Draft, our first app for the iPad, is now available in the App Store. Draft is a straightforward, basic sketch app for the iPad with email and Campfire sharing built in. We use it every day. We hope you will too.
The backstory
When we design interfaces, we start on paper with a really rough sketch (usually with a Sharpie). The low resolution, thick-point sharpie forces us to focus on big picture ideas — the lines — instead of all the little details that just don’t matter yet.
However, when we sketch something on paper, there’s a three step process to share it with the rest of the team. First, we sketch. Then we scan. Then we either email or upload to Campfire. And since we often use huge pieces of paper, scanning is a bit of a hassle. There’s just too much overhead to share a quick sketch.
So when the iPad came out we knew we had to make a very simple sketch app that mimicked our paper and a sharpie process, but improved on the sharing part. That’s where Draft comes in.
Draft makes it very easy to quickly sketch a concept in broad strokes and share it via email or Campfire. It only comes in black with red and white ink. There’s only one pen weight meant to emulate a standard sharpie. Draft is a “just draw and share the damn thing quickly” tool. It’s not for fine art, it’s not for tinkering with colors or weights. It’s the quickest way we know how to share a quick visual idea with the rest of our crew no matter where they are.
Campfire integration makes it extra special
We work in Campfire all day long. It’s where we share, show, debate, and create. And it’s the place where most of our first drafts — our sketches — show up.
So we wanted to make sure Draft made sharing a sketch in Campfire dead simple. You draw something, click the “Share” button, you see a list of your Campfire rooms, you pick one, and a few seconds later it shows up right in the room. Now everyone else in the room can see what you drew.
It’s yours for $9.99
Draft is priced at $9.99. You can get it in the App Store today. We hope you find it useful.
Rahul
on 23 Jun 10I love the way the red and black are reminiscent of the style you used for Rework. Very classy. Would love to see more apps from you guys styled in this way.
The only iPad in my vicinity is at the office, so I’ll try Draft out in the morning!
Derek
on 23 Jun 10Awesome!!!
joe larson
on 23 Jun 10Other than the black background, it looks brilliant. Why black?
Jeff Croft
on 23 Jun 10Very nice. I can see how this would be tremendously useful for design shops that use Campfire.
John Marstall
on 23 Jun 10I’d be interested to hear 37signals’ reasoning for avoiding a rectangle tool. Seems like rectangles are 75% of what one would be laying out with this app.
I expect the argument will be “it lets people get too fussy with the art” but was that actually borne out in practice?
JF
on 23 Jun 10Other than the black background, it looks brilliant. Why black?
We think it looks great. Plus, it’s really easy to spot a sketch when they are the only things with consistently black backgrounds.
Now here’s the abstract answer: I like the idea of removing something to leave a sketch. I sketch on the shower door every morning. I like that I’m removing fog to make a line. To me, Draft feels the same way. When you draw with Draft you’re removing the black and revealing the light/color of the screen.
Dave Ballantine
on 23 Jun 10Love it ‘cept the black. Should I ever need to print out a sketch it would kill my printer. Unfortunately some of the peeps I work with still need paper and red pens.
Fred
on 23 Jun 10LOL @ $9.99
Moeed Mohammad
on 23 Jun 10$9.99? Seems a bit steep — would have made more sense if there was an iPhone version tacked with it.
JF
on 23 Jun 10John: It’s more complex than it needs to be. This isn’t about precision, it’s about a rough first draft. Just draw the box. Who cares if it’s not perfect – perfection isn’t what you’re after here. Plus it’s a lot faster to draw a box than going to a toolbar to swap between pens and boxes and whatever else.
David Reynolds
on 23 Jun 10Moeed: You want to sketch interfaces on your iphone?
John (8BIT)
on 23 Jun 10omg. that’s expensive.
Anonymous Coward
on 23 Jun 10+1 on the 9.99, not enough value for 9.99 compared to other apps that are that much like Pages. I like the simplicity of the app, but would be more attractive at 4.99. Then I would buy it more on impulse just to check it out, 9.99 is a but steep.
Zee
on 23 Jun 10$9.99? Are you guys nuts?
Nick Ricketts
on 23 Jun 10Opps posted that anonymously.
+1 on the 9.99, not enough value for 9.99 compared to other apps that are that much like Pages. I like the simplicity of the app, but would be more attractive at 4.99. Then I would buy it more on impulse just to check it out, 9.99 is a but steep.
Sam Famer
on 23 Jun 10If you throw in David’s right thumb I’ll buy it for $10. Left thumb and I’d buy it for $20.
Just sayin’
(joke explanation here)
Looks like a useful tool.
fredo
on 23 Jun 10how is this better than Adobe’s free ‘Ideas’ app?
Moeed Mohammad
on 23 Jun 10No, sketching interfaces on a phone doesn’t make sense. But it makes sense to be able to go through designs when you might not have your iPad with you, and doing that on a phone makes sense. Reviewing it, making comments on it, sharing it – on a phone – makes sense.
My point was for it to have a complimentary app would have been nice.
Really though, its a sketch app. They already exist, some for free, some cheap.
Jamie Rumbelow
on 23 Jun 10To Moeed and Fred -
The price is certainly fair. In fact, the price of the majority of the commercial apps on the App Store are more than fair. This mindset of “everything has to be less than a dollar” drives me mad, because it usually comes from those with no experience of (or desire to) write iPhone/iPad apps themselves.
Aside from all the material costs involved (Mac, iPhone Developer License, iPhone, iPad, WWDC @ 4K and loads more) it costs time. And good, productive time, as Jason and David told us in both Rework and Getting Real is extremely valuable.
Like it or not, it costs money to create apps. It costs money for developers to learn the new languages and entirely new mindset of writing applications for the new platform. It costs money for advertising, promotional costs, other marketing.
And an app that provides excellent value, does a great job and improves your work life by a significant amount should be shunned? Developers and companies that pour time and resources into the development should be given the cold shoulder, or laughed at and mocked?
$9.99 seems perfect by me.
Jamie
JF
on 23 Jun 10how is this better than Adobe’s free ‘Ideas’ app?
It’s not better, it’s different. Choose your poison.
Would love to see Adobe Ideas integrate with Campfire too, but until then Draft is the only way to send a sketch right to Campfire.
Gregg
on 23 Jun 10I don’t think $9.99 is too expensive. What you’re paying for is the Campfire integration and the judicious removal of features. How soon do you think this app will pay for itself if you consider the cost of your time involved in drawing, scanning and emailing a sketch?
David Owens
on 23 Jun 10Good luck with sales at $9.99… do you really add more value than Adobe’s SketchBook Pro provides? The integration into campfire is a nice feature, but my goodness, $9.99 is a ridiculous price for a two color drawing application that integrates in a service that you need to pay monthly for already.
Colin Nederkoorn
on 23 Jun 10Just bought the app. Love the simplicity, and posting to Campfire makes it valuable.
If the goal isn’t to add features… is version 1 the final version?
JF
on 23 Jun 10If the goal isn’t to add features… is version 1 the final version?
We might add yellow to version 2.0 in 2012.
Moeed Mohammad
on 23 Jun 10Jamie,
I understand the ideology of both Jason and Daivd, having read both Rework and Getting Real. It’s their app, and they can price it whatever they think is fair by their standards.
Having said that, the first thing that came into my head was Adobe’s Idea app, which is free, and does what this app does.
Im sure people will buy it – especially if they use Campfire. More power to them.
AaronS
on 23 Jun 10Ha. $9.99. What do you guys know about pricing products and making profits anyway?
Wait what?
David
on 23 Jun 10Looks cool. The integration into Campfire will save a lot of time.
Has there been any consideration into two-way integration? Particularly, being able to pick up a colleague’s sketch from the chatroom and draw on top of it to clarify a point.
jan korbel
on 23 Jun 10I think $9.99 is just fine. It’s something like 30 minutes worth of my client-time work. Would that save me these 30 minutes over it’s life-time? Sure. Will it be better UX on the top of it. Yes.
Fine. No brainer.
Ted
on 23 Jun 10Can’t you email images into campfire?
Carl Jensen
on 23 Jun 10This is great! You guys should add in-app purchases for more colors. Maybe make them $1.99 a piece. I’d pay that. Thanks for the great app!
Adi
on 23 Jun 10JF said: “quote: If the goal isn’t to add features… is version 1 the final version?
We might add yellow to version 2.0 in 2012.”
@JF That was rude.
Paddu Govindaraj
on 23 Jun 10Seems to be great app for iPad users. I still use my paper and pencil stuff for drafting ideas and screen layouts (and scan as pdf’s). Hope I will mature one day and switch to electronic design tools such as Draft:)
John
on 23 Jun 10Here is the simple truth: 9.99 is too much for this app based upon the marketplace. Now, saying that, 37S with the cult following it has will garner some sales based upon that alone. But by and far, if this is used by many people it would be in a cracked manner (think jailbroken iPad).
I understand the philosophy Jason and David talk about and I give them credit for creating things, but this just reminds me of VW trying to sell the Phaeton luxury car; not understanding your market and your customers. Granted….half the Rails world will probably simply buy this b/c 37S released it. Oh well.
Justin
on 23 Jun 10I have yet to find and settle on a good quick sketch app, but this one looks pretty close.
I think my biggest (small) hurdle is that I’ve grown rather attached to the stroke effect from “Penultimate” in which the faster your finger moves, the thinner the stroke becomes (which I really want someone else to implement as the rest of Penultimate’s UI is over-designed and awkward). The effect makes sketches feel a lot less like they came from MS Paint but without adding any settings or complexity.
Although the bigger hurdle might be the icon. If the app proves useful I’d love to have it live on my first screen, but the current icon could use a little love.
Casey
on 23 Jun 10Sweet, $10 for MS Paint on the iPad.
JF
on 23 Jun 10Here is the simple truth: 9.99 is too much for this app based upon the marketplace.
Doesn’t that depend on how many copies we want to sell? Maybe we’re not trying to maximize sales. Maybe we have other motives (like encouraging other people to add Campfire integration to their own apps – even free ones). There’s more to pricing than a number.
Darryl Siry
on 23 Jun 10I still think /play vuzuvela is more important
STP
on 23 Jun 10Yeah, personally I was all set to buy until I saw the price. But hey, if you can get it – more power to ya. Sharpies work fine for me, and ten bucks buys quite a few of ‘em.
David Reynolds
on 23 Jun 10STP: Except you have to keep buying sharpies when they run out :) Not to mention having to deal with paper!
Jay Owen
on 23 Jun 10V2: send to basecamp :)
Rob Cameron
on 23 Jun 10Yeah, I love you guys, but that price is crazy.
hop
on 23 Jun 10Did this cost more than $9.99 to code?
Jason Klug
on 23 Jun 10For me, it comes down to this: can Sharpie sketches export to Campfire this easily?
I don’t even own an iPad, but I do love Campfire, and I could see this working superbly in a collaborative workflow of that sort. If you’re a Campfire user that sketches mockups, the $9.99 price tag is a no-brainer.
Thomas
on 23 Jun 10It looks great! Did you develop it in-house?
Casey
on 23 Jun 10MS™ Paint™ Touch™ – White Stripes™ Limited Edition™
John
on 23 Jun 10Here is the simple truth: 9.99 is too much for this app based upon the marketplace.
Doesn’t that depend on how many copies we want to sell? Maybe we’re not trying to maximize sales. Maybe we have other motives (like encouraging other people to add Campfire integration to their own apps – even free ones). There’s more to pricing than a number.
If that is the case, it would be interesting to hear your thought process given how hard you deride people for giving stuff away for free (driving traffic…alterier motives etc) and how often we’ve heard it said from 37S that profits are the most important thing… (David’s interview comes to mind…the Jason C interview)
(btw. I’m playing Devil’s advocate, obviously, but you must realize that when you sound pompous and arrogant all the time people will nitpick you to death b/c of how venomous 37S has sounded in past)
A Guy From South America
on 23 Jun 10Looks cool, but too damn expensive!
David
on 23 Jun 10As you might expect, the price is getting more attention than the product, but to put it in context: $10 is six minutes of my billable time. This would pay for itself on the first use.
There are always cheaper options – I don’t have to use campfire when Google offer Buzz for free, but I do, because it does exactly what I need it to and gets out of my way.
Fred Oliveira
on 23 Jun 10I wrote a quick post about pricing vs simplicity and the 9.99 debate. @Gregg, quoted you, hope that’s okay.
A Guy From South America
on 23 Jun 10By the way, I agree with John. How did you guys come up with that ‘ridiculous’ price? Sorry to be harsh but I can buy several interesting apps for $10 or even a cool game.
ryan
on 23 Jun 10Wow! I can buy 10 Crusader apps for that! :)
Jesus A. Torres
on 23 Jun 10Congrats, it’s very exciting and looks sharp, but that price point is just absurd. I’ll stick to Adobe Ideas, thanks.
DHH
on 23 Jun 10John, not maximizing sales doesn’t mean it won’t maximize profits. In the long run, all that matters is maximizing profits. I don’t think Draft would sell more than 10x as many copies if it was priced at $0.99. Even if it did, we’d have to bear the cost of supporting 10x as many users. Who, given their price sensitivity, probably would be less likely to pay a monthly fee for Campfire as well.
South America, just because something is available doesn’t mean you have to buy it. It’s perfectly fine to say “I would not get $10 worth of value out of this” or “I’d rather have a game”. Doesn’t make the price “ridiculous” though. Just too high for you.
Devin Reams
on 23 Jun 10Put simply, this isn’t just a toy or “yet another app”, it’s a tool for businesses and for many this price is easily justified.
JF: how does the app perform in bright light conditions? Black backgrounds on my iPad with just a hint of natural sunlight nearby can render an app unusable for me.
Dave
on 23 Jun 10One of things that may ultimately convince me to buy an iPad is the ability to create and share low fidelity wireframe sketches. As soon as my willpower breaks down and I pay $600 for an iPad, I’ll be spending an extra $10 on this guy.
As someone else pointed out, for this app to be ‘worth it’, it would need to only save you less than half an hour’s worth of billable time (assuming you make $20 an hour, and most people who would use this app make a lot more than that). If it was $10 a month, that would be crazy, but $10 period? It’s a no-brainer to buy.
George
on 23 Jun 10Anyone surprised by the price clearly hasn’t been reading this site very long.
Thomas J Bradley
on 23 Jun 10Finally a sketch app that doesn’t zoom. One of the most annoying things about most of the sketch apps I have tried (including the free ones) is that they zoom. Countless times have I accidentally zoomed. Great app guys, thanks.
Simple Life Tool
on 23 Jun 10It would be great if you could invert the colors. Because I would want to print my sketches, and I would need the print to be a white back with black lines.
Dhrumil
on 23 Jun 10I love this app. I have adobe’s app and it just has too much stuff going on. Also, I like the idea that I only open this app if I am serious about sketching something out.
Well done.
Eric
on 23 Jun 10Whining about the price is just silly.
I don’t have an iPad so I just tried Adobe Ideas for iPhone. Neat, but not nearly as simple as Draft looks.
vanderleun
on 23 Jun 10“19% of software on Apple’s App Store is paid, with $1.49 average price”
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/06/23/19_of_software_on_apples_app_store_is_paid_with_1_49_average_price.html
You folks having fun juicing this hack app out at $9.99? I don’t see “months of intense development” hours going into this one. Flatly said, Not. Worth. It. Unless. Some. Hapless. Corporate. Wonk. Can. Expense. It.
The attitude of pricing this app Works against your “image” big time. Wake up.
Oliver Emberton
on 23 Jun 1037S are intentionally not trying to appeal to everyone. White and red only? No box tools? Some are gonna LOVE it just for those reasons – I’m guessing designers, who are just the Campfire using type to be early iPad adopters.
Put it another way; this is a cool notepad app. That minimalism is a feature. You’ll get your money’s worth the first time you wow someone with how damn awesome you look.
Last time I checked, the seller can charge what they want, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy. I suspect it’ll sell well enough…
vanderleun
on 23 Jun 10More of that global sensitivity we’re starting to learn to expect from 375:
“South America, just because something is available doesn’t mean you have to buy it. It’s perfectly fine to say “I would not get $10 worth of value out of this” or “I’d rather have a game”. Doesn’t make the price “ridiculous” though. Just too high for you.”
You could have done, “Neener… neener… neerer…” and saved keystrokes.
vanderleun
on 23 Jun 10” I suspect it’ll sell well enough…” Really?
It’s cratering right here at launch.
Kirk
on 23 Jun 10Just wanted to add my $.02 here. I think that the price is fair. I too am sick of all the people complaining anytime someone tries to sell an iPhone/iPad app for more than $0.99. I want to have great apps available to me and it takes time & talent to create great apps. If there is no reward for the time & talent required to create the apps then the apps are not going to be created. The apps are what make these devices great… just like it’s the apps, not the hardware, that convinced me to switch to the Mac all those years ago. Without great apps the hardware is just a pretty paperweight. Keep up the good work.
Oliver Emberton
on 23 Jun 10vanderleun – if by cratering you mean there are people bitching about it on an Internet forum, then yes. What I’d like to see is how many units they shift. My guess is plenty.
Lots of popular products attract bitching when they’re announced, just look at the iPad. I’m sure if they wanted 37S or Apple could make products that attracted less polarised viewpoints, but I doubt they’d do as well if they did.
Right now, there are thousands of people writing about “Draft” and linking to 37S, debating the price and the unusual design. Just like with the iPad. That’s a lot of free publicity for very little effort.
Douglas
on 23 Jun 10Wow, surprised at the level of hate some people are showing against the price. At $9.99, it’s perfectly fair. Hardly going to break the bank. Good luck with sales.
DR
on 23 Jun 10I don’t see anything wrong with the price. 37s is targeting a niche that prefers a clean, simple app over other similar apps. People who want more features for less money are probably not in their target market to begin with.
yohami
on 23 Jun 10I think its clever and the price makes it more clever.
Thing is not how much this costs but how much value you get in return. Will it help you make than 9.99? is so, its a sale.
Personally I had enough of the FREE model and I love seeing highly targetted products like this emerge. Im sure it will do fine.
markd
on 23 Jun 10What I’d like to know is, where have you previously been getting your black paper and white Sharpies ? !! I kid, I kid…. looks slick.
Peter Armstrong
on 23 Jun 10Good for you for the price. iPad owners by definition have disposable income, and I hope this helps counter the race to the bottom on App prices…
Now if you add a white background it’s worth $10.99 ;)
James R.
on 23 Jun 10Too expensive, didn’t buy. You don’t understand the App Store.
Alisson Sales
on 23 Jun 10Haters! I think 37s is doing it right! Gratz!
Justin Russell
on 23 Jun 10@Thomas J Bradley: Honestly, I like the zoom feature of some sketching apps. Zooming allows for finer detail in an interface, especially when the tool you use to draw is your finger (not exactly a fine-grain input method). Of course, fine detail doesn’t really jive with the 37s philosophy of sketching.
I like Ideas. Works for what I want. Draft seems specialized, albeit simplified; some people will go for it, and it’ll be well worth it for them. Is Draft the same level of product as other $10 apps (iWork / Plants vs. Zombies / etc.)? Nah. But is $10 the right price for an app like this? Well, that’s up to the buyer. If it’s too much for you, don’t buy it.
I’m going to pass on it, but hey, that’s the beauty of choice. Looks like a great little app, though.
Anonymous
on 24 Jun 10DHH
on 24 Jun 10Thanks to all the early eager customers, Draft has premiered on the iTunes top sales chart as #159 (http://bit.ly/a7Ztlf)—ahead of Brushes and OmniSketch. Great start for a late-in-the-day launch.
matt
on 24 Jun 10Too expensive, didn’t buy. You don’t understand the App Store.
Were they supposed to make this a fart app? What don’t they understand about the App Store? $10 is worth it to me if I can save 10 minutes of time every other day. It’s all about value, James R.
MattL
on 24 Jun 10Jesus H. Christ—what the hell is wrong with half of you people?
If you like the app, buy it. If you don’t, don’t buy it.
If you think it was easy to write and doesn’t deserve $10, then go write your own.
MT Heart
on 24 Jun 10James R probably doesn’t understand the attractiveness of a MacBook Air, either.
Levi Figueira
on 24 Jun 10Next book from 37s: “How to do less and charge more”. ;p
Seriously: I get your philosophy and ideas of simplicity and removing features. I really do. But this kind of price is like saying Microsoft did it wrong by including MS Paint in Windows for free. They should’ve sold it on the side, added the ability to send “paintings” to Live.com and sell it for the price Adobe charges for Photoshop.
So, can we expect Draft at $1.99 in a few months, after there are 1000s of free/inexpensive apps that do the same thing, including Campfire posting? I mean, if this is a “case study” to Campfire’s API the price is most definitely an interesting thing.
But I have no experience and you guys seem to have immense success, so I’ll just learn from your experiences. :)
H
on 24 Jun 10Someone should code this in HTML5.
Dave
on 24 Jun 10Nice app, great pricing, ideal integration. My app would be a practically exact paper replacement, with a white background (drop shadow to show the paper, and to stand out), a black sharpie drawing tool, and a pencil for finer details. Price the same, so I can have less customer, and customers that pay $10 will be a different type of customer.
Maybe a sharpie stylus to match http://www.thebackofthenapkin.com/ way of thinking.
Great tool guys, don’t change a thing.
Jesse Dodds
on 24 Jun 10Just gave it a crack, and whilst it’s a good start… Only one undo step? Really? Another I noticed was that the actual drawing was a little sluggish too, and when drawing quickly, the smoothing doesn’t seem to work quite as well — it seems that the last segment doesn’t get smoothed out.
Laidlaw
on 24 Jun 10If I were a campfire user, this would be worth $20 to me. It’s hilarious that people think that useful software, even software that will only make you slightly more productive, is only worth a couple bucks these days. Is it 37S’s fault that you’d rather spend that 10 bucks on a 12-pack? Should they be sorry that you’d rather spend your $10 on 2 lattes? Sorry that you’d prefer to use your $10 for organic beef every week? Those are the choices you make, don’t hate just because they can pull something off that you can’t.
Congratulations on your first app guys, hope to see many more.
Mt
on 24 Jun 10You are on crack. You can buy penultimate as a quick sketch app AND sketchbook pro ( or alternates for each ) for the price of this one app, which without irony pimps limitations as features. Ego explosion!
Tyler Hurst
on 24 Jun 10Let me get this straight. The majority of people on here complaining about the price of the app have neither bought or used it?
If so, WTF does it matter if it’s $10 or $100? Unless you’ve purchased it for the list price and feel you didn’t get your money’s worth, STFU.
This does look way cool, not sure if I’ll buy it, but UNTIL I DO, I’ll reserve a value judgement.
Lucien W. Dupont
on 24 Jun 10Man, a lot of you sure are cheap. Makes me sad for the future of developing software.
Ryan Heath
on 24 Jun 10Draft looks great. If I had an iPad I’d be happy to pay $10 for it. Just curious…
1. Who did the app programming?
2. Who did the app design (icons, layout, etc)
3. How did the design process compare to webapp design?
Simple Social Manager
on 24 Jun 10I’ve bought a lot of apps that’s beyond $9.99. If you need it to work, the price seems cheap. But if you don’t need it, then you’ll tell the price that it’s too expensive.
This business product have ROI on it.
Price reflects needs. Life goes on…
Jeremy Ricketts
on 24 Jun 10Wow. Some of you obviously need to charge more for your time.
If sketching a layout with this application, at ANY POINT, saves me 10 minutes of time, it’s paid for itself and then some. That goes for any app.
I bought “Billings” a long time ago for like $60 or $80 or something. It felt expensive. Has it paid for itself? Many many many times over.
Buy tools that save you time and make you work better. If you don’t think this app will save you 10 minutes at some point, then don’t buy it.
Denny Deaton
on 24 Jun 10Based on the description, I’d love this app. I just can’t justify paying $9.99 for it. For the functionality included I’d only be willing to pay $4.99. Best of luck though, I hope you sell bunches.
Craig
on 24 Jun 10There can be some really good comments on here, but you do have to get through more and more crap to get them.
Can’t wait for the first follow up article on here that goes through the numbers after the first week that will shut half these comments up!!
By the way, I’d pay $7.99 but there is no way I’d pay $9.99 for this!! LOL
Thanks for you work 37S.
DHH
on 24 Jun 10Draft cracked the top 100 best selling apps tonight. It’s number 83. Thanks again to everyone who bought it!
Michael Del Borrello
on 24 Jun 10Does it save me more than 10 bucks worth of time, sharpies and paper. Yep. Buy.
Nwokedi
on 24 Jun 10What I find funny is that 37Signals has a history of launching successful products. The folks claiming 37Signals is way off base on this product should examine their own track records and compare it to 37Signals’. Just saying.
Sit back and watch what happens. You might learn something.
David
on 24 Jun 10I’d pay 37 cents
Tyron Bache
on 24 Jun 10Just another reason to buy an iPad.
Gregor
on 24 Jun 10It makes me want to get an iPad.
Marcel Eichner
on 24 Jun 10Look’s good for meetings and discussions and integration to the next steps :) Well done!
the consistent
on 24 Jun 10This app is great, and the price is low when used for business. Tried it this morning and it seems to impress the customers quite allot more than the paper version.
I think the price should be more something like 37$ to reflect the logo too :).
Maybe that would be a good idea to charge for other packages too the same amount – e.g. “37s xxx_name Special Edition for 37$” too.
Andy
on 24 Jun 10That price point has made this article, especially the comments, a great ad for Adobe’s Ideas.
Andy Stewart
on 24 Jun 10I’m bemused that some people who are fortunate enough to have enough money to buy an iPad think spending $9.99 on software is too much.
Perhaps the price is set at $9.99 to screen out these high-maintenance people?
Morgan Christiansson
on 24 Jun 10It’s a shame that sharing to Campfire is app specific and because of this the Draft app is also campfire specific (even though it clearly has a Send as e-mail method too).
On Android any app can register a sharing plugin so that any app can send content to that app. Such as Share to del.icio.us, Share to imgur, etc. Example: http://www.androlib.com/appscreenmax/pAix.u.cs.png
This is one of Androids strenghts IMO.
Aeongame
on 24 Jun 10Better and better!
Richard
on 24 Jun 10Don’t be ridiculous, people. It probably cost you or your company more money to read and comment on this blog than it would to just buy it. 10 bucks? It’s a rounding error and I live in a developing country.
EricTimmer
on 24 Jun 10Awesome app! Price doesn’t matter to me, it’s like what 2 starbucks coffee’s or a couple of Jamba juices.
The only thing you forgot is that it’s perfect for my 3 year old son ;-) He will love this app but don’t think he needs the Campfire part just yet.
PS. He will probably request Blue since it’s his favorite color.
Elliot
on 24 Jun 10And now, a legitimate reason for me to buy an ipad. Thanks 37
Rahul
on 24 Jun 10Hi guys, having a great time using the app, but there’s a bug that causes your sketch to go missing if you try to share it via Mail while not having Mail configured; it just dumps you to the home screen.
I’m gonna email support with the description just in case, as I went to 37signals.com/help and Draft isn’t available in the dropdown yet (does Draft even come with standard 37s support?).
Btw, use case for Draft it wasn’t designed for: quick sketchy looking drawings for use in web graphics that don’t require you to scan something in from paper or use a tablet. I’m enjoying it!
Levi Beach
on 24 Jun 10Nice work guys. Draft looks great! Cheers! …now I just need an iPad.
Anonymous Coward
on 24 Jun 10Heh you certainly picked a fight with that price point. Good one.
Walt K
on 24 Jun 10A dazzling example of the ‘anchoring’ effect. Against four million 99-cent apps, 9.99 seems ‘ridiculous’ enough to rage about. Maybe the trick is to offer a six-color version for 29.99. The 9.99 Draft would seem like a steal.
Grover Saunders
on 24 Jun 10Okay, I had no intention of adding to the noise on this until I read Jason’s response to the price issue. Is there a gas leak in the 37s offices? You seriously seem to be making the argument that you priced it so that it won’t sell. I am genuinely dumbfounded because this contradicts nearly everything I’ve ever read on this blog.
I also don’t understand the ”$10 is nothing. It will pay for itself!” comments. If there are cheaper, more capable apps available for less money, wouldn’t they pay for themselves even faster? If you can email directly to a campfire page, does this app even save you any time? Are you seriously arguing that it’s worth paying $10 to have 3 icons removed from the toolbar? It’s not like the Ideas toolbar is overwhelming with options.
And everyone saying “You just don’t get it. Go away.” So only “Great job!” comments are allowed? When you post something on a blog with comments open, it’s implied that you are asking for our opinion on something. The opinions will not be uniformly positive.
But the absolute most baffling thing is this implication that the app has some kind of inherent value that deserves a certain price, and so the fact that this is expensive for an iPhone app shouldn’t matter. Are you insane?
Let’s be clear. I’m happy to pay for applications of value. I have plenty of apps that cost $10+ and I consider just liking how something looks to be worth paying for. But there seems to be this creeping sentiment among developers that they deserve money because you worked hard on your product. I read the phrase “Developers deserve to be compensated….” all the time.
No. Wrong. Incorrect.
As the consumer, I don’t care how much effort you put into. If I’m a carpenter, and I’m hired to build a bookshelf, and I spend a really long time building an exquisite bookshelf that holds exactly one book, do you think anyone is going to pay me cause I worked real hard? The value is in the product. I pay for the product. And if people are telling you that your product is too expensive (by not purchasing it…us yelling at you here means nothing), then it IS too expensive. Unless I’m directly paying your for your time (i.e. an hourly rate), your effort on it’s own has no value.
DHH
on 24 Jun 10Grover, you’re misunderstanding Jason’s comment. We are not optimizing for sales as in the number of sales. We’re optimizing for profits, as we always do. Selling this app at $1 would require more than 10 times the number of sales to be equally profitable. (more customers cost more to support as well as you have to factor that in).
Second, this is a moot point. Draft is doing awesome. We premiered on the top 100 best-selling apps as number #62 and on the top-grossing apps as #36. That’s about as good as we could hope for with a not-another-$1-app that serves a niche market.
What baffles me is that despite these empirical facts (great sales, even greater profits) and our simple rational (higher price means less customers but higher profits) that you find it necessary to talk about insanity and gas leaks.
You don’t have to defend not wanting to buy this. That’s perfectly fine. But would you go to a Whole Foods and make a big scene because you believe that their tomatoes are more expensive than the shop around the corner?
If you find two products to be equal and the only differentiation to be price, you should of course buy the cheaper product. We’re selling Draft to people who see the differentiation. Are they morons because they don’t share your opinion? (Now who’s arrogant).
Grover Saunders
on 24 Jun 10Okay, sorry to double-post by my wife just nailed it. Her response when I explained what I was typing?
“Ten dollars is a lot of money to doodle with your finger.”
DHH
on 24 Jun 10Then it seems like we priced it just right. Draft is currently in the top 100 best-selling category and top 50 highest-grossing. Exceeding our expectations for it’s performance.
Rahul
on 24 Jun 10@Grover: for a while I’d been looking for a tool to quickly create sketchy web graphics, and then Draft was released. Now I can quickly doodle something out on a tool that’s right in front of me and I can interact with using my finger, and with the touch of a button have it sent to my email so I can import it into Photoshop, clean it up, and use it in my design. I just created four images this way and it saved me probably several hundred euros just from not having to screw around with a tablet or scanning paper-drawn graphics.
So “Ten dollars is a lot of money to doodle with your finger” is the exact opposite of reality from my perspective.
And that’s just it; this is all a matter of perspective. If you spend your time buying $1 iPhone apps and consider anything above that overpriced, that’s fine. I think $10 for this was a great deal, because for me it came at the right time, in the right medium, and it just works. “It just works” should never be underestimated.
Ashim
on 24 Jun 10I posted my review on the AppStore
Aldo Monteiro
on 24 Jun 10One thing is for sure: 37s knows how to create a great buzz….
TomG
on 24 Jun 10The economics of earning a living in the App store are very questionable. Large bodies of evidence are rqadily available; e.g. http://www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/app-economy/2010/06/23/who-wants-more-grim-numbers-app-economics
You’re at the whim of Apple, who is responsible for its own interests.
Unless your app is a big hit, you cant possible recover your money.
Many of the Apps are resume fillers and corporate me-too stuff.
The big winner is Apple, not because they get a big cut of the app profit, but because there are a boatload of apps – even if most are mediocre at best.
You guys have it right. You have made a simple app that optionally ties into a larger system. So what if you only really appeal to Campfire users. Let the market decide. $buck, $10 bucks who cares?
Its a shame that the prevalent view our value as a profession as programmers and designers has sunk to the point where people want software for free and that $9.99 is outrageously overpriced.
Grover Saunders
on 24 Jun 10@DHH
That makes complete sense and if he had said that I wouldn’t have even made a comment. But he didn’t. He said “Maybe we’re not trying to maximize sales. Maybe we have other motives (like encouraging other people to add Campfire integration to their own apps – even free ones).” which is the kind of business model this blog generally openly derides.
Thanks for clearing that part up (I see that you cleared this up elsewhere in the thread, which I had not loaded before posting).
Am I making a big scene? To use your metaphor, if I thought some of the products were too expensive at Whole Foods but wanted to continue shopping there, I probably would fill out a comment card since they provide them for that purpose, telling them as much and why I thought so.
Maybe you should change the name of the feature from “Comments” to “Compliments” if you only want people to say “Nice job! Can’t wait to buy!” You provided a mechanism for feedback and I used it to provide my comments. As far as I can see, that’s using the feature to its exact specification.
Whoa whoa whoa, who started name calling here? I don’t remember calling anyone arrogant or a moron. The gas-leak comment is the only thing in my post that I could see as being construed as even lightly insulting and it was there to express my own shock at seeing Jason promoting what seemed to me like a business model he would generally mock (again, you’ve clarified that point for me). For a company that openly mocks others on a regular basis, you may need to grow some thicker skin if you found my post insulting.
In fact, if you’ll read my post you’ll note that I said that what counts over all other concerns is people voting with their purchases. I agree that it would be arrogant to say “If you buy this you’re an idiot.” but it’s also equally arrogant to imply that people who don’t see the value here are just tighwads or too unsophisticated to see it’s value which is a sentiment I am seeing expressed a lot in the comments.
If people are buying your product, that’s great news! Hooray! The product apparently does provide value worth the price to those customers. Awesome! However that doesn’t obviate the point that many of the other commenters (to whom most of my post was aimed even though you seem to have taken it personally) seem to think that the product should be bought because you guy worked real hard on it, a sentiment with which I disagree vehemently.
Scott
on 24 Jun 10Grover how many hours have you spent typing your treatise here? Do you make more than $10 an hour?
DHH
on 24 Jun 10Grover, sorry, moron was what I extracted from above. Clearly you just meant brain damaged.
Pushback is completely fine. So is saying “this is too expensive for ME”. It’s the shock and horror that someone could think otherwise that’s offensive.
Also, people make “effort” part of their purchasing decisions all the time. See the “hand made” category for one. That which took a long time to make generally is perceived to be of higher value.
SC
on 24 Jun 10Just skimmed through these comments. Seems pretty simple. Will this app help you do what you need to do? Faster/better?
Then buy it.
If not, get on with your life.
Who has time for this?
A Guy From South America
on 24 Jun 10@DHH
“South America, just because something is available doesn’t mean you have to buy it. It’s perfectly fine to say “I would not get $10 worth of value out of this” or “I’d rather have a game”. Doesn’t make the price “ridiculous” though. Just too high for you.”
Of course if something is available it doesn’t mean I HAVE to buy it. But that argument is foolish and so overused by companies. All companies big or small, whenever they get criticism, they send the same fucking argument to consumers, “you are not obligated to buy our product!”. Of course! I’m a consumer. Of course I don’t have to buy your product. Hey companies, don’t tell me the obvious! That’s bullshit and so overused. So disappointing!
Perry F.
on 24 Jun 10I’m a software developer myself, and I get maximizing profits. But…
$10 is too much for an app this basic. I like the idea and I like the simplicity and I want you guys to sell a lot of copies. $3.99 – 4.99 is probably the most you should ask for this app.
Adobe Ideas is still equally similar, equally minimal, equally easy to use, has just a smidgeon of more customizability, can share your sketches, and it’s completely free. It has become an integral part of my daily work flow.
J
on 24 Jun 10Adobe Ideas is still equally similar, equally minimal, equally easy to use, has just a smidgeon of more customizability, can share your sketches, and it’s completely free. It has become an integral part of my daily work flow.
...yet you suggest 37s should sell their app for $4.99, because $9.99 is too much. Isn’t $4.99 too much if the alternative you prefer more is free?
Dave Ballantine
on 24 Jun 10I don’t get all the squawkin about the price. If you can shell out the $$$ for your iPad, $10 is short money.
I’m not going to buy it because I’m not keen on white lines (or red) on a black field being the only option. I think the price would be fair given how much I’d use it, IF it worked the way I wanted it to. Which it doesn’t so I won’t buy it.
See how easy that was?
GeeIWonder
on 24 Jun 10Re: the price point:
It’s ‘free’ advertising for 37s and their book to a potentially new audience, it’s a price point where the sales they get will likely be fans or people about to become fans, and it’s the kind of price point that will come up nearly first (or last) in a several kinds of searches and sorts.
Matt Henderson
on 24 Jun 10I love the app. So well executed, and the integration with Campfire is fabulous. I find it both useful, and a joy to use.
I simply can’t believe the comments here about pricing. At a fundamental level, these people don’t seem to understand there is no “fair price” for anything — it’s the full right of a producer to ask any price he wants for his product.
And at more practical level, it’s just amazing to listen to people commenting that a product they may use weekly (if not daily) for the next year might be worth the cost of one breakfast, BUT CERTAINLY NOT TWO!!!
Our company is about to release an iPhone app, and I’m quite certain that, given what the little it does (something very simple, but hopefully perfectly executed), these same folks here are going to throw their hands up in violent disgust at our price of … I’m almost ashamed to write it … FOUR NINETY NINE!
The fact is, that we honestly would not want as a customer, someone who would by the product for $0.99, but not at $4.99. Just as DHH hinted at above, those people aren’t likely to be the kind of customers you want in the long run. (Setting $4.99 as the price, we’ll hopefully avoid the customers who’d complain after a year, “You’re going to charge me for an upgrade?!?”)
People, of course, have the right to express their opinions — but what I really do find unfair, is when people rate a product based on their opinion of its price.
Steve 802
on 24 Jun 10... i see this less of a “time saver” as an “idea multiplier” ... even this discussion, for all of it’s weeping and gnashing about the price, has clarified some ideas in some heads …
Eric Fleming
on 24 Jun 10I would buy it if I had an iPad, looks like a super simple app for doing what I usually do with sketch pads and sharpies. $9.99 is not much compared to the cost of going out and buying sketch pads and sharpies. Not that it matter all that much, but I think it is a great product and I will buy it (after I get an iPad).
Nick Campbell
on 24 Jun 10To me this is simple economics, I don’t understand the fuss. The thing I want to know is whether or not this will have an Android equivalent?
I know the iPad and Apple users probably make up a larger portion of your consumers, but is Android even considered viable or profitable to you guys or does that segment need to grow larger before you invest in converting for them?
DHH
on 24 Jun 10Nick, the primary motivation for creating Draft was to create something for ourselves. We currently don’t have any Android users on staff, so that’d probably have to change before we’d consider it.
ew
on 24 Jun 10I am a big fan of 37 signals, but have to agree with the rest of the comments about price. $9.99 is absurdly high. Sorry guys – way too high a price point for a first release of a product that lacks customization options…Sorry.
Matt
on 24 Jun 10I think the most revealing thing about this post (nice app, btw) is that you guys were scanning things.
How about…? Sketch on white paper, black sharpie (standard issue) Take pic with phone cam (5MP) (spare droid I have) Send to an email that kicks off a Campfire API to load file (source: http://developer.37signals.com/campfire/rooms)
For those that are crapping their pants over the price, you know, write a few (very few) lines and set up an email receiver and it’s a DIY “auto upload”...sans scanning.
Matt
on 24 Jun 10Small (but important) correction…
Send to an email that kicks off a process to create Campfire API action to load file
Mark Shust
on 24 Jun 10Ha, I love how all of the price hagglers are saying it’s against 37signals’ image.
I think it’s the exact opposite. You guys are all about maximizing efficiency and making a desirable product. Let’s say you sold $10,000 worth. Selling it at a dollar means that you now have to support 10,000 users, which could in turn lead to a backlog of issues for you an your staff. Instead, you have to only support 1,000 users and are making the exact same, with a lot less overhead (support, tech resources, etc.). I think you guys priced it perfect – top 100 app proves it.
That said, you always price a product not for what it’s worth, but for what people are willing to pay for it. If I had an iPad, I would gladly pay $10 for never have to deal with a sharpie running out of ink again – not to mention the hassle of real, actual paper. I love the three-color simplicity too. I think a lot of others can learn from your beautiful design. Stripping everything out but the basics, then stripping out some more by only offering two drawing colors. Love it.
Mark Shust
on 24 Jun 10Oops, forgot to mention. The person that pointed out the ability to print these does make a very valid point that it would waste a ton of ink. I think a simple ‘Invert’ button to swap the black/white would make it almost perfect, but the lack of being able to print it efficiently is a decent issue.
Shane
on 24 Jun 10Based on this comment thread, I would guess you guys are fairly relieved you don’t have to support the segment of users who consider $9.99 to be an affront. I bet they would be a complete headache.
Anonymous Coward
on 24 Jun 10As a PHB, I’m already using Draft to strike fear in the bones of my staff. Definitely worth $10.
http://twitter.com/mhenders/status/16955367799
Matt Henderson
on 24 Jun 10As a PHB , I’m already using Draft to strike fear in the bones of my staff. Definitely worth $10.
http://twitter.com/mhenders/status/16955367799
Mike Waite
on 24 Jun 10Hey good on you guys for creating something that is very rough and quick to use. I’m a big advocate for getting ideas out quickly not having to worry about how clean an initial idea is presented.
I think something like this app shows the true colors of some designers. If you were to have a great idea on sketched out quickly on this app and someone comments about how they don’t like that it’s on black, or the lines are not perfectly straight, then I really wonder what they are looking at, because it’s not the great idea you made.
Anonymous Coward
on 24 Jun 10Adrian Short
on 24 Jun 10I’ll skip the essay on price elasticity of demand.
Let’s look at it like this.
This is a business tool. Not a novelty. Not a toy.
The rule for buying business tools is: If the tool will make you or save you more money than it costs you should buy it.
While people may have certain expectations about the price of iPad apps, it’s really this simple:
Will you make or save more than $9.99 by using this app? If so, buy it if you’ve got the cash. If not, don’t.
But I find it impossible to imagine that any professional designer would be likely to only make or save between $0.99 and $9.98 with it if they’re going to make anything at all.
In your gut you might prefer this to be priced at $4.99, but all that really means is you’ll get ROI in 15 minutes rather than 30.
Big deal.
If you just think Draft is rubbish, you’d be a fool to even waste your time downloading it, let alone paying for it. But then we’re not talking about price, are we?
From the customer perspective, some people here need to think a bit more carefully about the relationship between cost and value. From the business perspective, there’s a lesson here about the relationship between price and profit. If you’re really that price sensitive you’re probably still waiting for that no-brand $199 Android tablet. And not using Campfire where the cheapest paid plan is $144 a year.
DR
on 24 Jun 10Well said, @Adrian
Andrew W
on 25 Jun 10Interested to know if you guys built this in-house or used a 3rd party.
Thx
Michael
on 25 Jun 10Please, please, please charge as little as I would for my app, so you are not more successful than me! No? Damn.
Bryan
on 25 Jun 10All this bitching about the price. Jeez, it costs about the same as 2 lattes at Starbucks, and less than a beer and a hot dog at a baseball game.
Marcel
on 25 Jun 10After reading these comments (or any comments on any website), people feel the need to overshare their opinions. If you can’t afford it or don’t see the value, who cares what you think? Don’t waste my mouse scroll, don’t buy the app, and do something productive with your 10 minutes of time.
As DHH said, the sales numbers are proving their pricing is a good decision. I also agree with the added benefit of filtering out undesirable customers. If I ran a restaurant, I’d want to fill it with a few gourmet foodies (like Schwa in Chicago) rather than a long line of Denny’s customers looking to score free Grand Slams.
Thanks for wasting your mouse scroll on me.
Marcel
on 25 Jun 10Now, back on topic, did you guys build it in-house?
matt
on 25 Jun 10$10 is ridiculous. it’s a price gouge; completely disproportionate with the value you’re offering and undermines the common-sense approach to business i love this blog for.
matt
on 25 Jun 10@Adrian: Thanks for the lecture on business tools.
I’ll stick with a notepad for now.
JF
on 25 Jun 10Interested to know if you guys built this in-house or used a 3rd party.
We hired Overcommitted to build the guts. We directed the UI and general feature set.
roobus
on 25 Jun 10Nick, the primary motivation for creating Draft was to create something for ourselves. We currently don’t have any Android users on staff, so that’d probably have to change before we’d consider it.
Uh, then why put it up on iTunes. I don’t get it. You guys contradict yourself too often.
ramsen
on 25 Jun 10@Marcel: The sales numbers don’t really say anything. Given 37signals track record and their fanboys – any app will sell at any price. Think about it.
Mathew
on 25 Jun 10@Ramsen
What would prove that the price is acceptable to a lot of people, if actual people paying for it doesn’t count? A miraculous sign in the sky?
Phil
on 25 Jun 10Like a drawing version of Write Room. I like it.
Sylvain
on 25 Jun 10I bought this app, it’s great. Better then my moleskine to make quick mockups. Prices are relatives to the value you give to the app. I believe this app, because of its limited functionalities, will help me focus on making better design decisions. I can share them (and I like using my iPad for productivity stuff). $10 is not a steal FOR ME.
Just one question, did you considered giving the option to save the image in the native iPad photo library ? I then would be able to use it in my other apps without having to email myself and then saving it to the library.
Jean-Pierre Bobbaers
on 25 Jun 10Congratulations with this smart simple tool, beautifull ! Thank you !
About the price: I find it narrow minded to compare to other apps. It saves me time to scan import etc… @ 100 $/hour that means after 10 scans its paid back and I will use this feature even more quickly so I improve communication.
As an architect/designer for stores , I would love to see an extra feature that I can sketch on top of pictures (from iphoto). This would really be handy and efficient.
I believe this app will make Campfire even more attractive
Thank you
JP
Lloyd Morgan
on 25 Jun 10Reasons why I applaud a $9.99 app:
- Apps are expensive to create.
- (Some) apps simplify business (this one included).
- If someone’s not complaining about the price, you’re leaving money on the table.
- If a person is complaining about a $9.99 app, what are the chances that they’ll really buy the same app at $4.99? $1.99? The primary barrier isn’t the actual cost, it’s that it’s not free—that it has a cost.
- In most threads I read about iOS apps and pricing (e.g.), the main finding seems to be that price variation doesn’t have much of an effect (raising and lowering prices affects the sales, yes—the revenue, no).
- A similar price discussion was started following ShootQ’s app release ($40).
Of course, I’m sure all those here at 37s fully expected a backlash over a… paid! app.
Congratulations.
JF
on 25 Jun 10Uh, then why put it up on iTunes. I don’t get it. You guys contradict yourself too often.
There’s no contradiction. David said the primary reason for building Draft was for our own needs. Same with Basecamp, Highrise, Campfire, Backpack, Ta-da, Writeboard, etc. The primary reason we built all of those apps was for ourselves. But we also realized that if we needed them, it was likely other people needed them too. So we put a price on them, put ‘em on the market, and sell them to those who also find them valuable. Same with Draft.
Michael
on 25 Jun 10So you have a bunch of people who paid $600-1000 for an iPad yet are in histrionics over a $10 BUSINESS app for said device? A $10 app that could be the difference between winning a design job or not, a $10 app that could save several billable hours over the course of a month or year, and a $10 app that integrates with a paid online business service/tool.
And on a blog for by company that makes no secret about its philosophy to charge for products that create value and maximize profits.
What’s wrong with you people?
If you don’t like the app, I can understand that. Offer suggestions for improvement, etc., but don’t tell me that $10 is “too much” when you’re going to spend that much at Starbucks this morning while sitting at a table with your iPod, iPad, iPhone and Macbook Pro in front of you. Is this a toy or a tool?
Disclaimer: I don’t have an iPad, and I’m not a designer/developer. I’m a corporate (Windows) IT guy who has a (non-IT) side business and reads this blog for the general philosophy which is widely applicable to other industries.
Rahul
on 25 Jun 10A friend of mine released an iPhone app called Captio that makes it really easy to send a note to yourself, and that’s it. He priced it at $0.99. It’s getting great reviews on the App Store – from people who actually use it – and if random blogs post about it, he gets flamed for it being “overpriced junk”.
So I guess the lesson is that the people who value Draft are buying and using it, and the people who don’t are wasting time complaining about it here (and elsewhere).
Scott
on 25 Jun 10It’s going to be interesting to see what the ratings trend to for Draft. With just a handful of ratings in it’s about 50% 1-star and 50% 5-star (6 1-star ratings and 5 5-start ratings). It’s good to have people that love your app and people that hate it. That polarization means you’re doing something right.
But the app store model makes for an interesting paradox: in that you get just as much financial reward from those that rate it low as those that rate it high. There’s little incentive to make buyers happy or enjoy their experience with the app. Also, because there’s no way to preview an app for free it’s not a case of “if you don’t like it, don’t buy it”.
It’s a big switch for 37signals from the “keep paying if you’re happy model” to the “pay first and then decide if you’re happy” model that will make for an interesting study.
Michael
on 25 Jun 10Scott, you don’t think reviews are a good incentive? What about word-of-mouth marketing. I mean, I have two apps on my phone that cost $10+. I learned about all five from friends who bought them and liked them.
(Air sharing pro and Omnifocus.)
Michael
on 25 Jun 10“All five” leftover from when that post was talking about $5+ apps. I only have two $10+ apps.
Sean Devine
on 25 Jun 10I’ve sent two sketches that I made using Draft to colleagues and both times they emailed back to ask how I made them. It’s certainly feature light, but very effective to communicating ideas in a distinctive way. Well worth the $10.
Scott
on 25 Jun 10@Michael,
No, I don’t think reviews are a good incentive in this case. Higher ratings do not correlate to sales. Draft is flying up the charts yet has just as many 1-star ratings as 5-star. Buyers are not deterred by low ratings nor are they buying it because of its average overall rating, I don’t think.
Param
on 25 Jun 1037signals, you are an awesome company. You face the same problem that Apple faces.
I guess its time you turned off the comments, because people simply don’t understand and spend $50 worth of their time criticizing a $10 app…
Ben Nevile
on 25 Jun 10Looks like a cool app!
I’d be careful about drawing conclusions from your early successes on the app store. 37S have a really large following. There are a lot of people who will buy any piece of poop you decide to put on the market.
A more important metric to measure long-term success might be the number of people sharing sketches from the app via email or campfire. Cohort analysis on that would be valuable.
Luis
on 25 Jun 10I was on the fence about purchasing it. I’ve been using Adobe Ideas since it came out and love it. The fact it’s free makes it even better….but I thought and thought and eventually ponied up the ten bucks. I love 37S, so yes, the fan-people out there will most likely buy it.
It’s a great app, yes. As for value…well…we’ll see if I’m still using it after a month, or if I’ll revert to Ideas, or even another app.
There are 2 things: 1) User experience…which the app has. 2) User longevity…only time will tell.
Great work guys.
Ariel
on 25 Jun 10The objective centers around maximizing profit (per DHH comments above) from the complementary product (Draft) rather than the core subscription product, Campfire. This is akin to Bloomberg trying to charge a hefty premium for content — Bloomberg news content is a complementary product to their lucrative subscription Bloomberg Terminal business.
The objective should be to get every Campfire user with an iPad to purchase the Draft app. Price it low enough to make this a no-brainer decision for these users. If every Campfire user (with an iPad) purchased the Draft iPad app Campfire would become far more valuable. This reduces Campfire churn—it’s very hard to replace a subscription revenue customer.
My full thoughts here: http://aseidman.com/2010/06/campfire-37-signals-draft-ipad-app-pricing-product-complements/
Ahma Humeid
on 26 Jun 10I am both a long time customer of 37signals and, generally, a fan of your work and writings.
I won’t be buying this app because I don’t need it that much and because I feel That my sketching needs are already covered by sketchbook pro and adobe ideas.
The pricing also surprised me initially.
But after reading through the comments and knowing you philosophy I came to the conclusion that, If anything you guys are playing a very interesting game here. You are hacking the system, essentially. Several things are at play: the emotionality of your brand, your willingness/desire to pick a fight, testing the limits of acceptability and your experience in buzz creation.
I would be curious, however, to know more about how you decided on the price. Why 9.99 and not 4.99 or 15.99 for example?
Patrick Desroches
on 26 Jun 10At first the price/feature got my attention, I know what it ocst and take to build good software. Adobe sell overprice software all the time so they can make their ipad app free.
Also people complaing about the price buy i am sure 70$ xbox crappy game that they would maybe use less than this app
If i don’t buy this app it’s because i don’t need it not because of the price.
thanks
pat
Andrés Mejía
on 27 Jun 10This app is overpriced. If it costed $9.98, I would definitely buy it.
OS
on 27 Jun 10Kudos for choosing your price point and your customers. I hope more iOS developers eventually follow your lead.
mkrfmnn
on 27 Jun 10Like the way you guys do pricing. I think the massive success overwhelmed you slightly, because in my opinion the main goal of such a high price is to force other people to sell apps, which have integrated Campfire support for less money. This would lead to more apps with Campfire integration, and more people buying this apps, because they’re less expensive. I think, 37signals pricing strategy goes beyond focusing on more sells. There are always two or more different points of views…
heist
on 28 Jun 10Surprising discussion.
If it’s at all useful to you, (if it’ll save you 6 minutes of your time) it’s worth $10.
If it won’t save you 6 minutes of your time, you don’t need it. Even if it were free.
Anonymous Coward
on 29 Jun 10You’re bitching about $9.99 for an app to run on your $600 iPad?
Koen Bok
on 30 Jun 10What I like about it:
- Simplicity (two colors) - Sketching feels good
Why I won’t use it (yet):
- I want to print it and black backgrounds are not nice with that. - It’s a PNG and I love the Adobe Design PDF output. - It can’t scale/move so it’s hard to draw specific smaller stuff.
And what I would really like…
- Two marker sizes. - One extra color. - Move selection on canvas.
Just my 2 c.
This discussion is closed.