Realmac Software, the team behind Clear, has just published an open letter to its customers apologizing for making everyone pay a second time to get a universal version of its application. Dan Counsell, the founder at Realmac Software, wrote, “Our existing customers were understandably upset that we were no longer updating the old version of Clear, and that we wanted to charge them for an update.”
While I don’t really agree that customers should continue to get a free ride into the infinite future because they paid a dollar for an application, the Realmac Software team is trying to make amends for a decision that irked fans of the application. Clear+ will be free for the next 24 hours to make up for the “huge mistake.” The company will also have a couple more “free days” in the future so that loyal customers who missed the opportunity this time around will be able to upgrade in the future.
It’s a tough nut to crack, but expecting developers to constantly provide free updates for life because of a dollar purchase is pretty unfair. The ecosystem in this industry is pretty broken right now. From developers being forced to provide free updates for life, to some companies (not Realmac, they’re great) treating blogs like free advertisements and never putting a dollar back into the ecosystem, it’s not going to be long before we’re forced redefine how this industry works. The sooner the better in my opinion. It’s unsustainable.
