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Saving money on iPhone apps

Arshad

Arshad

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Joined
14 August 2003
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Location
Toronto, Canada
I'm not entirely sure if this post is appropriate as I'm promoting my own product, but I thought it would be valuable for prime members using the iPhone. Lud, if this is inappropriate, please feel free to delete the thread.

We just released AppSniper, which basically gives you a continually updated list of all apps that have gone on sale in the last 72 hours, as well as all new releases. Since it's only 99c, the very first app that you purchase through this will cover the cost of AppSniper.

The most powerful aspect of this app is that you can set a "snipe" price. For example if a new game comes out at $7.99 which you really like but are only willing to buy when it drops below $4, just select the app and set your price to $3.99. When that app drops to $4 or below through a promotion or sale or whatever, you will be notified and you can immediately go and buy the game.

With over 100 new titles coming out for the iPhone every day, it's difficult to keep track of everything and even more difficult to find out what's a good price or track the sales. AppSniper helps solve this problem.

With thanksgiving, there are more apps than ever that are on sale or are even being offered for free for a limited time.

The iTunes link for AppSniper is: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=294706770&mt=8

If anyone has any suggestions for how to improve this app, let me know. We've already got a large list of features that we're planning on adding in the near future.
 

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I bought Renee one of these Ipods last night it's pretty sweet IMO. I downloaded the fishing game this morning and played that for a while. It seems odd to pay for something I can't actually touch and hold in my hand, the app. Growing up in a generation where I paid you the money and you gave me something I can take home. With this app. if Renee loses the Ipod the app is lost too. Back in the day if I lost my turntable I wouldn't also lose my records.

It may already exist but there should be a massive storage area where one can download the app to that storage then have it for any device in case they lose the device they have now. I know most people would use it as an opportunity to steal.

It's a new economy. I see on Yahoo some guy made 250k in a week selling a game he created. There is a new, well has been for a while a new platform for success. Our grandfathers started great businesses, brick and mortar stuff in that new economy before all of todays red tape made it much harder in the bricks and mortar environment. In 15 years all that red tape will exist for the application writer or the software developer. They just haven't gotten their hands around it yet to figure out how to properly choke it.
 
Arshad: it's downloading on my phone right now, awesome concept.

Steve: your apps should back up to your pc/mac when you sync the ipod, though you may actually have to tell it to transfer your purchases from the phone to itunes. I believe that option appears under the 'edit' dropdown with the device connected.
 
DucTerry said:
Arshad: it's downloading on my phone right now, awesome concept.

Steve: your apps should back up to your pc/mac when you sync the ipod, though you may actually have to tell it to transfer your purchases from the phone to itunes. I believe that option appears under the 'edit' dropdown with the device connected.
Click to expand...


I don't really understand how to use all the extras with the Ipod or the internet or my cell phone or really any of that crap.

That was kind of my point with the post. There is an opportunity there to capture the audience between ~35-65 y/o who didn't learn how to use all this stuff. What seems easy to you guys is not easy to every one. If it were made easy more people would use it. Make it as easy as a McDonald's cash register and they will come. I have to admit it's a lot eaiser than it use to be but it's not quite at the level where it could/should be.
 
steveny said:
With this app. if Renee loses the Ipod the app is lost too. Back in the day if I lost my turntable I wouldn't also lose my records.
Click to expand...

Don't worry, Apple keeps track of this for you. They know you've already paid for it, so if you delete it or lose it, you can get it again for free from iTunes.

Also, whenever you connect your iPod to your PC/Mac, it automatically backs up everything you have on your iPod.

It's a new economy. I see on Yahoo some guy made 250k in a week selling a game he created.
Click to expand...

Actually, I think it was over a 2 month period for Steve Demeter (Trism), but yeah, point taken. The thing is that he was an exception. Most of the people creating things on the App Store have made a fraction of that. It was a matter of right place at the right time type of thing. If he released his game today when there are 1500 competitors as opposed to the 150 he had when he launched, he would make a fraction of that money. My first month I made < $4000 even though I was out at the same time as him, got rave reviews, etc.

In 15 years all that red tape will exist for the application writer or the software developer.
Click to expand...

Actually, it already does. Just look at the PC or console SW market. It's very competitive and it's just as hard to make money as any other business. Sometimes a new niche comes along (like the iPhone App Store), where you have an opportunity to make a quick buck before everyone else jumps on board. That's what some of the early adopters were able to do. People read stories like the Trism guy's and assume everyone is taking home bags of money and they jump on board too. The fact is only a small fraction of the devs are making any significant kind of money on the app store today.
 
Arshad said:
Don't worry, Apple keeps track of this for you. They know you've already paid for it, so if you delete it or lose it, you can get it again for free from iTunes.

Also, whenever you connect your iPod to your PC/Mac, it automatically backs up everything you have on your iPod.



Actually, I think it was over a 2 month period for Steve Demeter (Trism), but yeah, point taken. The thing is that he was an exception. Most of the people creating things on the App Store have made a fraction of that. It was a matter of right place at the right time type of thing. If he released his game today when there are 1500 competitors as opposed to the 150 he had when he launched, he would make a fraction of that money. My first month I made < $4000 even though I was out at the same time as him, got rave reviews, etc.



Actually, it already does. Just look at the PC or console SW market. It's very competitive and it's just as hard to make money as any other business. Sometimes a new niche comes along (like the iPhone App Store), where you have an opportunity to make a quick buck before everyone else jumps on board. That's what some of the early adopters were able to do. People read stories like the Trism guy's and assume everyone is taking home bags of money and they jump on board too. The fact is only a small fraction of the devs are making any significant kind of money on the app store today.
Click to expand...

In 1920 my grandfather bought a horse, wagon, and a piece of land to dump the trash on and started a trash business. Try and do that today without millions of dollars and a stack of permits piled to the moon.

Today you can sell a game on Itunes app. store without any of the BS.

Another example The coffee shop I sometimes go to has these great muffins for 1.99 each, probably cost 10 cents to make. I said to Renee while at the counter "I bet some little old lady makes these in her kitchen and makes a ton of money." The lady at the counter said " yeah she use to but then someone came a long from the health department and closed her down because she didn't have the government approval to make the muffins in her kitchen." The coffee shop also received a big fine for selling the muffins the old lady was making.

I guess muffin making is only reserved for a few choice big companies just like application writing will be in 20 years. There is this group of people caught in between who can't get through the red tape to start up a brick and mortar and then those who lack the knowledge to prosper in the new technology economy. I wasn't talking about competition you have that in every business. I am talking about the walls which are built around anything profitable but it takes time to get those walls up and if you can get inside the walls before they go up well then you are making muffins for life.

Just wait until the first child has an epileptic fit after playing a game on his ipod then the family sues the game maker then the government for not regulating games. Then there will be a whole new arm of the government that needs to check the game from beginning to end and put their stamp of approval on the game and that stamp will cost 50 grand or more. Then there won't be anyone just making muffins in their kitchen.
 
Steve, ah ok I understand now what you meant by Red Tape. Yeah it's not quite that bad, although there are rules and regulations, and regulatory bodies like the ESRB (entertainment software rating board), and legal mumbo jumbo in case anyone gets an epilectic seizure etc. For commercial games, it pretty much is relegated to large companies, although every now and then something unique is produced by a couple of guys in their basement that does well financially (eg. "World of Goo"). These are rare though.. you typically need a large team of artists, coders, project+production managers, etc. with 7 figure budgets.

For the iPhone it's still an area where individuals can create something and make big bucks, but I don't know how long that will last either.
 
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Slightly off topic, but can you buy a 3G iPhone unlocked? I thought they were for some reason, but today at Best Buy the guy said no.
 
NetViper said:
Slightly off topic, but can you buy a 3G iPhone unlocked? I thought they were for some reason, but today at Best Buy the guy said no.
Click to expand...

You can buy a normal phone and unlock it using one of the tools available online. ziphone is my favorite.

J
 
Now I remember why I hate this crap. Fishing game stopped working and I have no one to bitch to. No I am not sending and email so I can get bunch of useless directions in a reply about how I need to do something with the bios or download a freking torent or what ever the hell that thing is or some other thing I don't understand. I just want to fish. I just want to hand it back at the refund counter and get my money back the app that is or hand it to someone and have it fixed so the app works.

rant off.
 
Steve, its most likely a memory issue. Try rebooting the phone:

1. Hold power button down for several seconds until red slider appears
2. Slide bar and phone will power off
3. Once it's completely off, press power button again
4. After it starts up again, try the fishing app again. Should work fine now.

If you're still having problems, you can email the Itunes people and ask for a refund.
 
Arshad said:
Steve, its most likely a memory issue. Try rebooting the phone:

1. Hold power button down for several seconds until red slider appears
2. Slide bar and phone will power off
3. Once it's completely off, press power button again
4. After it starts up again, try the fishing app again. Should work fine now.

If you're still having problems, you can email the Itunes people and ask for a refund.
Click to expand...

Yeah I did the power down thing 2x and still doesn't work. I really hope I didn't lose all those trophy fish I caught. :( Some of them tok a long time to reel in.
 
You probably won't lose your saved game. What happens when it doesn't work? It goes to the title screen and then exits right away? You should probably email the developer -- maybe there's some known issue that he can help you with.
 
Arshad said:
You probably won't lose your saved game. What happens when it doesn't work? It goes to the title screen and then exits right away? You should probably email the developer -- maybe there's some known issue that he can help you with.
Click to expand...

Yep that is exactly what happens. It goes right back to the top screen (desk top) after it loads
 
I'm not aware of any apps in the itunes appstore that would allow you to record a conversation, but there are a few you can use if you jailbreak the phone.

edit: spoofapp.com has an app available through itunes that can record calls.
 
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