Apple Justifies iLife Price Tag

CameronWolf writes "Just in case there was any doubt about Apple computers decision to sell applications they used to give away, I got this response, via email, from Apple upon my enquiry: 'As the iLife applications have become increasingly integrated it has become more and more important for a user to have all of the "correct" versions on their Mac at once, working together, giving a unified user experience. This is one of the main reasons we've decided to offer iLife in suite form only. In addition, for iLife users who want the latest and greatest applications on their Macs, the iLife suite is priced very affordably.' Apple are running an upgrade scheme for those who bought a qualifying Mac after Jan 6th. Too bad I just had to have the iBook G4 the second it was released!" For those who used only the free iLife apps before -- those without SuperDrives -- this reason doesn't make any sense. If the goal were really to make sure you had the latest versions, they could simply make the latest iMovie require the latest iDVD.

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Also remember...

[90XDoubleSide]

That Apple's consumer software has huge educational discounts. The student price on the iLife DVD is $29.

Re:iDVD doesn't require a SuperDrive?

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's clear this up.

A new feature in iDVD is the ability to compile a VIDEO_TS folder from an iDVD project. Previously, you had to go straight from iDVD to your SuperDrive. Now, you can go from iDVD to a VIDEO_TS folder, which you can then move to another computer for burning.

iDVD does not require a SuperDrive to run and be useful. It requires a SuperDrive for burning.

Some things people are forgetting:

[thedbp]

1. Apple never said that the iLife apps would be free for the duration of YOUR iLife.

2. iMovie 2 was a $20 upgrade from iMovie 1, so the precedent to charge for iLife upgrades has already been set.

3. iDVD has only ever been available as either a pre-installed app or as part or the iLife bundle, it has NEVER been a free download. The fact that the price point for the new iLife is the same but they've added a whole new (and fairly incredible) app called GarageBand goes to show that they are ADDING VALUE, NOT ADDING COST.

4. If you buy a new Mac, its free. And chances are that on the next OS update, these apps will be included. I can't say that for certain, but when you buy Panther, all the then-current iApps are included.

5. $50 for the functionality you're getting is a bargain. I doubt it covers the R&D they put into it, let alone the packaging, distribution, etc.

6. They haven't removed the free ones from the distribution chain. You can still use the current versions for free ad infinitum. No one promised free updates for life.

This reminds me of when they started charging for .Mac. People bitched and complained because it was no longer free, but the cost of the service (a little over $8/mo.) pales in comparison to its benefits and features. For instance, currently .Mac members get a free $80 photo editing program. .Mac only costs $99/year. And that isn't the only free software they've given away with .Mac. Plus you still get the email account, the 100MB online server space, the integration w/ iPhoto, Virex, Backup, etc.

Whenever Apple decides to charge for something, trust me, its usually well worth the cost.

Re:Typical Apple Business Model

[JoshWurzel]

I don't know if they still are, but for a long time you DID get a free copy of Appleworks with every iBook and iMac (not powermac or powerbook, though). My brother's iMac 400 DV came with it, as did my ibook 600.

Re:One wish

[bash_jeremy]

It sort of does. From what I hear, the new version of iDVD lets you export the data to the VIDEO_TS folder (instead of requiring that you burn it from iDVD). You can then burn the VIDEO_TS folder using an external drive and Toast.

Included with new Macs -- nope

[Anonymous Coward]

I bought my grandma an eMac on 1/7.

Guess what -- no iLife. Even after watching Steve Jobs say it would be included with all new Macs.

Apple pointed me to the "Up-to-date" program, which charged me $19.95+tax ($21.23 total) for software that was supposed to be included. :-(

Mike