[Macworld]

Post your comments for Paid iPhone apps deliver money, but only for the top few here

[distortedloop]

Wow, Pinch Media makes a brilliant observation - people are more likely to download a free app than a paid for one. Really? How shocking?

I hate that company and all their spyware-like activity. It's no one's business what apps I download or how many times per day I use it. Apple should not allow analytics within an app, or at least allow the user to turn them off.

[bet011]

Fascinating breakdown, and despite neoluddites like distortedloop, data like this is invaluable to many people trying to make their way in this world.

Am I to read correctly that half of all iPhone/iPod Touch users DO NOT download any applications? That's remarkable, I have always been quick to assume everyone uses the app store, if at the very least to download free apps.

[distortedloop]

bet011, on 03 November 2009 - 12:23 PM, said:

Fascinating breakdown, and despite neoluddites like distortedloop, data like this is invaluable to many people trying to make their way in this world.

Am I to read correctly that half of all iPhone/iPod Touch users DO NOT download any applications? That's remarkable, I have always been quick to assume everyone uses the app store, if at the very least to download free apps.

Wow - personal name calling just because you disagree with my point of view? How mature of you. Your point could have easily been made without the entire comma'd part of the first sentence. Why do you want to make it personal with me?

How many times per day I have sex might be valuable information to some one in the condom/lube business, but it's certainly my private business. How many times per day I take a dump might be valuable to toilet paper manufacturers, but it's my private information. How many times per day I do anything is probably valuable to someone in an industry that makes money off selling things related to that activity, but it doesn't make it alright for them to covertly collect that information.

Apps should clearly state prior to purchase that they collect information about the user and transmit it to some mothership. They should also have the ability to turn it off. I can't believe how willing people are to have their every habit, every interest, every activity documented, recorded, analyzed, and lumped into some report to try to sell them something else. Unreal.

If you think otherwise, fine, but valuing my privacy certainly doesn't make me a luddite.

[palane]

Easy, loop. Pinch Media isn't distributing personal data. I'm a person who prefers to keep information about myself private, hence, no Facebook, Myspace or other social networking. Some would consider me a neoluddite for that stance. As epithets go, it's a pretty mild one. There are some interesting articles and discussions regarding Pinch's activities including a response by Pinch. Having read them, I would say that I'm left with the impression that Pinch isn't abusing this information, but that potential exists.

This sort of information is useful to developers. For example, the developer of Stick Wars responded to the article. I'll quote his/her response: "These [small pieces of inofmration] include OS version and device type, which any developer will tell you can tell you very valuable information about your customer base. I was going to build StickWars 1.7 only for OS 3.0 or above to allow for my in-app purchases, until I checked my analytic data and realized that a large percentage of players are still running OS 2.2. Knowing that, I took the time to allow my OS 3.0 features gracefully degrade so the update can still run on OS 2.2."

A note to MacWorld's editors. This is an interesting issue that would be worth exploring.

BB

[johnatkinson]

palane is correct - Pinch's analytics tool doesn't allow developers to see individual personally identifiable information - only high level aggregate stats.

I can vouch for this since I am a developer who uses Pinch analytics.

[distortedloop]

palane, on 03 November 2009 - 02:06 PM, said:

Easy, loop. Pinch Media isn't distributing personal data. I'm a person who prefers to keep information about myself private, hence, no Facebook, Myspace or other social networking. Some would consider me a neoluddite for that stance. As epithets go, it's a pretty mild one. There are some interesting articles and discussions regarding Pinch's activities including a response by Pinch. Having read them, I would say that I'm left with the impression that Pinch isn't abusing this information, but that potential exists.

This sort of information is useful to developers. For example, the developer of Stick Wars responded to the article. I'll quote his/her response: "These [small pieces of inofmration] include OS version and device type, which any developer will tell you can tell you very valuable information about your customer base. I was going to build StickWars 1.7 only for OS 3.0 or above to allow for my in-app purchases, until I checked my analytic data and realized that a large percentage of players are still running OS 2.2. Knowing that, I took the time to allow my OS 3.0 features gracefully degrade so the update can still run on OS 2.2."

A note to MacWorld's editors. This is an interesting issue that would be worth exploring.

BB

I understand the data is valuable for developers and advertisers, and that's a nice story about Stick Wars, but it doesn't change the fact that the information is collected without the users knowledge or permission. Only geeks like us who read sites like this have any idea that every time they use any given app some company like Pinch Media is collecting data about their usage habits. Ideally, there should be an opt-in process with some tangible benefit to those who chose to opt-in to have their usage habits tracked; at the very least there should be a global opt-out option available from Apple for those of us who don't care how valuable the ones using the data might find it; our privacy is more valuable than the developers or advertisers perceived value of the data.

As for they're not distributing personal data, they're collecting personal data, therefore the potential to release it, whether intentional or not, exists. You could build a pretty good profile of me by tracking what apps I use and how often, and that's just not something I'm interested in you or anyone doing.

There were recent stories of some apps collecting cellphone numbers and calling users to upgrade to other versions of the app. This was just one abusive developer, but it shows a whole lack of security in regards to privacy on the iPhone app store and any app's ability to phone home without the user knowing it's doing so.

[Ken_Franklin]

I just wish I'd read this before I spent 3 months of my evenings writing OneArm Battle. After 1 month, I have 12 paid users. Armed with this data, I feel comfortably (though disappointedly) average...

[Philbert]

Quote

Armed with this data, I feel comfortably (though disappointedly) average...

Could it be that's because you've created a "comfortably average" application? I'm not trying to be snide, and this isn't directed to you specifically, but seriously, does every developer expect to get rich or even make a nice living by writing a simple, mostly worthless application in their spare time? Face it, 99% of all apps in the app store are crap.

I took a brief look at your app out of curiosity, and not a single review. I'd say the biggest problem is that right off the bat, it doesn't look compelling in the least. Actually, it looks a bit crude - like something from the 80s. You may be a brilliant coder - but you need help with design. Without the sizzle, you won't sell the steak. That's not a slam - just a constructive observation.

The reason the top minority make the lion's share of app store revenue is because they've figured out the way to compel customers to part with their money. Essentially, capitalism at work.

This post has been edited by Philbert: 04 November 2009 - 05:49 AM