milestinsley, thank you for a thoughtful comment and kind words about the bookmarklet. As for the app itself, you are totally correct - it has 0 features - it is just a convenient delivery mechanism for the bookmarklet data.
But there is more to it: I was trying to find a way to use the App Store infrastructure to sell a bookmarklet. I think this is the first time this has been attempted - only time will tell if this scheme gains acceptance, or, as you suggest, people will balk at the idea of paying for apps that simply copy a URL to the pasteboard.
Last note regarding "...a lot of people, who are used getting a lot more for that price..." - I think this is more of a testament to the sad state of the App Store than anything else. $0.99 is the lowest price the App Store lets you charge for an app. Below that is free. Since I cannot go any lower than $0.99, I think the developers whose apps deliver more value than mine should charge more - not the other way around. The fundamental problem with with the App Store is that this mentality took root and flourished, creating a race to the bottom.
> I think the developers whose apps deliver more value than mine should charge more - not the other way around
If other developers' apps have a market value within ($0.05, $0.99], but yours has a market value of $0.05, why should they raise their price above $0.99?
For the sake of preservation of the market itself. If my only option is to make my app free just because others have discounted their work beyond reason, I may opt to no longer deliver any new products to such a market (give up on it), and pursue other markets instead. This benefits neither the developers nor the consumers.
That's a good argument for why Apple should allows you to set a lower price, but I still don't understand why other developers should raise their prices. Especially if $0.99 is the optimal market price that generates the highest revenue, and the only consequence is you leaving the market.
Comments
milestinsley, thank you for a thoughtful comment and kind words about the bookmarklet. As for the app itself, you are totally correct - it has 0 features - it is just a convenient delivery mechanism for the bookmarklet data.
But there is more to it: I was trying to find a way to use the App Store infrastructure to sell a bookmarklet. I think this is the first time this has been attempted - only time will tell if this scheme gains acceptance, or, as you suggest, people will balk at the idea of paying for apps that simply copy a URL to the pasteboard.
Last note regarding "...a lot of people, who are used getting a lot more for that price..." - I think this is more of a testament to the sad state of the App Store than anything else. $0.99 is the lowest price the App Store lets you charge for an app. Below that is free. Since I cannot go any lower than $0.99, I think the developers whose apps deliver more value than mine should charge more - not the other way around. The fundamental problem with with the App Store is that this mentality took root and flourished, creating a race to the bottom.
> I think the developers whose apps deliver more value than mine should charge more - not the other way around
If other developers' apps have a market value within ($0.05, $0.99], but yours has a market value of $0.05, why should they raise their price above $0.99?
For the sake of preservation of the market itself. If my only option is to make my app free just because others have discounted their work beyond reason, I may opt to no longer deliver any new products to such a market (give up on it), and pursue other markets instead. This benefits neither the developers nor the consumers.
That's a good argument for why Apple should allows you to set a lower price, but I still don't understand why other developers should raise their prices. Especially if $0.99 is the optimal market price that generates the highest revenue, and the only consequence is you leaving the market.