A different and refreshing take on the recent discussions on app pricing and In-App Purchases by Joe Cieplinski:

If we were to convert Teleprompt+ to the free with in-app purchase model, for instance, the three of us at Bombing Brain would be out of business in a couple of weeks.

Our customers are primarily prosumers and pros—people who wouldn’t trust their business to a “free” app. Our high price is a large part of what has made us successful in this market. (Along with years of cultivating a reputation for being better than our competition.) Converting this particular app to free with in-app purchase now would likely be an unmitigated disaster. We know, because there have been free alternatives that have crashed and burned. Hard.

While In-App Purchases may work for some apps, I agree that developers shouldn’t follow other developers’ advice blindly without carefully considering their userbase and customers. The Omni Group, for instance, charges a “premium” for apps that they know their customers will be happily paying for because they trust the company.

Joe continues:

Users looking to pay a premium price may be few and far between, but each one is ten times more valuable than the “average” iOS user to a developer like me.

Again, it depends on whether you’re after market share or a subset of App Store customers who can sustain your business by paying for higher-priced apps. It’s a great perspective, so read Joe’s post here.