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Fed Up With Apple's Policies, App Developers Form a 'Union' (wired.com)
Even as Apple has addressed some of the concerns outlined by iOS developers in the recent years, many say it's not enough. As the iOS App Store approaches its tenth anniversary, some app developers are still arguing for better App Store policies, ones that they say will allow them to make a better living as independent app makers. On Friday, a small group of developers, including one who recently made a feature-length film about the App Store and app culture, are forming a union to lobby for just that. From a report: In an open letter to Apple that published this morning, a group identifying themselves as The Developers Union wrote that "it's been difficult for developers to earn a living by writing software" built on Apple's existing values. The group then asked Apple to allow free trials for apps, which would give customers "the chance to experience our work for themselves, before they have to commit to making a purchase."
The grassroots effort is being lead by Jake Schumacher, the director of App: The Human Story; software developer Roger Ogden and product designer Loren Morris, who both worked for a timesheet app that was acquired last year; and Brent Simmons, a veteran developer who has made apps like NetNewsWire, MarsEdit, and Vesper, which he co-created with respected Apple blogger John Gruber.
The grassroots effort is being lead by Jake Schumacher, the director of App: The Human Story; software developer Roger Ogden and product designer Loren Morris, who both worked for a timesheet app that was acquired last year; and Brent Simmons, a veteran developer who has made apps like NetNewsWire, MarsEdit, and Vesper, which he co-created with respected Apple blogger John Gruber.
These developers gain no leverage by forming a union. They remove their apps from the store forever, Apple doesn't care. There is no power to be gained except maybe in media coverage.
Around 85% of smartphones worldwide are Android. THAT is why you're not making any more. Maybe follow the lead of most PC software manufacterer's and ignore Apple and their tiny market share. They're not worth the time and hassle.
I'm all for Apple making money off the Apps people put into the App Store. It's their Phone, it's their Platform. They deserve to make money off that. But THIRTY FUCKING PERCENT OF ALL In-App Purchases?? That was never a fair shake and was a definite cash grab meant to exploit the work of the Developers creating those Apps. There is simply no way to justify taking 30% of the revenue from the Developers who toil to make those Apps. I think it's time Apple slashes it's cut and substantially. And by substantial I mean just that -- at least half, down to 15% or even 10%. Perhaps these Developers can attain some critical mass and have enough weight that they could yank all their apps and make a considerable dent in the App Store. That sort of move would get attention and provide some leverage. It's high time Apple stopped fucking over it's developer base, who has been a large part of the reason for the iPhone's success.
If they find it difficult to make a living as an independent app developer then stop being an independent app developer. Not only is it easy to earn a living from being a software engineer, most of us make a really good living from it. How many apps aren't created by independent developers but are instead created by companies with teams of developers? They're not going to join a union. A union would only works if enough app developers join it. The fact that you can't make a living from it tells me that the app store is over saturated with apps.
I'm in game development. In our industry, free trials have been shown to reduce sales so we don't have "demo versions" anymore. PC games are typically more expensive than mobile apps so the purchase price doesn't seem all that important - it's more about allowing the transaction to occur at the peak of the user's interest in the product. Steam does this very well by making the purchase/download quick and easy. Free trials get downloaded at the peak interest, played through, and the customer then goes to bed and most likely doesn't think about the game again. The next day they hear about and download another game.