The new iOS 7, a totally redesigned version of iOS, is on its way to consumers this autumn and with it comes a very different look from the one that iPhone users got accustomed to since 2007. Unlike all the previous versions, iOS 7 has a flat design and is supposed to be simpler and clearer for the user. But this means that apps created for iOS 5 and iOS 6 will need to be almost completely redone by developers from the design point of view.
Because of the drastic new look and all the work app developers will have to do to make their old apps look good on the new iOS, a lot of them are considering making the big update a paid one. The only question is – would the users pay?
No doubt, iPhone and iPad users expect the developers to simply rework the design, work on the code a bit, and offer a sparkling new update through the App Store for free. Most developers will do just that, but that doesn’t mean they will be too pleased about it. Apple and users will be, but not the developers because it will mean a lot of extra, pretty much unpaid, work.
But it’s very likely that quite a few of iOS app developers will choose a different path – they will completely overhaul their apps and present them as completely new. After all, why not? The changes are certainly going to be drastic simply because that’s what Apple did with iOS 7. For a lot of developers, the release of the new iOS will be a great opportunity to recoup the costs. This is likely to apply to both free and paid apps. Of course, this means that paid apps will have to charge again and the question is whether they will give users enough reason to pay for the second time.
Smartphone users don’t really like paying (everyone likes freebies) and a lot of them will go bonkers over having to pay again. Some of you may remember how the iOS community went pear-shaped when Tweetie developers started charging $3 for the new version of the app.
The bottom line for developer is that they really have to make the upgrade worth it if they want the users to pay for it.
