I don't know how applicable my story would be to current Apple developers, but back in 2022 I posted this HN comment when someone asked "What made your business take off that you wish you'd done much earlier?":
Abandoning Macintosh for Windows. Released software for Mac in 1989, but sales stayed flat. Finally released for Windows in 1994, and sales took off. Time and money spent on marketing + engineering had a 10x better ROI under Windows. Gave up on Mac in 1999.
bentocorp · 2h ago
I would say that currently for mobile, iOS still monetises a lot better than Android.
Once you've developed your brand and own your own distribution channel however, the best strategy seems to be to distribute via the App Store (which in many countries Apple doesn't give you any other choice) but monetise via your own site. Netflix etc do this and seem to not see much downside.
How well it works for smaller or new apps however is debatable.
dlachausse · 10h ago
It’s even worse on Windows, Linux, and Android. Piracy is rampant, customers don’t want to pay for software. Web-based SaaS applications are the only non-Apple platform worth developing paid software for.
ncr100 · 8h ago
Buuuut - WHAT IF base sales on Windows/Linux/Android is 900% higher than on Mac? Piracy as a cost ... (even if 50-70%) MIGHT be a financially successful direction.
JustExAWS · 10h ago
Sherlocking is not unique to Apple. It’s been known for years that if you are filling in a platforms gaps and your product should be part of the platform, it soon will be.
This has been the case since software vendors had plug ins to print landscape on Lotus 123.
In the case of Apple, Connectix claim to fame was utilities like SoeedDoubler (a better 68K emulator for PPC Macs), Ram Doubler (a better memory management utility for Macs that wasn’t a scam like the Windows utilities) and Copy Doubler.
nxobject · 9h ago
Pre-Jobs Apple did license a few Extensions from Connectix... Jobs-era Apple just didn't care, I guess.
JustExAWS · 5h ago
I was around during that time. Around System 7.5 or System 8, they did license a lot of third party utilities. But as far as I know, Connectix was never one of them.
Apple built their own Gen 2 68K emulator. But Speed Doubler was still faster.
In the modern era, Apple did acquire Dark Sky for better weather APIs and an apps and the company behind Automator.
nxobject · 5h ago
You're right – I apologize. (I thought MODE32 was licensed and bundled with early 68030 Macs, but upon double-checking it was pure Apple.)
Abandoning Macintosh for Windows. Released software for Mac in 1989, but sales stayed flat. Finally released for Windows in 1994, and sales took off. Time and money spent on marketing + engineering had a 10x better ROI under Windows. Gave up on Mac in 1999.
Once you've developed your brand and own your own distribution channel however, the best strategy seems to be to distribute via the App Store (which in many countries Apple doesn't give you any other choice) but monetise via your own site. Netflix etc do this and seem to not see much downside.
How well it works for smaller or new apps however is debatable.
This has been the case since software vendors had plug ins to print landscape on Lotus 123.
In the case of Apple, Connectix claim to fame was utilities like SoeedDoubler (a better 68K emulator for PPC Macs), Ram Doubler (a better memory management utility for Macs that wasn’t a scam like the Windows utilities) and Copy Doubler.
Apple built their own Gen 2 68K emulator. But Speed Doubler was still faster.
In the modern era, Apple did acquire Dark Sky for better weather APIs and an apps and the company behind Automator.