The First session at the BlackBerry DevCon 2010 is all about Free vs Paid apps. And whilst listening to the leaned speakers telling us that "having a free app helps you get you more downloads than just a paid apps" - I was thinking "What is the future for the freemium model?".
We have successfully operated a "freemium" service with our BuzzMe Product since April 2009 - and its worked quite well for us - and for our users, but it that what people really want? The commercial alternative seems to be to introduce advertising into the apps, but I personally don't really like apps that include lots of ads - unless there is a real benefit to me and my use of the device - which most apps are just not able to provide.
What about a model where (a bit like what Pandora has done to the music market) where users pay a regular monthly fee to download any number of utility style apps - now that is something that I as a user might actually pay for - and that is also something that could reward developers for their work.
Challenge there is that might provide a way for developers to make a "hobby living" but can it create sustainable businesses? I doubt it.
For developers to grow to scale and create real value in their companies there needs to be a service that users are willing to pay regularly for in a way that the service actually either a) gives them a real cost saving over other commercial alternatives, or b) provides them with a lifestyle benefit that is worth paying for.
We have some ideas about this - but how about you? We would love to hear your comments
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