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Piezo, Rogue Amoeba's app, was removed from the Mac App Store with "minimal publicity", according to their blog post: https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2017/02/10

by dirtae 10y ago

Piezo, Rogue Amoeba's app, was removed from the Mac App Store with "minimal publicity", according to their blog post: https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2017/02/10/piezos-life-outside-the-app-store/ https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2017/02/10/piezos-life-outsid...

paulkafasis 10y ago
That is quite correct. When we removed Piezo from the Mac App Store a year ago, we didn't send out a press release, nor seek publicity over this move in any way. We simply removed it and explained why on our blog (https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2016/02/12/piezo-1-5-arrives-piezo-exits-the-mac-app-store/ https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2016/02/12/piezo-1-5-arrives-...). That was it. We can certainly debate how well-established or tech-savvy our users are (though I will note that Piezo is by far our simplest application, and used by the least technically savvy among our user base). But to say that we did this in a “public fashion” is just false.
- zepto 10y ago
  True, but your own brand and storefront is very well established and respected for more than a decade. This makes the story entirely unrepresentative of what happens when developers in general quit the Mac App Store.
  - ivm 10y ago
    We started outside of the App Store because of its sandboxing restriction. It's still 2nd to 3rd page of search results despite having some reviews and only a couple of competitors. So a considerable investment in SEO is required.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- WillPostForFood 10y ago
  I believe you didn't do it seeking publicity, but you definitely got some. https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2016/2/13/rogue-amoebas-piezo-is-leaving-the-mac-app-store https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2016/2/13/rogue-amoebas-pi... http://www.imore.com/piezo-improves-application-audio-recording-exits-mac-app-store http://www.imore.com/piezo-improves-application-audio-record... https://www.macstories.net/linked/piezo-exits-the-mac-app-store/ https://www.macstories.net/linked/piezo-exits-the-mac-app-st...
- giarc 10y ago
  What percentage of your sales came from people discovering your app through the Mac App store vs. how many found your page and were linked to the Mac App Store?
  - paulkafasis 10y ago
    At this point, we don't have any way of knowing for sure. But given the results in the year since we left the store, it appears that most people got to us, and then went to the Mac App Store to purchase. It would seem very few people found us directly via the Mac App Store, given the way sales shifted to direct when we were no longer there.
astrodust 10y ago
They're also a very savvy company that has their own store. They didn't have to do any work other than turn off the App Store listing. Smaller developers may have to go through considerable pain and anguish in setting up their own store, or they can suffer through even more angusih and pain when the store they entrusted to do their sales goes down in flames, as with Kagi. https://tidbits.com/article/16665 https://tidbits.com/article/16665 Being self-hosted is obviously better if you can swing it, but it's more work and it's not for everyone.
- CharlesW 10y ago
  Even if you're not the mighty Rogue Amoeba, services like FastSpring[1] seem to make it pretty easy. [1] http://christiantietze.de/books/make-money-outside-mac-app-store-fastspring/ http://christiantietze.de/books/make-money-outside-mac-app-s... #noaffiliation
  - astrodust 10y ago
    This is why I mention Kagi. When you go all-in on a third party service it might tank and then where are you?
    - CharlesW 10y ago
      I know you know the answer to this (i.e. move to another vendor, as you would for any vendor that goes away), so my apologies in advance for not understanding the point you're trying to lead me to. I guess I don't understand the alternative. Go out of business?
      - astrodust 10y ago
        I think the choice is between using a solid platform like the App Store or something like it, or building your own using tools that won't go away either. Stripe, PayPal, things like that. It takes a lot of effort to build out your own store and get it right, this is no small task, which is why the 30% fee charged by these stores is not necessarily the biggest obstacle. These intermediaries add considerable risk.

by dirtae 10y ago

paulkafasis 10y ago

That is quite correct. When we removed Piezo from the Mac App Store a year ago, we didn't send out a press release, nor seek publicity over this move in any way. We simply removed it and explained why on our blog (https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2016/02/12/piezo-1-5-arrives-piezo-exits-the-mac-app-store/ https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2016/02/12/piezo-1-5-arrives-...). That was it. We can certainly debate how well-established or tech-savvy our users are (though I will note that Piezo is by far our simplest application, and used by the least technically savvy among our user base). But to say that we did this in a “public fashion” is just false.

zepto 10y ago
True, but your own brand and storefront is very well established and respected for more than a decade. This makes the story entirely unrepresentative of what happens when developers in general quit the Mac App Store.
- ivm 10y ago
  We started outside of the App Store because of its sandboxing restriction. It's still 2nd to 3rd page of search results despite having some reviews and only a couple of competitors. So a considerable investment in SEO is required.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
WillPostForFood 10y ago
I believe you didn't do it seeking publicity, but you definitely got some. https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2016/2/13/rogue-amoebas-piezo-is-leaving-the-mac-app-store https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2016/2/13/rogue-amoebas-pi... http://www.imore.com/piezo-improves-application-audio-recording-exits-mac-app-store http://www.imore.com/piezo-improves-application-audio-record... https://www.macstories.net/linked/piezo-exits-the-mac-app-store/ https://www.macstories.net/linked/piezo-exits-the-mac-app-st...
giarc 10y ago
What percentage of your sales came from people discovering your app through the Mac App store vs. how many found your page and were linked to the Mac App Store?
- paulkafasis 10y ago
  At this point, we don't have any way of knowing for sure. But given the results in the year since we left the store, it appears that most people got to us, and then went to the Mac App Store to purchase. It would seem very few people found us directly via the Mac App Store, given the way sales shifted to direct when we were no longer there.

astrodust 10y ago

They're also a very savvy company that has their own store. They didn't have to do any work other than turn off the App Store listing. Smaller developers may have to go through considerable pain and anguish in setting up their own store, or they can suffer through even more angusih and pain when the store they entrusted to do their sales goes down in flames, as with Kagi. https://tidbits.com/article/16665 https://tidbits.com/article/16665 Being self-hosted is obviously better if you can swing it, but it's more work and it's not for everyone.

CharlesW 10y ago
Even if you're not the mighty Rogue Amoeba, services like FastSpring[1] seem to make it pretty easy. [1] http://christiantietze.de/books/make-money-outside-mac-app-store-fastspring/ http://christiantietze.de/books/make-money-outside-mac-app-s... #noaffiliation
- astrodust 10y ago
  This is why I mention Kagi. When you go all-in on a third party service it might tank and then where are you?
  - CharlesW 10y ago
    I know you know the answer to this (i.e. move to another vendor, as you would for any vendor that goes away), so my apologies in advance for not understanding the point you're trying to lead me to. I guess I don't understand the alternative. Go out of business?
    - astrodust 10y ago
      I think the choice is between using a solid platform like the App Store or something like it, or building your own using tools that won't go away either. Stripe, PayPal, things like that. It takes a lot of effort to build out your own store and get it right, this is no small task, which is why the 30% fee charged by these stores is not necessarily the biggest obstacle. These intermediaries add considerable risk.