Free iPhone Apps May Not Be ‘Free’ Any More
10/21/2009 02:06:00 PM - 0 comments
Good or Bad, that you have to decide – but here comes the news that Apple Inc. has introduced an in-app purchase feature for free iPhone apps. This feature will let you to perform transactions within the iPhone applications themselves that means Apple App Store will no longer be a requisite.However, this feature is not new to iPhone users; it was previously available for paid applications. So, if you are thinking who’ll benefit from them; well, it is anticipated that with the enabling of in-application transactions, Apple will make life easier for developers. This anticipation is in tune to the present system where developers have to make teaser/trial versions of the app along with the full versions; while it is only for the full version which the iPhone user will pay the money for.
What’s the catch….how it works
The catch here is that, now with this new introduction of ‘in-app purchase feature for free iPhone apps’, you can opt for a free version of an app; and later may upgrade to the full paid version if you really liked the teaser. And all this can be done sans the App Store, as you will have the option to upgrade within the application itself.
This new announcement comes closely at the backdrop of Apple Inc. finally conceding on the impasse in the developer agreement, and allowing in-app purchases for free applications. Accordingly, from now on developers can give out a free trial version of their applications, unlocking features from directly within the app as request by iPhone users (and also pay for them).
Until now….
Well, for all of you who have been wondering how it has been working until now, there are of course a few strategic differences. Until now, iPhone developers were required to deliver two applications with two unique identities. Apart from that, there was no easy way to share data from the trial to the full version.
So, with the new development from Apple regarding the free apps, the iPhone developers can amalgamate into a single application - one project to maintain and support; one place to consolidate reviews and one application sandbox for a single set of application data. Isn’t that going to be less complex?
Why Apple took the U-turn from its completely ‘free’ app policy
Many think, it was quite an unexpected move (to allow in-app purchases) from Apple to sway away from its company policy on this issue that free apps should remain free. It was clear that users will not need to pay for anything from within a free application; while the facility of backend billing and taking a fraction out of the sale price of the in-app purchase will still be provided by Apple inc. for the paid apps.
Apple is optimistic that in-app purchases from within free applications will possibly have a widely beneficial effect in the iPhone App store economy. Just take into account the in-app purchases from within free applications and the potential of iPhone games app developers. Now, they will be able to offer for free a limited-functionality version of their game, besides charging users for further gameplay levels. Apart from that, the App Store will also feel relieved from the thousands of 'lite' apps and could get rid of customer confusion as well.
Posted: Seuli.B
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