Amazon, Not Developers, Will Set New App Store's Prices

Trebortech writes "Looks like Amazon is changing the rules of the game for developers with their new Android App store. I'm curious how Amazon will determine the value of your app and if having control of your prices really matters." The core of the linked article: "Here's how it works: When developers submit apps to Amazon's app store, they will be able to set a suggested retail price ('MSRP'). It can be free, it can be $50, whatever. Then Amazon -- not the developer -- will set the retail price. It can be full price, it can be a sale price, or it can be free. Developers will get to take home the standard 70% of the app's retail price (what the app sells for) or 20% of the MSRP (what the developer thinks it should sell for), whichever is greater."

Comments

Which is why OPEN, REALLY OPEN is so FUCKING impor

[SmallFurryCreature]

Which is why OPEN, REALLY OPEN is so FUCKING important ALL THE TIME. Even the if the closed evil is shiny it is still utterly and totally evil and a small evil might be tolerated but evil wants to grow and big evils are not so nice.

The Mac itself already shows this, WHILE the device is open, test just for fun how many apps that are for free on Linux and Windows cost money for the Mac. No, not the same apps, equivelant apps. Everything from an FTP client to text editors. Just because it is a Mac developers think people are happy to "donate" a few bucks. Hell, you can afford a Mac, you can afford some cash for code right?

Makes sense BUT it shows that ultimately most people dream of having so much cash in their pocket they need to pay someone to hold their trousers up. Greed is ALWAYS lurking around the corner.

And then you get yourself locked in and all that evil and greed has you under control. Want an application on your iPhone? PAY. Even free applications cost money, see the VLC debate.

There is a reason there are so many payment providers, so many different methods of parting with your cash, because a single closed in method always turns out to be to expensive.

Want proof? The US government is considering setting a max on what banks can charge in the US for Debit transactions. Durbin Amendment. Banks are in an uproar and threathen to raise their service prices that 5% of people will be unable to afford to use banks. Small detail? In Europe the transaction costs are far less AND nobody has to go without banking services because they can't afford it AND it is faster. Oh and EVEN that ain't as good as it gets, PIN transctions are cheaper still and FREE! So Free that PIN transctions are used for 1 cent to verify accounts.

Ain't competition wonderfull? The free American market has succesfully competed until prices are the highest and service is the lowest.

Amazon has gotten so big that they not only can dictate what and what doesn't not happen but that the effort in going around it might become to great. Yes, you can buy a Nokia phone with a real OS on it and run anything you want but how long will people continue to develop for that when so few are using it?

The iPhone and closed Android systems are a threath not out of themselves but because they upset the ecology. Anyone that thinks these are healthy probably looks at the map, sees countless seas of green farmland all with the same crop and nothing else and thinks "Well nature is doing all right, lots of plants, lots of growth".

Do we REALLY want the walmart effect to become part of every element of life?

Seems a lot of people do.