legality of his actions.
In the marketing world, perception is everything - Apple's decision may make sense on budgetary, ethical, and legal footings, but if it annoys people as much as this shareware author's new policy annoyed me, Apple will get some negative PR.
Not strong, not particularly mean and nasty PR, but a lot of "Apple just isn't quite as good a company as I thought it was". And that cooling of the warm and fuzzy feelings on which Apple so bases their marketing and promotional campaigns, could be very dangerous indeed.
N.
"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
It is great to see people reacting reasonably to this.
The charging for iApps is not a new thing:
iMovie 2 cost $30.
iDVD 2 was $20 (s&h)
When OS X came out, you got iMovie 2 free with it as a reason to upgrade. iPhoto, when it came out, was also free, IF you had OS X. Then, somehow, it entered the general Mac consciousness that the iApps were always meant to be free. The truth was, they cost you whatever you paid to run OS X.
iTunes, iSync, & iCal will probably always be free. The others offer a lot more value. Now that so many people have upgraded to OS X, there is no reason for Apple to give it to them free again. I don't mind paying if that means quality upgrades. However, the whole point is that the iApps were always meant to make money, just in different ways. They will continue to serve that pupose and in different ways as time goes on.
Boom Shanka
Commercial software is pretty much a trap. You buy software and you have to use it on their terms, not yours, and you have no guarantees it'll be there tomorrow.
I bought Zend Studio for a few hundred bucks, it was a good deal, really nice software. Only it doesn't work for me now, it won't run under a glibc2.3 system. Most likely I'll have to buy an upgrade(the new 2.6 version they're pushing) to see it work under my new system.
Cold Fusion 5.0 at work has DB driver problems. Their solution for a fix? Upgrade to MX(which has its own problems under Linux).
So it's back xemacs for an IDE for me and at work it's PHP in our future. No forced upgrades. 5 years from now emacs will still be there for me, most likely PHP will be as well.
You can't say the same thing for any software you buy from a company. 8 years back I bought Symantec's Cafe for Java and used emacs on the side. Cafe is dead, even Visual Cafe is pretty much dead, but emacs lives on.
I used to buy a lot of software. But the more I buy the more I find out that in the long term, it just isn't worth it.
Have you tried this?
1 20 084
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=
Lemme know!
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