Plugins and the "App Store"

[Fender19]

I've had customers complain when I don't offer a free trial version for a $5 plugin. If Apple's plan is to eventually force all software sales through their App Store - where no free demos are offered - what is the future for those sales? If buyers won't spend $5 without a demo will they stop buying plugins?

BTW - the same people who won't buy a $5 plugin without a free demo readily spend 40x that much on Logic Pro X or Final Cut Pro for which there is NO free demo whatsoever - why?

[Haptix]

See the problem there is that, when you spend +$5000 on a computer which does not work, plus extra +$300 on a software which is in a constant state of wating for updates, you already need to get the cheapest audio interface you can get, the $5 is just pushing it. What if the plugin needs more than one mouse button to operate? You need to test it before to see if it fits the logic of Apple use.

[Youlean]

You can download the trial of FInal Cut Pro X here: https://www.apple.com/lae/final-cut-pro/trial/

[syntonica]

The current crop of users have been "brainwashed" by the Apple Store. I've seen people complain rather vociferously about their 99 cent purchase and how bad it was. They were probably drinking their very bad $5 coffee at the time and have never went to a store, bought $50 software, taken it home, found it execrable, tried to return it only to be told firmly, NO!

Unfortunately, the AS is plagued by bad software, released repeatedly with slightly different graphics under slightly different names, often at wildly disparate prices. It's a sewer, and like all sewers, everything flows not just to the bottom, but deep below...

Unless you're a well-known presence in the plug-in world, you're best off releasing a stripped down version that shows how the software works with an inApp purchase to get the full release.

[Fender19]

You can download the trial of FInal Cut Pro X here: https://www.apple.com/lae/final-cut-pro/trial/

Cool, thx, I was not aware of that!

Logic Pro X has no demo (says so right here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202752) yet people will drop $200 on it without trying it. Many of those same people, however, insist on a demo for a $5 plugin. Why? What is the thought process behind that "logic"?

[BertKoor]

The thought process is they might have tried Logic at a friend and found it works for them.

A DAW is something you invest time and money in. It is your workbench, not easy or cheap to replace.

Plugin are just expendable tools. A blunt knife you throw away, but even when cheap, before buying you want to see how it feels and cuts.

[antic604]

Logic Pro X has no demo (says so right here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202752) yet people will drop $200 on it without trying it. Many of those same people, however, insist on a demo for a $5 plugin. Why? What is the thought process behind that "logic"?

Because there are thousands of people using Logic daily for their professional work and it is the defacto studio standard next to ProTools & Cubase; and - frankly - compared to most of other DAWs $200 is peanuts for what you get. Without ever touching it, you can find thousands of reviews, tutorials, articles, etc. on it to make up your mind whether it's something you want or not.

Your $5 plugin on the other hand is a total enigma and proably not something totally unique* unless you too provide very good videos & audio examples of what it does and have lots of reliable reviews, etc. I too would consider if I want to spend even $5 for yet another delay, EQ or compressor.

I really don't understand what you don't understand - buying something is not about comparing numbers ($200 vs. $5), but about comparing ratios of value of what that price gets you divided by the price.

* maybe it isn't, maybe it's very good and very popular - I've no idea, because I don't use any Apple products

[Fender19]

Because there are thousands of people using Logic daily...

Likewise there are thousands of people using Cubase, Studio One, Reaper and Pro Tools - all of which are equally well-known yet they all offer trial versions of some sort. Why is Logic different? Why do people buy it without a demo to try?

[BertKoor]

The people that have bought Logic in a leap of faith are probably not the same people that hesistate to buy your stuff without a demo.

And the process of selecting a DAW to work with is vastly different from the process of adding just another plugin.

If you don't respect your potential customers (which you obviously don't) then, well, what to say...

[Fender19]

If you don't respect your potential customers (which you obviously don't) then, well, what to say...

Excuse me? How did you come to that conclusion? I am merely trying to understand what drives purchasing decisions. Some buy without a demo and some won't buy without a demo. I'm trying to understand what drives that decision. That's all.

BTW - I own a half dozen DAWs including Logic. I bought it because I had to to support AU development. Otherwise I prefer Cubase or Pro Tools and would not have bought Logic "sight unseen".

[BertKoor]

How? The capuccino statement.
Oh shit, that wasn't you. Sorry, please excuse me, I mixed things up.

Still the customer is king and has the full right to pass on a sale, with no questions asked, or have unreasonable demands. Either you try to please them, or you don't. It won't matter much I think.

Anyway, now I re-read the thread, I don't understand what it has to do with apple's store. Big, very big "if" this is the only way to get software on a machine. Homebrew for instance??

[Fender19]

Anyway, now I re-read the thread, I don't understand what it has to do with apple's store.

Most developers selling directly to the public offer trial versions of their plugins and DAWs - the App Store does not. So I am wondering about the consequences of Apple eventually controlling the distribution of all Mac software.

If the App Store is merely an eCommerce front end to your server this would not be an issue. However I believe the goal is for Apple to distribute all the software - to keep it secure - and that would be a different story. If the App Store doesn't offer any free demos - like it is now - will the people who want try it before they buy it stop buying it?

[Tj Shredder]

Most people simply don’t know that you can get your money back if a software from the app store does not fulfill your expectations. You can’t do it all the time though. I did that once, and the installed software actually would still work (though in my case it didn’t really), but I could not update to newer versions...
Most devs create light versions or ad supported spy versions as demos...

[Fender19]

Most devs create light versions or ad supported spy versions as demos...

Right - that's how it's done nowadays, i.e, demos can be downloaded from most developer's websites.

My point is that Apple's goal is to eventually restrict all Mac software thru the App Store. It won't run/load unless it is downloaded thru the App Store. But the App Store doesn't offer demo versions - so no one will be able to demo your product. If people won't buy your plugin without being able to try it what will happen when they can't try it? Will they stop buying it?

That is my point/concern of this thread.

[fmr]

Most developers selling directly to the public offer trial versions of their plugins and DAWs - the App Store does not. So I am wondering about the consequences of Apple eventually controlling the distribution of all Mac software.

If that day comes, then the platform will be officially dead...