
Universal Purchase for Mac Apps Now Available - monkin
https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=03232020b
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makecheck
Sounds OK on the surface but, I mean, just look at this nonsense [1]:

 __“Multiple App Records. If your app is currently available on multiple
platforms through separate app records, please note that app records can’t be
merged. To offer universal purchase, remove all but one version from sale and
add the other versions to the remaining app’s record. Once an app is removed
from sale, its original product page on the App Store becomes unavailable and
you are no longer able to provide updates to existing users. Ratings and
reviews are not transferred to the new product page.” __

[1][https://developer.apple.com/support/universal-
purchase/](https://developer.apple.com/support/universal-purchase/)

It’s really disappointing how the App Store continues to be a customer-
unfriendly wasteland, where Apple’s decisions _always_ manage to cause all
customer ire to be directed toward developers (who didn’t cause the problem
and often have no solution), instead of Apple (who is responsible and does
nothing).

What are the most likely fallouts of the decision above?

1\. Suppose a developer _does_ convert old paid Mac apps to a new ID. Now,
years of loyal, PAYING customers are arbitrarily cut off from all new updates
without any good way to transition them. Any accumulated reviews are lost,
which will greatly harm potential sales. Result: Angry customers; developer is
blamed (resulting in piles of lousy _new_ reviews, with the added insult that
all old reviews are no longer there to offset the average rating). And of
course, Apple isn’t blamed.

2\. Suppose a developer does NOT convert old apps, maintaining two unlinked
versions. Suddenly the Mac version feels “expensive” compared to any apps with
one purchase for all (which will probably be forced to offer absurdly low
prices). Customers who bought one platform and not the other feel insulted for
being asked to still pay for both, at any price. Result: Angry customers;
developer is blamed, Apple isn’t blamed.

