Yesterday it was Facebook that had all the attention of software developers, today it’s the iPhone. It’s certainly grabbed my attention with the likes of One Coin Comics and it’s prospect as a platform for immerisve story. But now it seems iPhone app prices are falling, and fast. Is it the tanking economy, misteps by Apple, or a systemic problem? If it’s systemic it would be a bad sign for virtual goods.
Most everyone is familiar with the early adopter, now I think we need to introduce the fly by night.
When the iTunes music store launched I immediately bought a few songs. It was cool buying music online, and it only cost 99 cents. But after that initial enthusiasm I question every purchase on iTunes. Do I really need this song? Can’t I just steal it from a friend? I think the same might be happening with the iPhone app store. At first a $1.99 seems like nothing for a fart app, but how often will an obnoxious fart be appropriate? How often will I be reaching for my iPhone to let one rip. How likely are you to make such a snap decision again?
May the same fate come to virtual goods? At first a 50 cent hat seems like nothing or maybe a $5 pre-paid card from 7-Eleven but after a while will I begin to question every purchase?
