Pedias on the App Store

Our first few weeks on the App Store have gone well and even though there have been some minor confusions both on our part and the users’, all in all it seems to be a good addition to our distribution channels.

The one niggle I have is about demo versions. We can send users from the App Store to our website to download the demo and try out the programs for free but then they have to delete the demo in order to purchase the full version from the App Store. This is not the best user experience, especially if users think that their data will be affected by the deletion of the program (it won’t – the Pedias keep their data separately from the applications for exactly this reason).

Of course the time-lag between submitting an update and getting it approved is also a bit of a stumbling stone because we never know how fast the process will be. With our latest update (4.6.4) now in review, the first one we’ve done since the release of the App Store, that’s not critical because there weren’t any major bug fixes included. But I can understand that it might be frustrating for Mac App Store customers to have to wait for an update when they know that it’s out and available on other channels. We’ll have to see how this plays out in the future.

8 Responses to “Pedias on the App Store”

  1. Sebastiaan van Stijn Says:

    “but then they have to delete the demo in order to purchase the full version from the App Store”

    Just an idea; Would it be possible to
    a) Rename the trial version of the Pedia to ‘..Pedia trial edition’ (to prevent it being detected as ‘installed’ in the App Store)
    b) Have the ‘App Store’ version remove the trial version after installing (or would this be in conflict with App Store regulations?)

  2. Nora Says:

    Thanks for the idea. We might be able to add a trial (light) version on the App Store but it’s probably against App Store guidelines to delete another app, even if it happens to be your own. They are quite specific on the locations where the program can read and write files.

    Renaming the demo version on our site would be an option but would mean that the process of demoing and purchasing the app will become less seamless for users who go through our website, at the moment that is still the majority. A running app can’t rename itself, so it would at least require a restart.

    But the App Store is still young and we’re still finding our way around it. 🙂

  3. Richard Says:

    Another option would be to assign a different identifier to the App Store version (e.g. com.bruji.dvdpedia.mas) and import its’ twin’s settings (com.bruji.dvdpedia.plist) on first startup. One more info window (“Dear user, you may now delete the demo version by dragging its icon to the trash”) and you’re done!

  4. Conor Says:

    Hi Richard,

    Thank you for the tip on making the identifier unique for the Mac App Store to make it easier to demo the program.

  5. Andrew Says:

    Can you do the bundle prices on the app store?

  6. Nora Says:

    Unfortunately bundle prices aren’t an option in the App Store at this point.

  7. Tim Says:

    What about Gamepedia? I know about the icon problem, but will there be an App Store version anytime soon? Perhaps with a different icon?

  8. Nora Says:

    We’re still working on re-designing the icon for Gamepedia but it’ll definitely become part of the App Store in the future.