7 Comments

1. nick  •  Jul 7, 2008 @7:28 PM
   

   LOL please tell me you are kidding man! There can`t be anyone that freaking spoiled that they can`t fork out $10. You know it`s some 12 year old who is used to getting everything for free, and his best friend is Azerus. Man!

2. nick  •  Jul 7, 2008 @7:30 PM
   

   BTW I am glad this wasn`t an Apple bashing post like I thought it was going to be.

3. James  •  Jul 7, 2008 @7:59 PM
   

   Sadly Nick, this sort of whining has been going on since the first time we were charged for software.

   It’s the warez gimmie generation at it’s best.

4. Oli  •  Jul 8, 2008 @4:09 AM
   

   No, I don’t think it’s entirely a generational thing - rather people expect paid software to be supported. When you flush $300+ on a device that bundles the OS, I know I would certainly expect free software updates for at least a few years.

   But this all depends on what we’re using to define a major update. Arbitrary numbers from Apple don’t carry enough detail so for the sake of everybody knowing what we’re talking about, I’m going to split all updates into the following groups: security, bug, feature and cosmetic.

   I expect security and bug fixes to be covered for free. Depending on how “fit for purpose” some existing features are, some of those might also be free. Major new features, like a completely new module I could see as being paid. Cosmetic additions are grey.

   If you buy software, the vast majority of the time, you can stay on lower major version and receive the bug and security fixes without paying. I’m not a iPod Touch owner but I would expect that level of service, but reading this, I doubt I would receive even that level of service.

   How are Apple supposed to support this financially? It comes from having hundreds of thousands of users that all gave you $300+. It comes from that $300+ being more than half profit. It comes from service faux-lock-ins* like iTunes, earning Apple more moolah, every time you consume more media through iTunes.

   *The “faux” there being that you don’t have to use iTunes to buy media but its convenience means 98% of your userbase will.

5. Oli  •  Jul 8, 2008 @4:22 AM
   

   Oh and don’t forget they get a cut for each application that has a price you buy. Yes there’s work involved at their end but you were using the App argument saying they couldn’t provide upgrades for free because they need it to sustain the App library.

   Nokia have been doing a similar thing. They relaunched n-gage (their gaming platform) a couple of months ago and the only way to get it on old phones was through a major update.

   If they charged for that update, fewer people would have upgraded and fewer people would use n-gage and fewer people would have bought games, earning Nokia less commission. By giving the update away for free, they enabled a huge number of people to get with it and they’ve made more than $10 from me in a short amount of time.

   To summarise: I expect after-sales support. Where software is concerned, I demand it.

6. Oli  •  Jul 8, 2008 @5:48 AM
   

   Sorry to comment-bomb but I thought I might add that people expecting updates isn’t a feeling that’s going to disappear.

   Windows users expect it. Open source users expect it. Those two non-exclusive groups must account for 99% of computer users.

   Having never had a Mac, I’m not sure their owners expect but if they are all for paid-only-updates I could easily imagine the author of the quote you used being a Windows user.

7. James  •  Jul 8, 2008 @10:42 AM
   

   1.1.3 was overpriced and rightfully so I believe it is the major reason 2.0 only costs $9.

   I think it should have been flipped in that 1.1.3 really just fixed some minor things, upgraded a few small features and for iPod users, gave us the common applications (Maps, Notes, Mail, Weather…)

   That right there should have been $9… it wasn’t anything groundbreaking. Hell, I could even say free would not have been half bad since it made the iPod ACTUALLY make sense out of its touch screen abilities.

   I will be buying the 2.0 upgrade but hell, for what I’m getting with the upgrade I would be willing to pay $20.

   It is a MAJOR System upgrade, like a new version of the Mac OS or Windows… a lot of under the hood enhancements and new applications and features.

   Mac Users pay for full point upgrades 10.0, 10.1,10.2 etc, and all other upgrades are free… (partially why I feel iPhone OS 1.1.3 should have been free for all).

   Having to pay for 1.1.3 felt like I got SP1 and SP2 for free on my XP box, but then had to PAY for SP3 for no reason.

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