The folks at PocketNow’s recently complained about why Windows Mobile applications are sooo expensive compared to the offerings found in the iTunes App Store. At the first glance, their blurb may look good…but, just like communism, the flaws are hidden in the details.
The difference between WM and iPhone apps cannot be understood until you are willing to accept that WM boxen and iPhones cater to different user groups! Windows Mobile users are power users (similar to classic Treo users)…and demand loads of features in their applications. iPhone users, on the other hand, are happy with the bare minimum as long as it looks cool(what the iPhone’s UI server does automatically).
Also, the selling conditions are completely different(no, we are NOT talking about commissions here). Apple iPhone stuff sells for a few bucks at worst. As seen with DOS and OS/2, a price point burnt into the people’s minds sticks…which forces developers to blend into the iTunes pricing scheme for music and video with their apps.
Last but not least, the iPhone’s UI system is not well suited to complex, full-featured applications. Screens like the one shown below(from a Palm OS app) are very difficult to realize on the iPhone…as it lacks simple UI widgets like a menu or a dropdown picker:
All of these factors add up to one thing: developers want to make apps that blend in. The price and UI constraints do not allow for “heavy” apps. Developers thus apply the Pareto Principle, which leads to simple and beautiful apps that can be sold for cheap.
Instead of selling a few apps, developers try to go for the masses. This leads to shorter product life cycles(anyone notice how bad the iTunes App store handles updates?)…which in turn leads to many many many apps flooding the market.
Aa of now, the effects that this flood will have on business perspectives can not be predicted. I am pretty sure that things like support and product quality will be affected…but only time can tell…