> Apple sells highly profitable devices and makes its apps free, but locks you into a proprietary ecosystem.<p>Apple does sell a number of software products for high-ish prices: Final Cut Pro (as well as add-ons Motion and Compressor) and Logic Pro are paid-for software.<p>But the another thing (which is fascinating to me, given the audience of HN and the tone of the comments here) is that part of the purpose of the ecosystem lock-in is <i>to get users to pay indy devs for software.</i><p>Now, yes, Apple does take a cut. But that aligns them with devs in terms of getting users to open their wallets. The iPad still has no calculator app. But there are plenty of paid ones in the App Store. Apple gets an extra $0.30 and the indy dev gets $0.70 because iPadOS lacks a built-in calculator[1]<p>I predict that the european experiment will ultimately prove to be a failure for paid apps. If you look at the commentary from <i>users</i> and <i>developers</i> about why they like the changes, the things they like are completely orthogonal, even if they sound the same. Developers like that they won't have to pay the "Apple Tax" because users can side-load. Whereas users like that they don't have to pay <i>developers</i> because they can side-load.<p>I hope I'm wrong.<p>[1] Except the one in spotlight.
> I’m not sure why, but we seem more willing to spend money on good fruit jam than on good software. I notice that I spend less on personal software than I do on groceries and many basic things.<p>Because you can die without groceries and suffer a lot without other basics unlike with personal software?<p>> Consider its cost per use<p>Just pick a better metric (like mortal cost per non-use) and it will make sense.
It absolutely does, but that doesn't change the fact that the "fair price" of an additional copy of that software is still its <i>marginal</i> cost of production, which is zero.<p>Which is why funding the R&D part of any product of such nature has always been so annoying. Today it seems we've settled on Patreon and the like for the individual-scale projects.
Does anyone have good examples of software that meets this criteria? Or places where this type of software can be found? I love the idea here and would love to put it into practice but among the disadvantages that small makers suffer against large industry is easy discoverability for their products.
As a college student: bold of you to assume I have any money at all.<p>Also while I do like the software VMware and proxmox has, and I would donate to developers if I had spare money, I don't so I just keep a list for future me, and try to convey my thanks in the meantime.<p>On the other hand: broadcom can gargle my balls, I will not be paying them a single cent unless its my last option. They killed a good product, and are like the hug of death for acquired company's.<p>I would have less issue paying money if I knew the software wasn't being overinflated or money was actually going to the developers. Iv paid for solid works and other stuff cuz I see its value and use it, but it was also a good product I could as a student.<p>Now EDA software is insanely expensive and so my only option is openlane,so I can struggle trying to learn this hobby
If only there were a risk-free, low-friciton _way_ to pay for it, I'd be happy to. The only way to pay for anything now is to risk sharing your credit card number with somebody who's trustworthiness and commitment to security are incredibly variable.
That's very sweet and all, but I strongly prefer the voluntary communism of free software, and I don't leave the open-source world unless I have no choice.