I had much the same response. Crap doesn't make money and never has. Frankly it sounded like he felt entitled to a profit no matter how much effort he puts into it.
I agree, but could have done without your insulting my political views in your title. We lefties are not the cartoon view you have of us. We value hard work and the rewards that come from it. Always have.
I just flat out don't believe his numbers either. They are at odds with the rest of the article and everything we've ever heard about the app store.
URLs?
Everything I've read shows a very long tail: the top 100 make very good money, the second and third hundred make about as much as many small desktop software companies, and the other 399,700 make somewhere between a minimum wage and zero.
But if you have stats that can show even a tenth of iOS devs making more than they could make doing IT work ($100k-$150k annually) I'd love to read it.
I guess one could ask the same of you...URLs?
Face it guys, this is business. The good ones shine and the bad ones don't. There are a few hundred dentists in my region, how do I know which one is good? Good old word of mouth and marketing, just like the App Store.
Trip Hawkins: WTF is "over-encouraged supply"? What does that mean? I guess Hawkins has never heard of this concept called the market economy. Supply and demand will balance each other out in the long run. What exactly does Hawkins want to do? Have Apple start creating artificial "app shortages" to stimulate demand for the "chosen few apps"?
I'm not pretending the App Store doesn't have problems. I just think this notion of "over-encouraged supply" is the natural result of an open market with low barriers to entry. Nintendo (Sony & Microsoft) puts up these high barriers to entry: you have to fork over tens of thousands of dollars and sign licensing agreements. Is that what Hawkins wants? Or perhaps an ultra-curated market like the one for console games?
His name is William and he goes by 'Trip'. He's an Ivy with a III after his name. Meritocracy and having to struggle against market forces ain't his thing.
Most of the games his company pushes are all knockoffs and there are 133 titles listed. Half of them are free versions. Put out some really good games (not knockoffs) and you stand a better chance of a hit.
The moral of this story.... Sony could be where Apple is right now but they spent all their time and effort trying to make DRM.
If Sony would have just got off their @sses and made a phone similar to the iPhone with Sony exclusive title games and good hardware, they would be in the game.
I 100% agree with the post that said people are tired of paying $60-$70 for a game and then having to add another $50 for addons to play it.
Sony used to be a name the people were impressed by. Now people in general, couldn't care less what Sony does or doesn't do.
We now have options that are just as good or better than Sony.
Supply and demand will balance each other out in the long run.
True, but that pretty much never results in quality. Quality comes from a concerted effort to go against the lowest common denominator of the so called "free market." Apple products don't happen because of the the free market, they happen because the people who run the company and the people who work there refuse to make crap. Trip has a point that over-choice dilutes quality and makes it difficult for quality to rise to the top. Apple succeeds through sheer force of will not by letting the market decide what they make.
The guys just pi**Ed he hasn't had an Angry Birds and no wonder Digital Chocalate titles are junk they carried over from developing Java games for dumb phones.
I really can't think of any Digital Chocolate titles off hand, I've never seen any promotions, such as Gameloft's Christmas advent calendar, which prompted EA to discount a lot of their to titles to 99c which Gameloft then matched.
I think I ended up buying a mix of around ten top tier titles including the $8.99 Nova 2, that's called marketing and prompted me to follow them on twitter and FaceBook so I know what's coming up.
A game I discovered by word of mouth is Back Breaker, they popped up an in game ad for Back Breaker 2 which I then bought, these are pretty fun games based on American football, they've obviously cut a deal with KFC as the billboards around the virtual stadiums contain KFC advertising.
If games are good people will buy them dropping the price puts it up the sales charts and brings it to casual browsers attention.
I don't think the number of iOS titles is necessarily a barrier for entry for new platforms. The PS3 was successful even though the 360 had a lot more titles, because they had a few ready A-grade titles that grabbed people's attention. That is how a new player will have to do it.
True, but that pretty much never results in quality. Quality comes from a concerted effort to go against the lowest common denominator of the so called "free market." Apple products don't happen because of the the free market, they happen because the people who run the company and the people who work there refuse to make crap. Trip has a point that over-choice dilutes quality and makes it difficult for quality to rise to the top. Apple succeeds through sheer force of will not by letting the market decide what they make.
Good point about quality, but did you notice (to further your example) that Apple doesn't play in the same "race-to-the-bottom" of the PC market that Acer, Dell, Gateway, HP, and literally hundreds of Chinese clone PCs play in? The $299 laptop? The $499 PC? Of course these cheap, plasticky machines are sold on razor-thin margins. Apple can sell few high-end Macs and make more profit.
So why are the vendors who care about and can deliver quality in the App Store not raising the prices of their software? Why aren't they doing what Apple did in its market? Who is stopping ISVs from saying, "OK, let's see if people can tell the difference between crap and quality, and let's see if enough of them are willing to pay for it." Maybe there is a market for low-volume, high-margin Apps. Who says you have to play the same thin margin, high-volume game?
So why are the vendors who care about and can deliver quality in the App Store not raising the prices of their software? Why aren't they doing what Apple did in its market? Who is stopping ISVs from saying, "OK, let's see if people can tell the difference between crap and quality, and let's see if enough of them are willing to pay for it."
Nothing is stopping them. When you upload an app to the App Store there are plenty of very high price points you can choose from. But Apple themselves are encouraging low prices in the App Store (probably to help spread the platform). Look at the new GarageBand for iPad demonstrated earlier this week: an amazing piece of software, real professional piece of work - $4.99!
Unfortunately apple has gone down the angle that windows did with their software availability. Hundreds of thousands piece of shit software, with a few pieces of good ones. Sure apple can highlight the good ones, but finding something decent in an area apple does not care to highlight is a frikin abomination, and the user reviews in the store are frikin awful.
Probably why i have only brought four apps in three years.
Unfortunately apple has gone down the angle that windows did with their software availability. Hundreds of thousands piece of shit software, with a few pieces of good ones. Sure apple can highlight the good ones, but finding something decent in an area apple does not care to highlight is a frikin abomination, and the user reviews in the store are frikin awful.
Probably why i have only brought four apps in three years.
Another reason is you're probably lazy, and cheap.
Too many titles? This is his criticism? "If they agree with the Koran, they are superfluous and should be burned, and if they disagree with the Koran they are pernicious and should be burned." Is that it, "Trip"? Here's your torch, man?flame away!
Comments
I had much the same response. Crap doesn't make money and never has. Frankly it sounded like he felt entitled to a profit no matter how much effort he puts into it.
I agree, but could have done without your insulting my political views in your title. We lefties are not the cartoon view you have of us. We value hard work and the rewards that come from it. Always have.
And that isn't a healthy eco system?
LOL.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, well, they piss and moan about it apparently.
Apple and Jobs have really gotten under all these guy's skins haven't they. From Ballmer to this guy they just can't believe what they are witnessing.
I just flat out don't believe his numbers either. They are at odds with the rest of the article and everything we've ever heard about the app store.
URLs?
Everything I've read shows a very long tail: the top 100 make very good money, the second and third hundred make about as much as many small desktop software companies, and the other 399,700 make somewhere between a minimum wage and zero.
But if you have stats that can show even a tenth of iOS devs making more than they could make doing IT work ($100k-$150k annually) I'd love to read it.
I guess one could ask the same of you...URLs?
Face it guys, this is business. The good ones shine and the bad ones don't. There are a few hundred dentists in my region, how do I know which one is good? Good old word of mouth and marketing, just like the App Store.
I'm not pretending the App Store doesn't have problems. I just think this notion of "over-encouraged supply" is the natural result of an open market with low barriers to entry. Nintendo (Sony & Microsoft) puts up these high barriers to entry: you have to fork over tens of thousands of dollars and sign licensing agreements. Is that what Hawkins wants? Or perhaps an ultra-curated market like the one for console games?
Does anyone here actually know who Trip Hawkins is?
Trip Hawkins hasn't produced a good game since Larry Bird vs. Dr. J: One on One.
If Sony would have just got off their @sses and made a phone similar to the iPhone with Sony exclusive title games and good hardware, they would be in the game.
I 100% agree with the post that said people are tired of paying $60-$70 for a game and then having to add another $50 for addons to play it.
Sony used to be a name the people were impressed by. Now people in general, couldn't care less what Sony does or doesn't do.
We now have options that are just as good or better than Sony.
Supply and demand will balance each other out in the long run.
True, but that pretty much never results in quality. Quality comes from a concerted effort to go against the lowest common denominator of the so called "free market." Apple products don't happen because of the the free market, they happen because the people who run the company and the people who work there refuse to make crap. Trip has a point that over-choice dilutes quality and makes it difficult for quality to rise to the top. Apple succeeds through sheer force of will not by letting the market decide what they make.
I really can't think of any Digital Chocolate titles off hand, I've never seen any promotions, such as Gameloft's Christmas advent calendar, which prompted EA to discount a lot of their to titles to 99c which Gameloft then matched.
I think I ended up buying a mix of around ten top tier titles including the $8.99 Nova 2, that's called marketing and prompted me to follow them on twitter and FaceBook so I know what's coming up.
A game I discovered by word of mouth is Back Breaker, they popped up an in game ad for Back Breaker 2 which I then bought, these are pretty fun games based on American football, they've obviously cut a deal with KFC as the billboards around the virtual stadiums contain KFC advertising.
If games are good people will buy them dropping the price puts it up the sales charts and brings it to casual browsers attention.
True, but that pretty much never results in quality. Quality comes from a concerted effort to go against the lowest common denominator of the so called "free market." Apple products don't happen because of the the free market, they happen because the people who run the company and the people who work there refuse to make crap. Trip has a point that over-choice dilutes quality and makes it difficult for quality to rise to the top. Apple succeeds through sheer force of will not by letting the market decide what they make.
Good point about quality, but did you notice (to further your example) that Apple doesn't play in the same "race-to-the-bottom" of the PC market that Acer, Dell, Gateway, HP, and literally hundreds of Chinese clone PCs play in? The $299 laptop? The $499 PC? Of course these cheap, plasticky machines are sold on razor-thin margins. Apple can sell few high-end Macs and make more profit.
So why are the vendors who care about and can deliver quality in the App Store not raising the prices of their software? Why aren't they doing what Apple did in its market? Who is stopping ISVs from saying, "OK, let's see if people can tell the difference between crap and quality, and let's see if enough of them are willing to pay for it." Maybe there is a market for low-volume, high-margin Apps. Who says you have to play the same thin margin, high-volume game?
So why are the vendors who care about and can deliver quality in the App Store not raising the prices of their software? Why aren't they doing what Apple did in its market? Who is stopping ISVs from saying, "OK, let's see if people can tell the difference between crap and quality, and let's see if enough of them are willing to pay for it."
Nothing is stopping them. When you upload an app to the App Store there are plenty of very high price points you can choose from. But Apple themselves are encouraging low prices in the App Store (probably to help spread the platform). Look at the new GarageBand for iPad demonstrated earlier this week: an amazing piece of software, real professional piece of work - $4.99!
Probably why i have only brought four apps in three years.
Unfortunately apple has gone down the angle that windows did with their software availability. Hundreds of thousands piece of shit software, with a few pieces of good ones. Sure apple can highlight the good ones, but finding something decent in an area apple does not care to highlight is a frikin abomination, and the user reviews in the store are frikin awful.
Probably why i have only brought four apps in three years.
Another reason is you're probably lazy, and cheap.