Thoughts? Their documentation is a little on the scarce side at the moment.
Sounds just like one of those “bundles” that go on sale once a year or so…
I like the line
more like
I had gotten an advertisement for this. Don’t see much of a point. The app store is bloated with tiny little apps with not much functionality. But even not very experienced computer users know how to use the app store.
I don’t care if this is a new guy on the block and if the MAS has taken over the world. Any business is good to get. Heck, even a restaurant once in a while is nice to have.
I have signed up as developer, and also as potential customer.
Since they tease with very little information, difficult to have much opinions about them at this stage.
Thank you Sam.
Well I saw a lot of Stores coming and going… does anybody know Bodega? Not sure about MAS infringements when selling same App on Mac in different shops. I would see this as additional distribution channel.
Sounds like a company that squeezes devs while making easy money. That’s a loose/win situation.
No thank you.
Heck what do I care if Apple makes billions squeezing small chinese hands to build their gizmos ? That won’t prevent me from buying iPhones and placing my apps in the MAS. Sure, they take 30% from me and make easy money. But as a comparison, distributors back in the good old box days routinely used to take 60% (Ingram for instance).
Software has no real production cost. Electrons cost is negligible. Don’t you think we squeeze ourselves doing bundle that a of people around here enjoy ? Is is not nice for consumers to get 90% or so rebate ? For those who are part of the bundle, it still remains a good deal. Win-Win.
Of course, if I deluded myself in thinking I am bigger than the ox, I might refuse new business. Sorry, I am not. any penny is good to take.
Now, when I get a solid proposition from SetApp, I will have the privilege to refuse, or the opportunity to accept. That is simply called business.
Sure it does. They’re just different now.
If you still had to stick it in a box, stamp CD’s DVD’s, and ship them to store shelves there’s still a lot of costs.
The cost of stamping out millions of units that are downloaded that is negligible especially if you’re on MAS, Windows App store and others like that since you don’t pay for hosting bandwidth etc.
But I can tell you that for Xojo our costs are not 0 even though we’re an app you download from our servers & CDN.
Since when? Do you blink your eyes, and a new product is on your computer ready to deploy?
Because for me, it take days, or weeks of effort… and that effort is not “free”…
Software has a relatively HIGH production cost, what is does have is a relatively LOW DEPLOYMENT cost.
Big Difference.
I think some are confusing development and production. Software development cost are always very high. That is where the bread is. Software production ( and/or distribution) happens after the software has been developed. And it does cost some money to be sure; but it certainly cost less than it used to be (since many of the materials required are no longer there).
Indeed, research and development cost, and sometimes quite a bit. Not to mention a lot of work.
What I meant as “production” is literally producing units for sale. Just like in the past I duplicated disks and placed them in boxes, then wrapped them in plastic. THAT was hard money. Producing a few electrons for delivery is not what I would call expensive.
Indeed, then there are a lot of overhead, such as marketing, customer support, etc. But it is not direct cost.
I would not use the word deployment for consumer software. Customer acquires a software product, mostly downloaded today, and deploys it himself. Publisher/developer produces software, uploads to store of web site, item gets created upon order. We are very, very far from brick and mortar.
Deployment costs still aren’t 0.
If you’re on MAS thats the 30% Apple takes.
Dont know what MS and others charge. But thats at least to cover their costs (although I suspect its much more)
There are still costs - they are just different than they used to be when you had to duplicate disks, packaging etc.
Quite possibly lower. Still not 0
Development costs are a different beast entirely. And still not 0 
Interesting idea BUT as a possible user I dont find there’s $9.99 a month worth of stuff I’d use in their catalog.
And several apps that seem to do many of the same things.
Exactly how many to do list managers does a person need ? They have several.
I have a friend who was looking into it and he told me that part of the DRM tracks which apps you use, and how much; and the split of your monthly fee goes to the developers of the apps you use.
It sounds fair enough, but I hate usage tracking (to the point where I’ve blocked DevMate entirely and certain sections of Paddle) so I can’t even use the bundle 
[quote=309633:@Norman Palardy]Deployment costs still aren’t 0.
If you’re on MAS thats the 30% Apple takes.
Dont know what MS and others charge. But thats at least to cover their costs (although I suspect its much more)
There are still costs - they are just different than they used to be when you had to duplicate disks, packaging etc.
Quite possibly lower. Still not 0[/quote]
Distribution costs <> production cost.
MAS, Windows Store and Amazon take 30% on sales. Period.
In the heydays of boxes, wholesalers would routinely request 60%, and resellers would not hear of less than 30%. So boom, just to have a product on a shelf, you had to abandon most of the list price. And I am not even talking of special expenses to be referenced and being forced of advertising in the catalog.
That is when people like me went into direct sales by mail order, because distribution overhead was intolerable.
Today’s distribution is way less costly.
[quote=309634:@Norman Palardy]Interesting idea BUT as a possible user I dont find there’s $9.99 a month worth of stuff I’d use in their catalog.
And several apps that seem to do many of the same things.
Exactly how many to do list managers does a person need ? They have several.[/quote]
They contacted me to see what I had to sell. We shall see.
[quote=309640:@Tim Parnell]I have a friend who was looking into it and he told me that part of the DRM tracks which apps you use, and how much; and the split of your monthly fee goes to the developers of the apps you use.
[/quote]
Yeah not using apps that track usage like that
one additional point… the time to get familiar with an new technology, API or distribution method. It took me several days, several trial and error attempts to put an App into MAS. Same with signed Inno Setup Scripts etc. The more distribution channels you have, the more struggle you have to get everything right.
Indeed, there is a learning curve for each distribution channel. The MAS would be nightmarish without Sam’s App Wrapper. Finding the proper generator for installers and signing them as well.
More recently, I spent quite a bit of time with the Desktop App Converter to get into the Windows Store.
But believe me, it is nothing as compared to boxed distribution. Just imagine having to create a packaging (hello design and printer), to duplicate disks, to have manuals printed, all that assembled and shrink wrapped, with all the money upfront. Then have to go through Best Buys, Compusa and others, often having to travel to their headquarters to present to the buyer, pay for being referenced, pay for their catalog, and so on, and so on.
We have come a long way.
I recall Bodega and no, you’re not violating any T&Cs with Apple if you sell elsewhere.