Apple’s launch this week of a new “Free on the App Store” marketing category means that iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users now have an easy way to try out “lite” versions of selected premium mobile apps and games without charge. The new Apps Store segment also includes full software offerings that are entirely free, together with a new Genius tool for more easily finding personally relevant iPad apps.
Though Google’s Android Market maintains a one-day return policy on its mobile-app sales, Apple’s “try before you buy” offerings give users a no-hassle way to see what premium apps can do. This change is a welcome step in the right direction and far superior to the current Android model, said Lisa Pierce, an independent wireless analyst at the Strategic Networks Group.
“In and of itself, it won’t create more exposure for less-popular applications or developers, because that’s more of an awareness issue,” Pierce said. “But the change creates less perceived risk, and so improves customer satisfaction and loyalty for Apple, and likely some additional revenue for developers — I just can’t say which ones for certain.”
Repositioning Premium Apps
Given that the Google and Apple mobile marketplaces now offer thousands of apps to choose from, users do need better ways of painlessly finding what works best for them. This explains why these online stores are experimenting with various approaches that can improve app buyer experiences, noted Al Hilwa, director of application development software at IDC.
“I see this as a maturation process of the model,” Hilwa said, but “in this case, I am not sure we have heard the whole story.”
For one thing, the new approach will force developers to create separate versions of their products in order to take advantage of Apple’s enhanced marketing opportunity. Moreover, Hilwa thinks the “try before you…