[Maliberti]

Is it really necessary for BB to charge so much for apps?
It�s ridiculous for the prices of the apps compare to iphone.
I have no problem paying but some of these prices do not justify the cost. (My opinion)

Personally, I have bought 3 programs (costing over $80) that I felt it was a bit too much but paid for it and not really happy with it.
I had my company pay for the Garmin and Doc to go, a bit pricy but worth it.
My work allows me to buy any program, if it will be helpful. So I went to CB store to get a few I saw but had to stop, even though it�s not my money, I am not going to charge my company $25 mileage keeper and $15 for where to eat and a few other apps that are pretty much free where CB is asking $15+, especially in this economy. Come on�.
I know I know, quit whining and move on, but let�s get real.

[Iridox]

I totally agree.

At a certain point, it just becomes developer greed.

Yes getting the various RIM key signs (or whatever they're called) costs some money, but it's never enough to justify over $5-10 for an app. (unless it has some pretty ridiculous and hard to code features).

Hopefully we'll see some better pricing and/or free programs in the App Center when it launches...

[joemani]

I totally agree. I realize this isn't the iPhone app community but as a former iPhone user, I am totally perplexed why most programs cost $7? I have been on the fence with the whole thing as a new BB user and have been reluctant to buy a $7 program...luckily my Bold is still useful enough that I do not need any of this stuff. I hope something changes around here...maybe that new app store is going to bring some prices down so some of us can start buying and trying without too much hesitation.

[stormluver]

I agree too. I'll probably wait until the app store open to get any app. I've been avoiding going into crackberry store website.

[jakeh0]

i havent bought any apps for my ipod touch and it has so much functionality that could be duplicated on the storm, but it either doesnt exist or would cost me an arm and a leg.

[passtheflask]

i agree too. i cant justify spending money on something like stormlock when it should have been a part of the phone to begin with. luckily screenlock will be free when that developer gets it out. we need more people like that developer, those willing to help the community, and not over charge. i resent the iphone but the amount of free apps for it is crazy. my friend has a g1 and he gets awesome apps for free as well. come on now

[kuroshio]

Crackberry doesn't set the price. The developer does.

RIM doesn't set the price. The developer does.

RIM charges $20 USD for the application for the digital signing keys

To register for access to the BlackBerry runtime, application and cryptography APIs, you will need to fill out the web form. Once registered, you will be sent a set of keys via email that will allow you to sign your applications using the signature tool included with the BlackBerry JDE. An administration fee of $20.00 (USD) will be charged to a valid credit card to complete the registration process.

When the app center opens, RIM may begin to receive money for hosting the apps in a secure and readibly accessible location. But right now the price of apps is on one group:

the developers

[bearkat38]

I was online last night and I noticed, much to my surprise, that they still sell iphones! What's more, ANYONE can buy them!!

[coggster]

I haven't bought any apps for my Curve and most of what I want done the Curve is capable of. I agree some apps are great and can save time and shouldn't cost quite so much.
I upgrade (Storm or Bold as I'm undecided) around the time the App Store opens so hopefully this may bring prices down and I can get some fun apps

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[kigs]

this is why apple is fundamentally heads and shoulders above everyone else

they realized that the key to their products is:
1) simplicity
2)elegance
3) it just works

itunes is the reason ipods got so popular and i dare anyone to dispute that...other mp3 players sound just as good for half the price

[moosc]

Really how about a 999.99 app from an iphone, and most app from apples appt store are not business minded. There just goofy apps. You buy programs for your laptop at a lot higher price.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[EdwardK]

Is it really necessary for BB to charge so much for apps?
It�s ridiculous for the prices of the apps compare to iphone.
I have no problem paying but some of these prices do not justify the cost. (My opinion)

Personally, I have bought 3 programs (costing over $80) that I felt it was a bit too much but paid for it and not really happy with it.
I had my company pay for the Garmin and Doc to go, a bit pricy but worth it.
My work allows me to buy any program, if it will be helpful. So I went to CB store to get a few I saw but had to stop, even though it�s not my money, I am not going to charge my company $25 mileage keeper and $15 for where to eat and a few other apps that are pretty much free where CB is asking $15+, especially in this economy. Come on�.
I know I know, quit whining and move on, but let�s get real.

Get an iPhone then... oh wait... no turn by turn direction app like Garmin or app that let's you edit Excel and Word files. Imagine that.

Where to eat? Did you bother to use the built-in Garmin feature that shows you the closest places to eat or is it you can't decide for yourself for yourself and need the phone to decide for you?

Developers work hard to get apps out there... they deserve a little money.

And as far as expensive goes... maybe iTunes can bring back "I Am Rich" for the iPhone... only $999 for a picture of a ruby.

Know what you are talking about before you open your mouth...

[niSmo.]

FINALLY, thank you! I totally agree. I just want a SIMPLE free Solitaire APP, not a 9.99$ APP that looks more crappy than the free Solitaire APP with the iPhone.

[BlackBerryBob]

I too agree and that's why I have an iTouch. The Apple appps are untouchable and the number of free apps are amazing. It stinks that I have to carry 2 devices around and, I have to be a WiFi hotspot though. But being a gadget geek, it really doesn't matter. If it wasn't for the iPhone's carrier...ehem...I'd own one of those little beauties.

I keep my BB (and the data plan) for instances when I'm away from a Hotspot (which isn't often).

The BB family shares this downfall with the Windows Mobile community. They too have issues with the price of apps and their OS is much less stable.

Hopefully the BB developers will hear our cries and come to the rescue.

[jdoc77]

For those of us old enough *cough* to remember when the word handleld either referred to personal entertainment that wasn't spoken of publicly, or a PALM, this is a LOT like how PALM apps were.

There was a lot of free stuff, actually, but it was crappola... all the good apps were $1.99 and up... and up.. some were as much as $50 or more... back when the stock market was 8000 for the first time! lol

Sadly, I think that for developers to offer free apps like Apple, the Storm is going to have to exceed the iPhone sales... the only way for them to make $$$ would be volume sales of their premium apps. The good free ones are basically advertising for the device or the developer - that's the only reason they are "free".

[coggster]

Get an iPhone then... oh wait... no turn by turn direction app like Garmin or app that let's you edit Excel and Word files. Imagine that.

Where to eat? Did you bother to use the built-in Garmin feature that shows you the closest places to eat or is it you can't decide for yourself for yourself and need the phone to decide for you?

Developers work hard to get apps out there... they deserve a little money.

And as far as expensive goes... maybe iTunes can bring back "I Am Rich" for the iPhone... only $999 for a picture of a ruby.

Know what you are talking about before you open your mouth...

Who said they don't deserve some money. The original point was they seem over priced. Get your facts right before opening your mouth!
Ok that last part wasn't something I'd normally put or say as everyone is entitled to their own opinions but felt that your version was uncalled for given the general gist of the thread

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[minigts]

With the exception of Docs To Go, there is no reason to pay $10, $20, etc. for Bejeweled (just an example, no idea how much it cost) or other programs. That's fine if someone wants to sell it for that, but YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY IT. The laws of supply and demand will dictate where the price goes. You keep paying $xx.xx amount for anything and it will stay there. It's when competition and supply go up that the price will go down. The lack of something being purchased is effectively a surplus.

Now products that work or provide a valuable service may be worth the money, but I personally am fine with Nav4All and Google Maps to get me where I want to go and find what I want to find. Both are free and both work on the phone. It's not worth whatever it cost for Garmin or Tom Tom or whatever just to have both in the same app. I can afford to hold the BB button and switch programs.

[EdwardK]

Who said they don't deserve some money. The original point was they seem over priced. Get your facts right before opening your mouth!
Ok that last part wasn't something I'd normally put or say as everyone is entitled to their own opinions but felt that your version was uncalled for given the general gist of the thread

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

OK... you're right... I was a bit heavy handed... I apologize to the OP.

If the original post left out the usual iPhone comparison I would not have come down so hard. Are some apps over priced? Yes. But comparing the prices isn't exactly going to prove anything as the same type of distribution channel isn't available for the blackberry yet. Once every blackberry user has access to the apps in the app store, we may actually see a price drop due to volume. Also, saying he has to pay for a restaurant locating app when it's already a feature in Garmin shows either a lack of knowing what the apps has really do or iPhone envy.

Just my opinion

[NickyParsons]

I refuse to pay for apps on my Storm or on my iPhone. Just not worth it when there are so many free applications out there

[bigman2]

With the exception of Docs To Go, there is no reason to pay $10, $20, etc. for Bejeweled (just an example, no idea how much it cost) or other programs. That's fine if someone wants to sell it for that, but YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY IT. The laws of supply and demand will dictate where the price goes. You keep paying $xx.xx amount for anything and it will stay there. It's when competition and supply go up that the price will go down. The lack of something being purchased is effectively a surplus.

Now products that work or provide a valuable service may be worth the money, but I personally am fine with Nav4All and Google Maps to get me where I want to go and find what I want to find. Both are free and both work on the phone. It's not worth whatever it cost for Garmin or Tom Tom or whatever just to have both in the same app. I can afford to hold the BB button and switch programs.

While I agree with you in large part, this whole invisible hand argument really doesn't work... Like ever. If I were a developer, I could sell my app for whatever price I wanted. If only a few people buy it, it doesn't mean I have to lower my prices unless my goal is to sell more.

Software doesn't really follow the traditional supply and demand rules. There is no scarcity with software. You have an unlimited supply of this program, so anyone and everyone on the planet could have a copy, and the supply is no less scarce than when you started. So, there's no invisible hand that's going to swoop in and save the day on this one.

But I do wholeheartedly agree that no one is holding a gun to anyone's head making them buy something. This is part of why I, personally, refuse to use any pay app that doesn't have a trial version. I don't want to fork over some money for some app that ends up blowing goats (or your farm animal of choice). Whether or not the author is willing to offer a refund isn't really the point. If I can't try the app first, to determine if it's worth the money, then I pass. Short of someone holding a gun to my head until I complete the purchase.

[changal]

once the bb app center launches, prices will come down. right now there is a scarcity of apps and no central distribution point. so, developers are charging whatever users will pay - and users don't have any real basis of comparison.

while a few of the apps out now may be useful (e.g. quicklaunch) the vast majority (e.g. level/ruler, photo sorter) are rubbish. and all are certainly priced higher now than they will be after the app center launches and users have more selection.

[minigts]

While I agree with you in large part, this whole invisible hand argument really doesn't work... Like ever. If I were a developer, I could sell my app for whatever price I wanted. If only a few people buy it, it doesn't mean I have to lower my prices unless my goal is to sell more.

Software doesn't really follow the traditional supply and demand rules. There is no scarcity with software. You have an unlimited supply of this program, so anyone and everyone on the planet could have a copy, and the supply is no less scarce than when you started. So, there's no invisible hand that's going to swoop in and save the day on this one.

But I do wholeheartedly agree that no one is holding a gun to anyone's head making them buy something. This is part of why I, personally, refuse to use any pay app that doesn't have a trial version. I don't want to fork over some money for some app that ends up blowing goats (or your farm animal of choice). Whether or not the author is willing to offer a refund isn't really the point. If I can't try the app first, to determine if it's worth the money, then I pass. Short of someone holding a gun to my head until I complete the purchase.

Understood and I will respectfully disagree. . Good points though. Hopefully prices will drop on software once the app store is opened.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[moosc]

I refuse to pay for apps on my Storm or on my iPhone. Just not worth it when there are so many free applications out there

will you pay for software for your computer?

[NickyParsons]

will you pay for software for your computer?

I generally try not to

[Maliberti]

OK... you're right... I was a bit heavy handed... I apologize to the OP.

If the original post left out the usual iPhone comparison I would not have come down so hard. Are some apps over priced? Yes. But comparing the prices isn't exactly going to prove anything as the same type of distribution channel isn't available for the blackberry yet. Once every blackberry user has access to the apps in the app store, we may actually see a price drop due to volume. Also, saying he has to pay for a restaurant locating app when it's already a feature in Garmin shows either a lack of knowing what the apps has really do or iPhone envy.

Just my opinion

Haha,
I had an iphone, I got a BB for work, and yes I do mis a lot of features my iphone had had, but love the new ones the BB has as well.
I know garmin has a restaurant, weather and so on, I was using those apps as an example, plus having software that is repetitive is ok. Look how many people have 2-3 news readers, gps software etc...
Unlike a lot of people in this day and age I do not pirate software, I pay for things, so I do my share in supporting software companies and developers.