OP: Then *don't*. It's as simple as that. You, and people like you, are the enablers.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
To a lot of developers : I'm tired of subscribing to your app!
- Thread starter katbel
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Some criticts are of course right. Some apps are asking subscriptions to basically no point but trying to ripp some money. As a developer I still and will support subscriptions.
Applications that does premium contents for free is either *selling your data or they get money from elsewhere (like microsoft is earning from office and azure, so they don't made premium content on their powerfull mail app on ios) *
Addition: nobody is forcing nobody to subscribe to apps. My girlfriend has no subscriptions or even no credit card info on her device so she can't even purchase something.
- You DON'T have to buy subscription for everything. Most of the subscriptions are paid to developers (with Apple's 30% cut) and backend services that requires to operate(if you have no idea about why backend may cost a lot, just go into azure or google cloud or amazon pricings. You would shock to see 0.1$/hour --> calculate for one month..)
- Most of the apps are using sub model for premium features they are adding occasionally and maintaining it. Nobody asks you to pay subscription for G-Suite integration(although it's not easy as you may think to code)
- You would think that making paid app, or making one time payment option brings the less money since many few people actually buy them because of price. Most of the users tend to choose 2$/month rather than 40$ one time purchase. Example: I bought an app, did not like it after 3-4 months of usage. I would pay it 6$ by then with subscription or ı would pay 40$ for it and regret my money and just because I was using it for 3 months, I can't ask refund easily.
Applications that does premium contents for free is either *selling your data or they get money from elsewhere (like microsoft is earning from office and azure, so they don't made premium content on their powerfull mail app on ios) *
Addition: nobody is forcing nobody to subscribe to apps. My girlfriend has no subscriptions or even no credit card info on her device so she can't even purchase something.
the problem is the forced upgrade. I am happy with Fantastical 2. I don't want Fantastical 3. I paid for Fantastical 2. I cannot download Fantastical 2 from the iOS Appstore now. Luckily, my Fantastical 2 for Mac was purchased outside, so I was able to re-download the 2.5.15 zip and archive it before they removed it in their attempt to force everyone to 3..
Fantastical is a nice example to rage, but a failure doesnt affect every app on sub model. I love to give bear to price because I see what they do for that and love to use it, but I also cancelled my fantastical trial(did it to see watchOS error gone away) and cancelled it because of price.
In your case subscription is the way to go, you are constantly doing work and you should be rewarded or paid by that. The subscriptions I don't agree with are the ones that are useless. Plus I hate when you are updating an app- even if I'm very careful - that doesn't give you the possibility to go back.
On my Mac I compress the app that I'm afraid to loose ..just in case I update it by mistake
Since a while I'm keeping old apps that I really care about, when I do not have time to check all the small print with the new update. Most of the time I'm able to go back . I have backups too.
Last edited:
Apple hides it, but you're able to download any app that you ever downloaded in the past. So if you downloaded version 2 some time in the past, then you'll still be able to download it again now.
How to download old versions of apps from the App Store on an older iPhone or iPad that can't run iOS 11 | AppleInsider
Apple hasn't totally left old iPad owners behind. In addition to still signing the last iOS releases for those devices, you can still download software for them — assuming you know where to look.
appleinsider.com
How does that work? Like every other product in the marketplace. The developer produces a piece of software that provides a certain set of functions and they charge a price for those functions.
Or are you advocating that people should have to pay a monthly subscription to use the coffeemaker they purchased?
Ultimately, the move to subscription models has to do with the stagnancy in the economy... nationally and internationally. They know they can't increase the number of customers so they work a way to get more money from the existing customers.
Excellent point! I purchased all of my apps years ago.. and they are, like my coffee maker, still working perfectly today. Those apps are still impressive today and I would have been willing to pay twice what the developer charged.
Perhaps some developers should look into supplementing their income with a part-time job waiting tables or something. I've done this and it works.
I've been a software developer for over 40 years. It isn't my primary job these days, but the subscription model is causing me to re-think that. 😅
I respect a developer's choice to charge using a model that s/he sees fit to use.
But at the end of the day, I'm a person who is willing to fork over a considerable amount for an app I use consistently and am also willing (and happy) to pay for upgrades. I'm much more hesitant to start any more subscriptions.
But at the end of the day, I'm a person who is willing to fork over a considerable amount for an app I use consistently and am also willing (and happy) to pay for upgrades. I'm much more hesitant to start any more subscriptions.
Did this whole subscription movement begin when big developers began moving their big apps (Photoshop, MS Office, etc.) into the cloud in order to prevent people from pirating their apps? Software as a service may work for some things but I doubt it will work in the long term for everything.
I don't have a problem paying a yearly subscription for quality software (I use a lot) and good customer service when needed. I am reaching the point where the monthly app fees are getting to be more than I want to spend. As such, I will be looking to cut down some current apps, as well as further spending. If I can solidify several needs into one app, I will do that.
It is a shame that Apple hasn't stepped up their software game, in regards to many of their stock apps (Mail, Reminders, Calendar, etc.). If these stock apps weren't so anemic, the need for so many third party app and subscriptions wouldn't be as great as it is, in my opinion.
Access your current needs. If you don't want to pay for more and more subscriptions, don't pay. Find a core group of apps that meets your needs and get rid of the other ones. Problem solved.
Quality developers will work hard to meet the needs and wants of their customers. If they don't, they won't be in the business of making a sustaining income very long.
Keep in mind, that many of the third party app developers are very small business men and women working part time on their apps. They have bills. And many, would like to get the point of supporting their app full time.
It is a shame that Apple hasn't stepped up their software game, in regards to many of their stock apps (Mail, Reminders, Calendar, etc.). If these stock apps weren't so anemic, the need for so many third party app and subscriptions wouldn't be as great as it is, in my opinion.
Access your current needs. If you don't want to pay for more and more subscriptions, don't pay. Find a core group of apps that meets your needs and get rid of the other ones. Problem solved.
Quality developers will work hard to meet the needs and wants of their customers. If they don't, they won't be in the business of making a sustaining income very long.
Keep in mind, that many of the third party app developers are very small business men and women working part time on their apps. They have bills. And many, would like to get the point of supporting their app full time.
An easy solution is to not get their app.
With the exception of one app, I pass on apps that require a subscription.
Why?
Its not an Apple ecosystem thing, subscriptions are fact of life across all platform. Food for thought, enterprise applications have always been subscription based and some large companies like MS were trying to figure out a subscription model decades ago. Looks like we have them now.
Not for nothing, the best way to deal with it, is not subscribe, vote with your wallet.
And they would have gotten away with it too, were it not for certain antitrust complaints.
They got away with it - office is now a subscription model ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I really become sad to read this as many people whose earning money from their job and judging developers earning method.
One time purchases makes one time money, like you're earning 500$/month approx. with people who bought your app.
For Example: I'm solo developer. My app is not became popular and I put price about 20$ because it's worth that. How many people will buy it vs I made this app 2$/month and how many people will use it?
I am defending that there could be 2 versions of apps(Like readdle does) and one of this is one-time purchase and other is freemium model with quicker upgrade cycle in order to reach out everyone. BUT, eliminating subscription model will remove solo developers/startup apps and trending apps to decrease.
To repeat, you don't need to subscribe an app. You can remove and not use it/download from somewhere else.
One time purchases makes one time money, like you're earning 500$/month approx. with people who bought your app.
For Example: I'm solo developer. My app is not became popular and I put price about 20$ because it's worth that. How many people will buy it vs I made this app 2$/month and how many people will use it?
I am defending that there could be 2 versions of apps(Like readdle does) and one of this is one-time purchase and other is freemium model with quicker upgrade cycle in order to reach out everyone. BUT, eliminating subscription model will remove solo developers/startup apps and trending apps to decrease.
To repeat, you don't need to subscribe an app. You can remove and not use it/download from somewhere else.
So, if you stop paying your rent to Microsoft, you'll lose everything? Aren't you in a perilous position, dependent on Microsoft's good graces?
You probably should read up on the termination process, before making decisions that relate to your data. MS doesn't wipe your OneDrive the day of termination. Regardless its up to you to make an informed decision.
For instance, with Adobe, lightroom will continue to function if you cancel the subscription, you will be unable to edit any new or old images, but all of the other modules will continue to function.
Good point! And that is exactly why I won't allow myself to fall into the subscription trap. What happens when the developer passes away? I'm sure Kobe Bryant didn't actually plan to die in a helicopter recently.
Well, for a large part it has a lot to do with Apple… the OS software upgrade cycle. If the OS upgrades are constantly causing issues with 3rd party software then I'm constantly having to upgrade 3rd party software to only get OS compatibility.
For instance, I use Microsoft Office products (mostly Word and Excel) marginally differently to the way I did when I first bought them on 3.5" floppy disks. I'd actually be happy to still be using Word 4 but OS upgrade prevents it. How is that entirely Microsoft's fault that they're constantly having to work to maintain compatibility with a set of changing goal posts? I do in fact pay for Office 365 as it give me better value than I ever did with a perpetual license. Simply through using OneDrive I'm not having to pay for any other cloud service, especially as it's cross platform, which result is Office itself basically coming for free (more so when bought at 50% off). For many other things that's far from the case.
Then there's Adobe at the other end of the spectrum. I'm an owner of CS6, and other prior versions, and more than likely it will be the last time I give Adobe money. For some reason Adobe thinks that because I use Photoshop and Dreamweaver I should subsidise all those other apps that I don't, nor will ever, use. Again, I use Photoshop marginally different to when it was version 3 and all those upgrades were for OS upgrades, Retina display support blah blah blah. I don't use it that supports a CC subscription… not even close. The moment I'm force from High Sierra, or I switch to Windows, Adobe has lost a customer. I don't change I get to keep CS6 as is.
Filemaker is another, another app I have to fork out money just so it'll continue to work on a new Mac. I don't have high demands other than it works like it did this year, last year and the years before that.
Where is the value in that?!
More any more I'm seeing the cause of these costs being macOS. A simple switch to Windows and all of these revolving door costs go away for the large part. I realise I'm simplifying but Apple does play a significant role in software overall value for money.
Microsoft is also doing this on Windows, blaming macOS here is one side reply, especially macOS has better support on old machines and softwares, developers are cutting the support mostly.
The thing is, most people does not understand upgrade process. Old times, they tend to release a software, make small updates in months and mainly not looking more besides business support.
Now they are able to bring many good and useful features with occasional updates that costs more than single buy price so they create sub plan to satisfy the cost.
If an app doesn't offer you good solution but giving basic but nothing, don't encourage them to subscribe and make them earn. However if the application brings great futures and maintain the app frequently, they have right to ask a price.
That makes no sense though You're telling me Apple needs to force the likes of MS and Adobe to adopt a business model that will directly impact their profit margins and cause them to generate significantly less revenue.
And this is why MS has embraced the subscription model, pure and simple
No, I'm still not seeing how they play a significant role.
Also, consider market share. MacOS is a fraction of what windows is, Apple has very little leverage with dictating terms to MS, Adobe (and others) as they sell a heck of alot more on windows then macOS.
and this is the reason everybody is switching. You made them earn 10 bucks for current time and they never be able to cover to their expenses with this. If you think Microsoft is a 1000$ expense 1.000.000 revenue company, you know nothing about cloud pricing & power apps pricing & personal costs.
When I look at my iMac late-2015 and MBP 13" 2018 and see that upgrading to Catalina from High Sierra will cost in the region of 10x (I actually think it's more but anyway) more than changing it to Windows 10 under Boot Camp I have a problem with that sort of thing. More than anything the change to Windows would cost me time to make the transition. It's not a "blaming macOS" anything, its a reality.
I go to Catalina I'm needing to buy Affinity products to keep the functionality I have now. I switch to Windows on the exact same computer and I keep Photoshop. How is that Microsoft doing it too?
Don't get me wrong, I do get why all these companies are going to a subscription model. However if developers, and Apple, don't stop to consider that there are many instances when the only benefit is OS compatibility that's of a really low value then they start to ponder the value of that OS. Where's the value for the customer in that?
[automerge]1580498232[/automerge]
I would think my not purchasing any Adobe products from now and into the future costs them more than anything. Asking me to subsidise the cost of video products etc that I will never use is unreasonable.
But you're looking at it backwards. For instance, Apple deprecating 32-bit in Catalina. Whose choice was that other than Apple? I'm not saying whether it is a good a bad choice but whose choice it was. These choices affect developers. Developers pass on these costs to their customers. Me, as a customer, have to pay for Apple's choice whether I get anything from that or not.
This is not a matter of Apple dictating anything to software developers. Its the acceptance that Apple's choices affects the baseline cost of software development due to high maintenance efforts and irrespective of what I would get that's "new". That is within Apple's control.
Last edited: