vb.org Archive - Major Additions - iPhone / Android / webOS / WP7 / BlackBerry for vB

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- - Major Additions - iPhone / Android / webOS / WP7 / BlackBerry for vB - Tapatalk (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=208412)

Yikes - I didn't realize it was being planned for $80 per year... that makes it a harder decision on whether or not to get this when it's released. I was willing to pay $20-$30 but $80 is pretty steep for 10-20 users to have the ability to view it on their iphone when we already have fully compatible iPhone styles and the auto phone detection mod that we can get for free. Granted, it's no iphone app but it still works flawlessly. Will have to wait and see on this one.

Yep, you are way better off the sell the app and give away the server plugin. I'll do it in that case, but not at $80 a year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bulbasnore (Post 1813051)

Yep, you are way better off the sell the app and give away the server plugin. I'll do it in that case, but not at $80 a year.

80 a yr is overkill imo.

A better business model would be to allow the download of the server side plugin, and charge a one time fee for the user to use the app.

Like most setups are.

Much better response. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying, your price no matter how great a product is going to deter many people.

Question. Couldn't you sell the server software and have the ipod's app have a destination url for the server it uses for the indexing and such? I ask this so that in case a webmaster wants to run his own stuff, he could rely on his own server and you don't have to pay for bandwidth and worry about uptime for that client.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bulbasnore (Post 1813051)

Yep, you are way better off the sell the app and give away the server plugin. I'll do it in that case, but not at $80 a year.

agreed.

My members are techies and probably would pay $2-$3 for a native iPhone app, particularly if they are members of multiple forums.

If you give away the server app you get more forum owners on board actively promoting the product. Once that happens they are marketing the iPhone app to a much wider audience who then buy it. If I pay $80 and get unlimited users you get $80. If I get it for free and promote it and get 100 of my 3500 members to use it you make $200-$300.

It becomes a simple marketing strategy - give away one part to get a larger return on the second part. The trouble you have now is you've got it backwards.

I manage an Anime Forum (Spanish), I check the Categories, and the only category that applies is on the International Sites. Not so good to promo my forum I'll be on a generic category. :(

My mobile users are about the 0.02% of the forum traffic, is pretty low. The app, looks great, and maybe I could get a trial when Apple approves the app.

Is a hard decision:

App. only for iPhone ($80/year) vs a skin for all mobile browsers ($200/unique + 10 per upgrade). :confused:

I'll watch the app evolution and of course the site. :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by dklassen (Post 1812489)

I have some concerns.

$80 per year for forum owners is pretty pricey especially since I may not have that many iPhone users compared to the majority of regular users. I love this mod but I'm not sure the % of iPhone users makes it worth $80 per year.

Most iPhone users I know purchase quite a few apps from the store so I thought this was going to be a purchased app at whatever price you set and all the forum owner had to do was install the mod.

If you want the forum owner to foot the bill I think a better model would be to pay a one time fee for the mod on the forum side and charge a couple bucks for the app on the member side. I'd be willing to do that. I own three fairly busy forums but I don't think I'll get much ROI for $240 per year.

I use my iPhone all the time on my sites and even do some admin stuff, it's really not that difficult to navigate and use the forum with the regular iPhone browser.

What's the up side for the forum owners here?

I may give it a try on one of my forums but I don't know guys. I'm pretty apprehensive with the price and the over all model they are using.

i posted this same response to dk on Tapatalk's support forums

Quote:

dude i think you need to realize what this app will offer in the future and not just what it is now.

i do not think 80 is a bad price. hell i paid 135 for another program that enabled users to browse my forum from just about any phone. i would state the name but im not trying to advertise it on here.

with this app you have the chance of acquiring new members because your forum is listed in their catalog. you know as an iphone user you look for every chance you get to make use of you iphone via apps. haaa again think of the future of this app. lvyile, winter, and the other devs do their best to incorporate what we suggest and to correct what ever issues we present.

man in my eyes vbulletin should partner up with these cats and make it the official vbulletin app. not just for iphone but for android, bb,symbian and webos(if it takes off)

just imagine this app reaching that level. here you are with the chance to be at ground zereo of development.

man i ive spent $80 to $150 for a custum made mod in the past. 80 bucks a year broken down in montly payments isn't nothing. hell i may spend 80 bucks on fast food in 4 months. haha shiat id spend that on alchohol in 2 months. don't let me hit the club. hahaa

hell i think they should charge the $80 a year AND 1.99 for the app(after a month of free downloads.) if the devs aren't making money they not going to develop.

i got a question for the peeps that are so against paying a yearly fee. do you think our precious vbulletin forums would be as advanced as they are if they didn't charge a yearly fee? this app is a baby and it will grow and mature to an app that is basically a full fledged vb app. they have plans to add modertor functions, pic upload from your iphone, check out some of the things we have asked for in the wish list thread winter has stated he plans to have these added in the future. man this app will be the shiat.

ok u pay the yearly fee for the iphone. but months down the line we will have android and bb. thats more users with the ability to access your forum via an app.

one thing i think peeps are not seeing is this app may bring new members to your site because your forum is listed in the directory.

yawl need to head on over to their support forum and witness how great their support is for the app and how open they are to our ideas and suggestions.

also there is a 15 day no risk trial fee. u get 15 days to try it and if u dont like it no harm no foul.

vbreal - the question is not of whether there should be a fee it is who should bear it. I'm firmly in the camp of a low-cost user app and no cost server app. I think they'll make more $$ that way since there would be more end users than forum admins purchasing something.

These are great feedback folks and exactly the team need in working out a sustainable solution to all.

I try not to talk about the commerical in great length here as I don't think our vb.org moderators will like it. But I can share with you here that the business model is from the pilot forums owner input - that they want the app is free so their members can access to increase user stickiness to the forum, they see this is a add-on to keep the user royal.

Please continue the commerical discussion at http://www.tapatalk.com/forum and I hope we can leave this thread as merge vb specific technical discussion

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