XCode 4
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- Amicus0
Lets look outside the world of software.
Apple is essentially setting itself up like a cross between a franchisor and a reseller/retailer.
Like a franchisor they set up all the systems and help with marketing and generally making life easier for everyone in the system.
Like a retailer they actually get people into the store where they stock your product, and they make a 30% markup. They do have their own costs so this isn't pure profit.
If I could choose between selling my product with a limited marketing budget and giving Apple 30% to stock my product in a large, targeted marketplace it's a no brainer. $99 to stock my product is far better than the $1000's that a supermarket will charge to put a cereal packet on the shelf in a decent location.
- ernexbcn0
Boz all I'm saying is that Apple did not invented this, don't troll for the sake of trolling, other mobile platforms had worse conditions than the current 30/70 of the App Store.
And don't forget how the videogame consoles have the same kind of royalties, not only you need to get approved by Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft, you have to buy their expensive development kits, pass a certification process when you finish your game and for evey copy sold the manufacturer of the console gets a %.
So please, stop making it sound like Apple invented this kind of environment.
- Boz0
developers/companies always had 100% profits.. you had initial costs to setup retail channel/distribution but the advantage was that once setup they did zero profit sharing.
That's how big software companies came to be to begin with and grew to be billion dollar companies..
Apple saw that and wants to lock everything in so any app developed for Apple platform and being sold they will have a piece of profits.. In return they do take care of distribution. For smaller developers this might make sense, but if you become big, you start realizing that the Apple's model is not that great.
- ernexbcn0
FFS when Apple came up with the 30/70 scheme that was well taken by the industry, and even praised by some of them like John Carmack from id software.
You don't seem to even know how it was on other platforms before, it was less than 70% for the devs.
- Boz0
Or let's talk about the fact that the only serious development tool for Apple platforms is in fact XCode.. That's the problem here.. No competition, they can do whatever..
I'm guessing the realities of closed up systems are kicking in right now and people really have nothing to complain about.. Those who pick Apple platform should know better.
- Boz0
Let's put it in perspective here and people know I dislike Apple quite a bit as a company.
Visual Studio from Microsoft is similar to Xcode really for application development. It costs from several hundred bucks to a couple of grand. It is probably by far the biggest and preferred environment for developing applications for Windows and it costs quite a bit of money.
Xcode on the other hand is great environment along with Interface Builder and now it's even better combining the both in one package.. It probably costs them a lot more in resources to build this and $4.99 for those who are not on Apple Developer's subscription is a fair thing.
If they were charging for a version where you still have an Apple Developer subscription but you have to pay them $5, now that would be something to shit on.
The fact that you have to pay $99 to be able to submit your apps and be an official apple platform developer for Mac App Store and again $99 for an iOS store and so on, should irk you MORE then the fact that Xcode, a very complex and great coding environment costs $5.
This is really a non-issue for those who are on Apple Developer Connection and let's face it, you want to build shit for OSX/App Store/iOS you need that subscription to submit apps. The only ones who would have to pay $5 are those who were building software for OSX outside of the Apple's new app eco-system and selling it that way without Apple getting any profits, but if you look at it, this audience of developers will be a dying breed anyways because Apple is killing the online model of software sales with open web and want everything to go through them for Mac platform and iOS and charge you $100 for each plus take profit from app sales.
The tools are irrelevant.. they can be $1000+.. but when I sell my software and make big profits that gets amortized. The more concerning issue is that now you have to pay someone 30%+ to sell your software. Funny how nobody complains about that from the same people complaining about $5 Xcode 4.
Talk about misplaced priorities.
- tredesigns0
@Amicus
the landscaper is not youing the bobcat to create something that increates the value of the bobcat maker.
xcode is for making apps for mac product so they do more than sit on a shelf and look pretty. apple takes there cut of app sales and expands is products usability with every app made.
thats like me contracting you to build me a house that i will rent but you have to buy all your tools and materials from and I'll give you a cut of the rent.
they need products in there market place so they should make it as easy as possible to attain and use. whats the 30% for anyway.
- Amicus0
I'd like to buy all the whingers a box of kleenex, so they can dry their eyes and see reality from a better perspective.
XCode enables you to create software more easily, am I correct? So essentially it's a tool similar to a landscapers bobcat. I was going to say shovel, but that's still hard work, so a bobcat is more apt because you can sit on your arse and let the tool do a lot of the heavy lifting for you.
While landscapers have never been able to download a bobcat for free, developers have had 10 years of access to XCode for free. Bobcats cost money to run, maintain and to transport from job to job. XCode sits on your laptop with no running costs, no maintenance costs and if you happen to move sites you pick up your laptop and walk off with it.
To make money from a bobcat you have to use it constantly. XCode you can use once, write a program and with essentially no other work sit back and have profits come in for the next couple of years.
Do I need to add anything else to the argument? It would seem bobcats can't get much better, but XCode is on it's 4th release in 10 years and seemingly this latest version is far better than older versions. How about the fact that a bobcat is noisy and XCode isn't? XCode can be run on a computer that uses green energy, Bobcats use diesel. Bobcats take up room to store... you get my drift.
Take a deep breath, stop whining, stop feeling entitled to everything for free. Put your hand in your pocket and pay the measly $4.99 out of your spare change and be thankful that your life is so freaking easy.
Here, sounds like you need these:
/rant.
- prophetone0
it's a great tool and i tinker with it. and until now they haven't charged - we've been living high on the hog. so it's now $5. that amortizes to about $1.25 per version thus far if you've used it since the first release. i'm not ready to bust out the kleenex just yet.
- ArmandoEstrada0
you prob pay more for your grande latte whatever the fuck you drink every day.
- Boz0
out of all of the fucked up, greedy, overpricing, anti-consumer shit Apple has done, people make a fuss over this?!
It's so funny.
- dibec0
I welcome the $4.99 with the rule that it has good support and updates. If it gives apple a little more incentive to reply to dev feedback and make changes, totally worth it. If not, well ... fu.
- ernexbcn0
No point comparing what other shit costs, the point here is something that was available for free for quite some time now it's being charged, the price is not the issue here, I know we all can afford 5 bucks, that's not the issue here.
- animatedgif0
I was a massive fan of Apple before, but this is the last straw really. Fuck the app store and fuck them nickel and diming us.
I now have to fucking pay to get a stable compile environment for Mac Open Source software? What the fuck are MacPorts etc users supposed to do.
It's not like OS X is the worlds number 1 platform, charging for developer tools just means the end of free good software on the mac.
- stewdio0
Just for reference, one user license for TextMate is €45. If Apple wants to charge $5 for XCode 4 to those outside the Apple Dev Program that's surely not such a big deal yea? And . . . Fonts are far more expensive.
- This move hurts the tinkerers more than anyone.animatedgif
- SteveJobs0
True, it's only $4.99
Next, you'll start seeing your favorite apps gone, one by one. But not to worry, they're all available in the app store!
3x Faster, 2.5x More Efficient, and an Immeasurable cunning attempt to deceptively nickel and dime you for things that used to be free.
Don't be an idiot. It's not the price, it's the principal.
- Ancillary0
It could be a lot more expensive
- Amicus0
Hypocrits. On one hand you want to be paid more for the work you do, and on the other hand you want to get the tools that help you make money for free? Does this really make sense?
IMHO your sense of entitlement is approaching the size Mt Everest.
Chill out and pony up the cash, or don't benefit from the product.
/End Rant
