![]() #1688: Former Apple engineer on watchOS 10, Apple hardware testing tool, Stolen Device Protection, Apple Watch sales halted, smart TV privacy abuses.If they stopped improving, I'd probably stop paying, but I wouldn't be trapped, I could still use the last version of the tools for what they were designed to do. It has worked so well, I can still handle the cost for now, and they've continued innovating, haven't gone stale, so I keep paying them. If your budget is tight this year, you don't have to pay, but you won't get the next update however, your current version still works and you can keep doing your job using that last version of the software. You pay a subscription for as long as you want regular updates. They have what I think is a fair licensing model that is a compromise that satisfies their need for stable income and my need for control of my budget and upgrade schedule. I've found one company that I've been willing to pay a subscription to for tools. Not exactly exciting content that we're all on the edge of our seat anticipating the next email. In the case of an email app, the content is, ugh, email. Though I doubt we'll see rapid improvements and innovations of the apps that deliver that content, the bulk of the subscription we pay goes to the content creators (at least I hope it does). Streaming services are a perfect example. And, where subscriptions fit best are when new content is being created for them. There are of course tools that are much more sophisticated, so this isn't a perfect analogy to hardware innovations. Sure, we've seen better balanced hammers created, which are more ergonomic, and production efficiencies, but ultimately it's still a hammer to hammer things. To compare to a hammer, what more can you do to it to improve it. And of course with simple tools like email clients, you quickly plateau on what the tool should actually do. Subscriptions stabilize the income between cycles. ![]() That said, I can see it from the business owners' perspective as well. And developers and business owners alike were highly motivated to innovate, and it pushed an iterative development cycle that included those innovations. The longer they use the product, the more stuck they become.Ĭlick to expand.Perpetual license. And if the business owners are really clever, as they often are, they design the product so that they trap their customers. They give all of that control to the company. For consumers, they lose complete control of their upgrade schedule and budget.Ultimately the founders and especially the company that they sell to will want to reduce cost of maintenance to zero, maximize profits again, while also steadily easing their customer base to higher and higher prices. ![]() To use a simple analogy to hardware tools again, consumers are paying forever for a fresh coat of paint on their hammer every year or so (whether they needed or wanted a new color).
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