Following in the footsteps of Apple and Google, Research in Motion is planning to open an online store for its popular Blackberry smartphone. The store, dubbed Blackberry App World, aims to be a "convenient location for BlackBerry owners to download 'games, social networks, personal productivity applications and so much more.'" App World will feature freeware apps along with for-pay apps. The pricing for applications will start at free then jump to $2.99 at the low end and $999.99 on the high end. At the moment Blackberry App World is only open to developers, but there is a sign up page for users who want to be notified of when App World goes live for the public.
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Member since:
2005-11-10
How long has this been possible? How many years has RIM and all the phone manufacturers and the carriers had a head start on Apple and yet--and yet they *only now* decide that an easy to use app portal is a good idea.
This is called competition and I hope RIM and the carriers choke on their damn app stores for holding us all back for so many years.
Member since:
2005-12-31
> While people aren't happy about the decision, it could work to keep the
> clutter down
The 'clutter' includes many useful applications, and a $0.99 pricing both encourages users to use them and developers to write them. Examples include the ruler, the flashlight, and the periodic table. As a user, paying more than $1 for these applications seems overpriced, and I would start wondering how much I need them instead of just buying them. Developers may start producing such applications for free (as many do now), but then a lot more developers would be encouraged by the fact that (1000 users x $1 x 70% of the payment goes to the developer) = $700 for an application that takes 1 hour to write.
Simply put, disallowing prices between $0 and $3 just hurts applications that are worth exactly that amount.
Member since:
2005-07-22
Maybe I'm being silly but who in their right mind is going to pay $999 for an app that costs a darned sight more than the device itself and one that can so easily get lost or stolen.
I just wonder many PC apps out there charger $999 for their clients. Not many methinks.
Nice try RIM but it sure ain't going to beat the iPhone store. $0.99 is a good starting point. At this level you can try something out and not feel to pissed off if it is not really what you want. at $3.00+ this is not so easy to write off.
Member since:2006-07-30
Nobody is forcing a developer to price an app at $999. I don't think there are any apps on the Apple App store either that is priced that high. That is just a limit that Apple & RIM figure is high enough to not limit expensive apps.
Secondly, if the application is linked to an account, if you lost your phone, you would just purchase a new one and download the app again for no additional cost.
