AppStore: In App Purchase now available for free apps too

iPhone users will soon be able to download apps for free that include separate paid-for content and services.  This new development is another way for Apple to make money from the AppStore while providing developers with an easy way to make their apps appeal to more users.

The AppStore just keeps on growing: it's just one year old but contains over 85, 000 apps that have been behind the two billion downloads that it's seen so far.  Right now, there are two main objectives: getting as many mobile developers onside (even if that means defecting from other platforms) and giving iPhone and iPod Touch users an ever-growing range of software.  It seems that Apple isn't afraid to adapt and change its model to help it achieve these two goals, despite being notoriously rigid in other areas of its business.  The latest example of this strategy is apps that are initially free to download but that include elements that the user subsequently has to pay for.

For a few weeks now, developers have been able to use the 'In App Purchase' feature to include extra paid content in their apps, like optional features or new levels in a game.  Up until now, this function was reserved for paid-for applications, but it's now going to available in free apps too.  One result is that developers will no longer need to produce two separate versions of the same app, which will make life easier for them and cut down on the number of duplicate apps.

A not insignificant change

No big company leaves anything to change, but Apple is famously cautious in business and doesn't do anything without looking after its own financial interests.  This new change of direction comes as rumours of some kind of tablet device or ebook reader continue to circulate and seem increasingly realistic.  This new system for the AppStore--which takes something that is free at the start and then adds extra premium features--resembles the business model adopted by some news websites.  It's easy to imagine the attraction for newspapers, who could provide some articles free with paid-for access to the archives and more in-depth analysis.

It's a model that could also work for video game developers, who are looking forward to drawing gamers in with free downloads, which provide exposure for their product with limited outlay--with more and more paid-for features to go further.