Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking. Login or Take a Tour!
So besides deep integration with platforms like Facebook, smartphones are massive platforms for these games. I don't know how it is with Android, but with iOS, the most insidious thing I've noticed is that in order to download any free software at all to your phone, you must have an unexpired active credit card tied to your account. This is brilliant, because there are plenty of people (like me) that easily make do with the plethora of fantastic freeware that is available out there for almost every useful task. But having to have an active credit card uploaded to even download the free stuff means that when I see a great piece of useful software that costs a fair price, there is no barrier whatsoever to me grabbing it with one click. And grab it I do :/ It also makes sure that people who get hooked on these games have no barriers erected between their bank accounts and the developer's (and OS owners) pockets...
–
I reserve most of my scorn for the developers that peddle crapware with tons of in-game virtual purchases. It's a fine line, what Apple itself does. On one hand it is tremendously convenient to buy from them when I find a good product I want, on the other, that's just the problem, -it's too easy. They actually just cracked down on in game purchases this past year, it used to be that you did t need a password EVERY time you made an in game purchase, -now you do. I was, of course, a major revenue drop, but I think even Apple was aware of how almost usury-like that was, with these devices in the hands of kids. I think they should also let you download freeware without having a valid credit card attached, and only have you initiate that process when you want to purchase something.
–
* I was, of course, a major revenue drop, but I think even Apple was aware of how almost usury-like that was, with these devices in the hands of kids.*
The cynic in me says that is wasn't so much the nature of it, but the legal issues of having kids buying these things with a credit card without some control. I think they should also let you download freeware without having a valid credit card attached, and only have you initiate that process when you want to purchase something. Yeah, but that would hurt their revenue. :) You know, public company, shareholders before anything that isn't illegal.
–
Revenue drop is right. I must have purchased 3 albums from iTunes (when I swore I wouldn't). Every time I was just hanging out with my girlfriend talking about music, and thought 'she should hear this'. Literally a couple clicks later we are listening to it. Sigh. They were all albums that I had repurchased at least twice on CD over the years but have scratched or lost. I guess the small silver lining with iCloud is that it's now impossible to lose them.... :|
–
–
–
–
Well now every song or app you ever purchased is available for download to any iOS device at any time (besides music being physically downloaded to say, your harddrive). So I guess there could be a catastrophic failure with the service and you lose you hard drive simultaneously. Let's just say it would be extremely difficult to lose it. I bet I could do it though...
Revenue drop is right. I must have purchased 3 albums from iTunes (when I swore I wouldn't). Every time I was just hanging out with my girlfriend talking about music, and thought 'she should hear this'. Literally a couple clicks later we are listening to it. Sigh. They were all albums that I had repurchased at least twice on CD over the years but have scratched or lost. I guess the small silver lining with iCloud is that it's now impossible to lose them.... :|