Is the Mac App Store a Real Revenue Source?

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The answer is definitely “Yes!”, but the real question is what kind of a cash cow are we really talking about and if it is worth to convert your existing apps to this new platform. The fact that some of the biggest names in the iPhone and iPad world have already converted their apps to work in the new Mac app store does speak to their conviction that the effort is well worth it.

And looking at the fact that Angry Birds costs to work on a laptop or desktop $5.99, Bejeweled $19.99 and Peggle $9.99 would seem to make this market a very profitable one.

And the first place where we would instinctively look is back at the moment the App Store first opened to include apps for the iPad. And then we saw how prices jumped from under $1 for an iPhone app, to almost $3. So judging by the fact that the market accepted that price bump without any concern, the new prices might seem well worth it. However there are certain technical implications that might actually cut everyone expectations short if and when the end consumers will have to face them.

And that one, most obvious difference is the lack of a touch screen which is the very thing that most of these apps were built around. And from a developer’s perspective that means redesigning the entire up and rewriting most of the code so there is a huge investment because they are basically rebuilding the entire app.

But from a user’s perspective the change is even more dramatic because they have to learn to play the game anew. And that usually means that they will not be enticed to play it on their desktop or laptop and just continue playing it on their iPad or iPhone.

However, the thinking behind the huge price is that an iPhone is a lot cheaper than an iPad and so those willing to pay for the iPad can afford the increased price of the apps that go with it. And since the MacBook Air is so much more expensive than the iPad, the logical conclusion is that anyone who can afford one will also be able to afford paying for the latest apps too.

And that logic could very well be correct since there are so many people who are already addicted to these games and who may be willing to buy the more expensive laptop apps because they represent something new.

But the truth is that only time will tell if the consumers are willing to pay the prices for the new apps and we may actually see those prices go down in the future months. Or we could just as well see them go even higher if the people are willing to pay the big bucks that the big companies are asking for. So in either case the best thing for most medium, small or branded app development companies would be to just stand back and decide if it is worth for them to spend the money to upgrade their apps to work with the new Mac OS.