Comments on: Droid Users Expect Things the Google way: Unsupported and Free!

By: Ricky Cadden

Ricky Cadden — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:32:29 +0000

I come from Ovi-land with my various Nokia devices, and recently spent several months with an HTC Droid Eris like you, now a Nexus One. I’ve actually spent more money on the Android market with these 2 phones in 8 months than I did on at least a dozen different handsets the entire time the Ovi Store has been around.

I realize that’s an odd starting position, but there are more reasons besides the actual availability of apps worth purchasing.

By: StevieB’s Shared Items – December 27, 2009 | LostInCyberspace

StevieB’s Shared Items – December 27, 2009 | LostInCyberspace — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 06:02:57 +0000

[...] Droid Users Expect Things the Google way: Unsupported and Free!December 26, 2009 [...]

By: Vince Masten

Vince Masten — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:16:38 +0000

Though my iPhone is far from my first Apple product, I’ve never been “trained” to pay for anything on iTunes, and yet here I am, an app-buying fool. When I got my first iPod, I only chose it because it had gapless playback and such ubiquitous peripheral support. I tend to try to buy gadgets that are best-in-class and meet my needs (gapless playback, for example, is one of those completely idiosyncratic things that I absolutely must have in any PMP). Since, I’ve found myself inexplicably swallowing the Apple kool-aid, first picking up a MacBook Pro and then an iPhone 3GS, both because I felt like they were the best options for me personally.

Anyway, I guess my point is that while I’m sure there are plenty of people who were ready to open their wallets up to the iTunes ecosystem once the App Store opened, I wasn’t, and yet here I am, $100 or so poorer from various App Store purchases.

By: RM - InBoundMarketingPR

RM - InBoundMarketingPR — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:53:25 +0000

Nice post Jeremy, I really liked your analytical take on the Droid and the iPhone’s app functionality. I am an iPhone user and even though there are many .99 apps, there are also many great “free” apps. SO, I would have to appreciate what David has to say!

Thanks for the share. Great post!

RM – InBoundMarketingPR

By: dOgBOi

dOgBOi — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 04:20:33 +0000

As an owner of a G1, and a former owner of an iPhone, I have absolutely no problem paying for an app on my G1, except it is a pain in the rear to give anybody my money. On the iPhone, it was simple as pie. The G1 requires a whole lot more work to give someone a fee. Google really needs to fix the payment method and make it as simple as iTunes.

That being said, I love my G1 and I’m looking forward to my next Android phone.

By: David McIntosh

David McIntosh — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:59:58 +0000

It’s plausible that Droid users are “trained” by Google to expect free apps on a Google platform, but I think a more likely explanation for the difference is that the payment platform on the iPhone is nearly frictionless for consumers. Simply tap a button, and you can automatically pay for an app.

Facebook has always been an entirely free service, yet social games that operate within it are making a killing by accepting payments for virtual goods. Despite most users’ association of Facebook with “free”, many spend quite large amounts of money within the Facebook ecosystem. As a result, I don’t think the mere association with Google is enough to make consumers expect free applications.

Now, because Google’s main revenue stream is advertising, one could argue that they haven’t put as much effort into payment systems as they should(eg Google Checkout), and as a result there’s a lot of friction in purchasing apps on the android phone, and therefore the paid app system suffers.