In-App Feature May Stem App Store Defections

When Apple’s recently reported in-app feature was unveiled, it was largely taken as a way to head-off piracy. However the ability to let users of free apps easily upgrade to paid versions may instead by seen as a way for Apple to keep developers in an increasingly competitive arena.

Unlike in the past, developers can permit owners of a free iPhone app to upgrade to a paid version within the application. Previously, upgrading to a paid version required a second trip to the App Store, another download and more hassles for iPhone developers.

Streamlining the process through in-app upgrades came to late for one iPhone developer who dropped out of the App Store. The procedure meant “too much effort with too little reward” for Justin Williams, who sells his Fitness and Emergency Information” app. Other apps that might have launched on the App Store are turning elsewhere. CBS New launched its app on the RIM Blackberry.

While Apple had the app market to it’s self in the beginning, the market has become crowded with the likes of Palm Pre, Android, RIM and Windows Mobile.

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[Via iPhone Central]

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