Tweetie 2.0

[nutmac]

If it's so bad you don't have to buy it. But if you bought Tweetie 1 you thought it was worth it. If it was worth it yesterday, it's still worth it today. If you think Tweetie 2 is worth it, buy it, if not, don't buy it! It's that simple.

The whole "don't buy it if you don't want it" argument is anti-consumer talk. If I buy something, only to have it superseded shortly, I should be entitled to free upgrade. And in the software industry, it is a known practice to offer discounted upgrade to existing users.

GO COMPLAIN TO APPLE.

Yes, Apple's App Store does not have flexible payment arrangement. But I think it is more appropriate for the developers to raise the alarm, not the consumers. After all, you don't expect restaurant patrons to complain to the building owner for raising the restaurant's rent.

And as I suggested earlier, there is a loophole. Offer the upgrade for free to existing users, but charge a fee for certain new features (via in-app purchase). It's too bad Tweetie 2.0 lacks push notification, as that would be an ideal feature to charge extra.

 

[Zman3001]

If it's so bad you don't have to buy it. But if you bought Tweetie 1 you thought it was worth it. If it was worth it yesterday, it's still worth it today. If you think Tweetie 2 is worth it, buy it, if not, don't buy it! It's that simple.

I wish it was a free upgrade too but I do think the features it has make it totally worth it.

See this is what everyone keeps harping on, but everyone glances over my point.

What if he keeps making Tweetie "new" apps and keeps abandoning his old apps. He didn't make that many improvements to Tweetie 1, and waited a long while before even submitting a fix for the twitocalapse (and then apple sat on it and rejected it before it was finally approved). Like it is stated in the reviews, this Tweetie doesn't have push. How would you feel if he suddenly said oh Tweetie 3 will have push, its a whole new app again, pay me again. Its just not a good precedent to come up with, it looks a whole lot like Apple. Oh 2.0 will have copy paste...no wait, 3.0 will actually. And for iPod Touch users, they did have to pay.

I get it, you all want to support developers. I agree. But, i'd like to support a developer who supports his apps and customers back. If Tweetie 2 is abandoned just as soon as Tweetie 1 was and without many fixes or feature improvements, it sends a message to developers that hey you can be a lazy POS with your app, but as long as its advertised well and people blindly follow you, you can do whatever you want and treat your customers like complete crap. Heck, Tweetie 1 still isn't 100% working, and it STILL doesn't say it is 3.0 tested or supported. If he actually addressed the problems with Tweetie 1 without making everyone go out and buy a new app, i'd be satisfied.

 

[amorya]

The whole "don't buy it if you don't want it" argument is anti-consumer talk. If I buy something, only to have it superseded shortly, I should be entitled to free upgrade.

Utter bollocks. The only time the user is entitled to a free upgrade is for bug fixes, nothing more.

Anything else is up to the developer. Of course, the more stuff they give their customers for free, the higher the consumer satisfaction, which is always good. But it's up to the dev how much income they're willing to forego to obtain that.

I went to a talk by Wil Shipley where he advised to never give away major upgrades of your app. The reasoning is, why should significant new features, which cost a lot of money to develop, not bring in any money in return? If every upgrade to every app was free, a wise developer would release 1.0, fix some bugs, then turn to making a brand new app, because that way they'd get some more income.

I'm working on an iphone app now. I took out a £12,000 loan (about $20k) to fund its development. Good software costs money to make, and the iPhone marketplace is not a goldmine. So let's have less of the attitude that developers don't deserve to be paid for their work.

(Incidentally, I may end up giving away free upgrades of my app, since eventually it's going to tie in with a mac version and an online service. If enough people start buying those, I won't need to charge upgrades on the iPhone app, which would be nice. Luckily, on the Mac, there's no expectation that major upgrades are free!)

Amorya

 

[opticalserenity]

So if I buy an app, only to see it updated less than a month later, new version still missing a key feature (push notification) found on many competing apps, and I pay the full price to upgrade... I become intelligent? If I don't, I become a moron?

If the app is $50, then you may have a point. As for the "missing a key feature..." you're the one who bought it, no one, including the bunny with the pancake on it's head, forced you.

 

[cocky jeremy]

lol. Crying about $3 while most of us buy $2000 Macs? It’s $3, calm down. It has a lot of new features. Almost all software charges for upgrades on new, major releases. Big deal.

 

[Prospekt]

I've just gotten bored with tweetie and the lack of updates. I'll definitely look at tweetie 2 when it's finally released but I've been using tweetpocket lately and enjoy it.

 

[str1f3]

I've just gotten bored with tweetie and the lack of updates. I'll definitely look at tweetie 2 when it's finally released but I've been using tweetpocket lately and enjoy it.

I say this not to be offensive because I do understand somewhat of where you're coming from. Tweetie (as any app on any platform) is merely a means to an end. You're not supposed to be bored by any app and should only feel if it's right for your needs. It sounds like if you're bored more so with Twitter which I am sometimes also. If you mean it did not have the features that you needed, I understand you switching to another app (as I've thought about).

 

[ntrigue]

I'm a Twitterrific user and Tweetie owner. I will gladly pay for UI. In fact, I'm almost as bad as TheSpaz when it comes to design.

 

[garethjs]

Is there confirmation there is no push?

 

[jimmy83]

How do you view conversations in the current version of tweetie?

 

[The General]

Is there confirmation there is no push?

No push.

How do you view conversations in the current version of tweetie?

You don't.

 

[RED™]

I am really tempted to buy it when it comes out (I actually almost bought it before knowing of 2.0 and thankfully clicked on cancel) but I'm using Twitteriffic premium now which I love - tricky tricky

 

[jimmy83]

No push.



You don't.

So when someone asks a question, how do you view peoples replies?

 

[Kahnyl]

All I've seen are "In reply to.." buttons in replies.

 

[IronLogik]

The whole "don't buy it if you don't want it" argument is anti-consumer talk. If I buy something, only to have it superseded shortly, I should be entitled to free upgrade. And in the software industry, it is a known practice to offer discounted upgrade to existing users.


Yes, Apple's App Store does not have flexible payment arrangement. But I think it is more appropriate for the developers to raise the alarm, not the consumers. After all, you don't expect restaurant patrons to complain to the building owner for raising the restaurant's rent.

And as I suggested earlier, there is a loophole. Offer the upgrade for free to existing users, but charge a fee for certain new features (via in-app purchase). It's too bad Tweetie 2.0 lacks push notification, as that would be an ideal feature to charge extra.

First. Developers HAVE talked to Apple. They're doing it all the time. Last I heard Loren did talk to Apple. Since he's a former Apple employee he talked to the people he knows to see if or when this might be added. I think it will be added in the next major App Store update. It's something most developers want so they can keep it consistent with their desktop applications. You're reading a forum... populated by consumers... read the developer blogs and you'll see plenty of talk about how the App Store needs "upgrades." Daring Fireball had a TON of posts about various devs discussing the changes they wanted to see to the App Store. Just because the stuff isn't mentioned on TUAW or MacRumors doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Push is garbage for Twitter. Why don't people just get over it. Seriously. You guys seriously love to be bugged nonstop throughout the day with push notifications? The idea is to make life easier, not harder. I don't think many people want to be hounded throughout the day for twitter ****. I think the few people who do want it are just causing a lot of complaints to roll in for it. Most people don't grasp how bad it would be to have push, even just for direct messages. It's a worthless thing. Just have it email you when you get a new message.

See this is what everyone keeps harping on, but everyone glances over my point.

What if he keeps making Tweetie "new" apps and keeps abandoning his old apps. He didn't make that many improvements to Tweetie 1, and waited a long while before even submitting a fix for the twitocalapse (and then apple sat on it and rejected it before it was finally approved). Like it is stated in the reviews, this Tweetie doesn't have push. How would you feel if he suddenly said oh Tweetie 3 will have push, its a whole new app again, pay me again. Its just not a good precedent to come up with, it looks a whole lot like Apple. Oh 2.0 will have copy paste...no wait, 3.0 will actually. And for iPod Touch users, they did have to pay.

I get it, you all want to support developers. I agree. But, i'd like to support a developer who supports his apps and customers back. If Tweetie 2 is abandoned just as soon as Tweetie 1 was and without many fixes or feature improvements, it sends a message to developers that hey you can be a lazy POS with your app, but as long as its advertised well and people blindly follow you, you can do whatever you want and treat your customers like complete crap. Heck, Tweetie 1 still isn't 100% working, and it STILL doesn't say it is 3.0 tested or supported. If he actually addressed the problems with Tweetie 1 without making everyone go out and buy a new app, i'd be satisfied.

Apple dropped the ball on the Twitpocalypse issue. He submitted it as soon as he had a fix, it took weeks for apple to approve the new app. NOT the developers fault. Stop playing the blame game.

And what's with the idea that an app needs to be continually "updated" along the 1.x or 2.x path? What's to say it should merely consist of bug fixes, not new features? You people are spoiled because certain developers release a product early and iterate on it. Some developers may choose to not do that. It does not ENTITLE you to getting a ton of 1.x or 2.x upgrades with new features.

 

[opticalserenity]

First off, I'm embarrassed that people are quibbling over $2.99..

The reason that on the desktop market you get upgrades is because apps cost much more. When you buy Adobe CS4 do you expect to get CS5 for free? If you don't know how much CS4 Master costs, go to newegg.. The reason you get an upgrade price is because it's thousands of dollars, not $2.99.

This is $2.99, what kind of discount do you expect? $0.25 off?

Please go use free twitter clients, so the rest of us can pay him what he deserves and makes us a good app.

 

[nutmac]

First off, I'm embarrassed that people are quibbling over $2.99..

The reason that on the desktop market you get upgrades is because apps cost much more. When you buy Adobe CS4 do you expect to get CS5 for free? If you don't know how much CS4 Master costs, go to newegg.. The reason you get an upgrade price is because it's thousands of dollars, not $2.99.

Let me repeat once more. I am not quibbling over $2.99. I purchased Tweetie 2.0 few weeks ago and my principle says I should get the upgrade free of charge. If I had purchased Tweetie since day 1, perhaps I would be more willing to pay the full price to upgrade, although I think developer should offer some discount still (e.g., $0.99 or $1.99 instead of $2.99).

The reason why desktop apps give upgrade pricing isn't because apps cost more, but because it wants to reward customers and encourage them to upgrade. App Store does not yet offer such upgrade pricing, and if it did, I am reasonably sure I would get a free upgrade (or at least a discount).

Please, spare me it's just the cost of overpriced coffee. If I get $2.99 for every time I hear that argument, I would be a multi million by now.

Push is garbage for Twitter. Why don't people just get over it. Seriously. You guys seriously love to be bugged nonstop throughout the day with push notifications? The idea is to make life easier, not harder. I don't think many people want to be hounded throughout the day for twitter ****. I think the few people who do want it are just causing a lot of complaints to roll in for it. Most people don't grasp how bad it would be to have push, even just for direct messages.

Twitter API maybe garbage, but Twitter push notification for @ replies and DMs, even with a minute or two of delay, is not a garbage. Sure if I get hundreds of replies and DMs, I may not want notification as much, but I can always turn it off (or set it to badge notification). I get maybe 1 or 2 replies a day, and for that, push is wonderful to have.

 

[garethjs]

Push is garbage for Twitter. Why don't people just get over it. Seriously. You guys seriously love to be bugged nonstop throughout the day with push notifications? The idea is to make life easier, not harder. I don't think many people want to be hounded throughout the day for twitter ****. I think the few people who do want it are just causing a lot of complaints to roll in for it. Most people don't grasp how bad it would be to have push, even just for direct messages. It's a worthless thing. Just have it email you when you get a new message.

1. There can be different implementations of push. He could give you the choice of selecting who you want push updates from. He could make push an add-on purchase (limiting user count) and charge even a monthly rate for it but instead flat out says no push. (because tweetie has too many users)

2. No posterous support? Even the desktop app has it

3. No themes?!? Only reason I bought the tweetie was because it had ichat bubbles and now that's gone...

 

[IronLogik]

Let me repeat once more. I am not quibbling over $2.99. I purchased Tweetie 2.0 few weeks ago and my principle says I should get the upgrade free of charge. If I had purchased Tweetie since day 1, perhaps I would be more willing to pay the full price to upgrade, although I think developer should offer some discount still (e.g., $0.99 or $1.99 instead of $2.99).

The reason why desktop apps give upgrade pricing isn't because apps cost more, but because it wants to reward customers and encourage them to upgrade. App Store does not yet offer such upgrade pricing, and if it did, I am reasonably sure I would get a free upgrade (or at least a discount).

Please, spare me it's just the cost of overpriced coffee. If I get $2.99 for every time I hear that argument, I would be a multi million by now.



Twitter API maybe garbage, but Twitter push notification for @ replies and DMs, even with a minute or two of delay, is not a garbage. Sure if I get hundreds of replies and DMs, I may not want notification as much, but I can always turn it off (or set it to badge notification). I get maybe 1 or 2 replies a day, and for that, push is wonderful to have.

Dude. What don't you get? HE CAN'T OFFER DISCOUNTS without letting EVERYONE who hasn't purchased get it at the discounted price. He can't charge you $.99 or $1.99 for the app because you bought Tweetie 1 and also make new users buy it for $2.99. It's either $2.99 for everyone, $1.99 for everyone, or $.99 for everyone.

He can't provide free upgrades to you either without providing free upgrades to EVERYONE who bought.

What you're asking for is either a) not possible or b) not a sustainable income for someone who has made that app his job. He needs to put food on the table. It takes a lot of $2.99 purchases to make an income. Especially with Apple taking $.90 of every purchase. He is effectively making $2.09 for every Tweetie sale.

 

[Hardsheller]

I use BoxCar for Twitter and Facebook Push. You can even push your timeline, and have it open the app of your choice. It's very nice. Boxcar will have to be updated most likely to support Tweetie 2.0 though.

 

[Unspoken Demise]

I use BoxCar for Twitter and Facebook Push. You can even push your timeline, and have it open the app of your choice. It's very nice. Boxcar will have to be updated most likely to support Tweetie 2.0 though.

How happy are you with Boxcar? After reading your post I was checking it out, and $3 for the initial app and 1 push client sounds great, but is it true push, or is it a server update push, where it really only gives it to you every 5 minutes or something like that?

How does the push for Facebook work? Well? Fast?

Thanks for your input.

 

[Warbrain]

How happy are you with Boxcar? After reading your post I was checking it out, and $3 for the initial app and 1 push client sounds great, but is it true push, or is it a server update push, where it really only gives it to you every 5 minutes or something like that?

How does the push for Facebook work? Well? Fast?

Thanks for your input.

If Facebook isn't absolutely necessary for you check out iTweetReply. The update that allows multiple searches to be pushed is being approved and will be out soon. The add-ons will be cheaper than those in Boxcar.

 

[Randman]

Boxcar works quite well. Initially hesitant about cost it's been worth it.

 

[Manic Mouse]

I use iTweetreply and it works like a champ. I know Loren said Tweetie will never have push, so it's a good compromise.

 

[Compile 'em all]

Let me repeat once more. I am not quibbling over $2.99. I purchased Tweetie 2.0 few weeks ago and my principle says I should get the upgrade free of charge. If I had purchased Tweetie since day 1, perhaps I would be more willing to pay the full price to upgrade, although I think developer should offer some discount still (e.g., $0.99 or $1.99 instead of $2.99).

GAAAAAAAAAAAH. It is not possible for him to offer a discount for upgrades because the App Store doesn't allow it.

THE ONLY WAY TO CHARGE MONEY FOR AN UPGRADE IS TO MAKE A NEW APP.

Typically, like you said. If you purchased the app say right before this paid upgrade came out the developer will offer it for free to you. Unfortunately, the app store doesn't offer such an upgrade path. It is either EVERYONE who purchased the app gets the upgrade for free, or they have to pay full price.