Coffee overload

So Ulysses is the latest Mac app to switch to the subscription model. The outcry against it is huge, although there are some fans applauding the company for making this decision.

From a business perspective, the subscription model makes sense: a regular cashflow, vital for survival in business. From a user’s perspective it’s yet another monthly outgoing. We’re regularly sold subscriptions using the ‘less than the price of a coffee a month’ analogy. But what many software developers seem to forget is that we’re now buying many coffees a month: Adobe, Microsoft, Evernote, etc.

Indeed, my coffee consumption is so large if I’m to stick with Ulysses then another software developer will have to lose my money. There’s only so much coffee a month I can afford.

The subscription model is not bad for users necessarily. It does allow developers to offer their apps via the App Store for a free trial, so users can really test them, before we shell out any money. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve paid for an app from an App Store, only to have wasted my money because it failed to deliver what it promised.

Perhaps Apple should do more to help developers. After all, it’s in their interest to have sustainable businesses developing apps for their platforms. In the meantime, I’ve got to review my coffee intake. b y SI M O N WH A LEY