I think what he means is that ASE is an interchange format primarily used by Adobe users, and since Adobe users are already paying the rent for all the Adobe apps, and use those apps to create, edit, and exchange ASE colour palettes, the question is how relevant your app would be. Why pay for an iPhone app when you already have paid for all the Adobe tools that do the same thing integrated in those Adobe apps?
What would be the point?
And users who do not use Adobe software probably have no interest in a paid-for ASE editor that is available only on mobile devices, because their apps probably cannot import ASE files, and they will opt for something like the apps I listed: a quick conversion to a different palette format with a free desktop app.
The question is whether your app solves a hidden need - and I think that might be questionable. If your app would work on Mac, Windows, and Linux desktop as well as iOS and Android, I think it might be more useful - but only if it also converts ASE files to other colour palette file formats, and from other apps to ASE.
As it stands, the market seems awfully small. For most people not using Adobe software ASE is not that useful, because their software doesn't support it. A utility like
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/53474/color-palette-importer is much more useful to this group of users.
Then, on the other hand, your app competes directly with Adobe tools that can already be used to create and edit ASE files. So why would Adobe users pay for your app if they already have that functionality?
See? The real question is: who is prepared to pay for a very specialized ASE colour palette editor when Adobe users have no need of it, and users outside the Adobe ecosystem mostly just want to convert ASE to something their apps can use. They will not be sharing ASE files with others, in general.
Have you done actual user research before starting work on this? I ask, because I fall in the second group of professional users who no longer use Adobe apps. When I work with colour palettes, I am not very interested in sharing or editing ASE files - only in converting them to the design apps I use now. Although once or twice in the past few years it would have been handy to have a utility like yours, but I do my work on a desktop machines (Windows and Mac), so even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be interested in your app.
My workflow would be:
1) use a tool like Adobe Kuler to browse an interesting colour palette online, and download the ASE file.
2) convert the ASE file to JASC PAL format
3) import into my design app that supports JASC PAL
All on my Windows or Mac machines. Why use a mobile app to make my life more complicated?
So, I imagine this is what many designers working outside the Adobe system would be interested in. Not in actually editing an ASE file, but merely in using it in their non-Adobe design software. But your app can't even convert ASE files to other palette file formats. So how useful would it be? Very limited.
True, the quesion is, however, whether users from either side of the pond (Adobe /non-Adobe users) would actually be interested in doing that. Any way, Cyotek Palette Editor is working on supporting groups in ASE files.
At least with Cyotek I can convert from one file format to another. Your app only works with ASE files.
