Apparent corporate greed

[beebarb]

It appears Apple is more interested in profit than happy customers.
Apple recently raised app store prices for the Mac App Store, and iOS App Store, in Australia (Sweden and Indonesia as well, from what I can find).

Boom on the Mac App store prior to the hike AU$129.99, after the hike, AU$159.99.

Final Fantasy IV: the After Years on iOS app store:
Before price hike:

After price hike:

Google Play store price for the same game:


SEE WHERE I'M GOING TO GET MY APPS NOW?!
Goodbye iPod and iPad, you had a good run with apps, but it's my Android phone's turn now.

 

[Gutwrench]

I read this, that'll be $10. Please forward it by Friday.

 

[beebarb]

I read this, that'll be $10. Please forward it by Friday.

Not funny...

 

[McGiord]

There seem to be no other way for Apple management to figure out a way to continue milking existing and potential new customers than just increasing prices and pushing crippled iMacs with no other option but to pay for upgrades to make them run like a 2015 Mac...

 

[beebarb]

@McGiord
Seems that way...

There's literally no justification for this price hike. The old prices roughly reflected the exchange rate, but these new prices mean I'm actually paying more for apps than Americans even taking into account the current rate.

All this does is push people away from their app stores.
There are so many people like myself that simply can't afford to take the hit of Apple's greed.

I like using my iPod for mobile games, but an OS preference is not worth the extra cost of getting the app on iOS.
I'd much rather buy the app for a price I can afford, so I have no choice but to use the Google Play store now.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Or it could be the Company that makes final fantasy deciding the prices for each platform accordingly? Afterall, I imagine development costs would be required for each platform and worldwide Google probably has the bigger markershare of their products and therefore can charge less per Android user.

Should I assume the PS4 version that costs $60 is because Sony is even more greedy than Apple, or because developing a full video game takes more effort than a mobile game?

I don't mean to sound like an Apple fanboy, but I think we need to look at the whole picture here. Someone can probably comment on how much more Apple Store fees are over Android.

Where are you going to get your apps? How will you survive? Wildly Wonka would probably have a good response your dire situation.

 

[beebarb]

@A.Goldberg
Those were just examples, all apps are affected by this increase, so Apple is to blame.

I didn't manage to take screenshots for this, but another is Dust: An Elysian Tail.
Before the hike: AU$7.49, after the hike, AU$9.99.

Also, Slashdot reported on it before it was going to happen:
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/15/...-pay-50-more-for-apps-after-apple-price-spike

 

[C DM]

Are the price increases coming from Apple or the developers? If they are coming from Apple, are they in response to currency exchange rates to make sure that essentially the same value of an application still gets reflected if certain currencies are devalued on the market? If not, what's behind it (given that an all across rate hike that is rather noticeable isn't something a company would do without any reasoning whatsoever)?

 

[beebarb]

@C DM
Apple, but this time they are defying the exchange rate, not honoring it.
In some cases the apps will cost 50% more for me than Americans factoring in the exchange rate, how is that fair?

 

[haxrnick]

@C DM
Apple, but this time they are defying the exchange rate, not honoring it.
In some cases the apps will cost 50% more for me than Americans factoring in the exchange rate, how is that fair?

Life isn't fair. Time to put on your big boy pants and suck it up.

 

[McGiord]

Open an App account in the US and if facing difficulties to pay with your cc, then buy gift cards to pay the US prices.

 

[felt.]

Na..time to make more whiny posts on macrumors.

 

[beebarb]

Life isn't fair. Time to put on your big boy pants and suck it up.

I literally can't afford the price increase.
I wouldn't be complaining if I could just 'suck it up', there have been increases before, but they were reasonable.

This increase is just evil and greedy.

 

[felt.]

I literally can't afford the price increase.
I wouldn't be complaining if I could just 'suck it up', there have been increases before, but they were reasonable.

This increase is just evil and greedy.

No one is forcing you to pay $24.99 for final fantasy from the app store, get a grip.

 

[C DM]

Life isn't fair. Time to put on your big boy pants and suck it up.

There's definitely that, but that doesn't mean something shouldn't be questioned and discussed (and even complained about when appropriate).

 

[beebarb]

No one is forcing you to pay $24.99 for final fantasy from the app store, get a grip.

You don't get it do you?
That is an example, not something I want to get right now.

There will be a time when I may NEED to get an app for whatever reason, but I wouldn't be able to because I can't afford the cost.

All you people with plenty of disposable income might be able to accept this, but I can't afford to.
If it just affected things like these games, which don't really matter, it would be a non-issue.

Games for me are a distraction, entertainment. Not something I need.

 

[Gypsy36]

Apple claims it is because of the fluctuating value of you currency. I don't know how much final fantasy is in the US store but, if your dollar has dropped to 73 cents American, you have to expect that they will eventually adjust to compensate for that...

 

[beebarb]

Apple claims it is because of the fluctuating value of you currency. I don't know how much final fantasy is in the US store but, if your dollar has dropped to 73 cents American, you have to expect that they will eventually adjust to compensate for that...

Which doesn't make sense, because they didn't increase prices when the difference was worse than it is now.

 

[felt.]

Maybe they have money in the bank and don't need to make currency value based adjustments unless they are significant, maybe this is one of those moments. Maybe you should re-evaluate your emotional attachment to fictitious situations where your life depends on you having a specific app but for no reason other than one of your own doing (failure to plan for the future) you were unable to purchase it.

 

[Gypsy36]

Well, with respect, corporate greed doesn't really make sense either. If there were just seeking to make a cash grab, Australia, Indonesia and Sweden seem like random choices to me...

 

[C DM]

Which doesn't make sense, because they didn't increase prices when the difference was worse than it is now.

Well, it could be that they didn't react in time last time, or didn't catch it last time, or didn't want to or need to react last time for some reason, which doesn't necessarily imply that they wouldn't or should't react in some way this time.

 

[beebarb]

@felt.
You're misinterpreting my response to this issue.
There is no 'emotional attachment to ficticious situations'.

@Gypsy36
They do in a way, but I suspect it's because they think we are easily exploitable, idk. I'm trying to make sense of this really.

@C DM
It just seems bizarre, and doesn't make much sense that they would pick the time when our dollar actually seems to be improving to make this adjustment.

 

[Gypsy36]

I really do not think "easily exploitable" is the answer. Look, it happens in Canada ALL the time if it makes you feel any better and it always happens on a delay. It is never about what is going on right now in the markets. I suspect it has to do with forecasts. These decisions are not made spur of the moment.

Having to pay more for something sucks. No question. But I don't think it is targeted.

 

[beebarb]

@Gypsy36 That, actually makes some sense of this situation, thank you.

 

[C DM]

@felt.
You're misinterpreting my response to this issue.
There is no 'emotional attachment to ficticious situations'.

@Gypsy36
They do in a way, but I suspect it's because they think we are easily exploitable, idk. I'm trying to make sense of this really.

@C DM
It just seems bizarre, and doesn't make much sense that they would pick the time when our dollar actually seems to be improving to make this adjustment.

Perhaps it's one of those "better late than never" type of things for them.