How One Developer Is Handling The App Store Switch

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Even if you haven’t heard of Michael Göbel before, perhaps you’ve encountered his software. A prolific worker, Michael’s been building an impressive portfolio of applications over the last few years.

Like all developers, he now faces the new challenges of selling via the Mac App Store, and today sent out an email to customers explaining his plans for the future.

In short, all his existing apps will continue to to be updated, improved and supported in the usual way. “There are no apps you will have to purchase again. Period,” he declared.

That said, he is selling on the Store. There are already six of his apps there, all of them brand new and coded afresh specifically for selling there. (I told you he was prolific.)These are all new apps, separate entities created solely for selling on the App Store.

In his email message, Michael pointed out that the App Store brings its own limitations, not least that updates and bug fixes can’t be rolled out as fast as developers might like. They are beholden to Apple’s approval process.

He wrote:

“I will treat feedback and support mails regarding one of my Mac App Store Apps the same way: try to answer them as fast as possible with only one goal in mind – to help. But for Mac App Store Apps I can’t roll out updates the way I want and you’re used to. Many of you know it – if possible I can fix something within hours or days. This will never be possible for Mac App Store apps.”

This is just one approach; all developers are having to deal with the fact that Apple has provided no means to transfer existing users licenses to the App Store, and looks unlikely to change that. Developers everywhere are trying to find the fairest way of solving the problem.

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