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How we arrived at the Featuregrade Model (if you are interested!)

Let's just say that getting Wotja 23 released this year was a very, very big challenge.

For several years we had a well established model comprising a Free variant of Wotja and a separate paid-for 'Pro' variant. The differences were clear to everyone, and we added plenty of new features each year.

Come the middle of December 2022 we had been working hard on Wotja 23 for 6 months or more. We had done our final polishing and testing and on Dec 16th 2022 we submitted the Wotja 23 variants to the Apple App Store for their review. As we are a bonefide developer who had been developing for the App Store for 8 years, and we had a long established (and common) model, we were not expecting any issues.

On the 16th December both Free and paid-for Pro versions for macOS were approved and on the 18th December both variants for tvOS AND the Free variant for iOS were approved. So far so good we thought. There was just the iOS 'Pro' variant to go and so we expected that to be approved soon, meaning we could enjoy a well earned break.

How wrong we were. It turned out that instead of us getting a break we got broken. :(

With each of the 5 separate "rejections" from App Review (all seemingly totally non sensical) and we were gradually tearing out more and more of out hair and getting more and more stressed out. We simply did not know what to do, especially because we used the same free/paid-for model for all platforms. If we could not continue with that on Apple OS, we could not on any OS platform.

By 21st December we decided we had no option but to submit an appeal to the App Review board. But, being so late in the day and with no certainty the rejection would be overturned, we had NO OPTION but to set to work trying to figure out alternative model that could work for all platforms.

In doing so we knew that if we found a solution we would be hard pressed to row back from it, whatever their decision. Part of that is because changing business model is, for us at least, never easy at the best of times as we ALWAYS try our very best to look after our customers.

But having to start work on that on 21st December when you have promised all your users that the new version is coming on Jan 1st... That is INSANELY TOUGH, especially as Wotja 23 was ready to go and were by then already knackered.

Background Stage 1 - One Time Buy (OTB) IAP for Permanent Unlocks to the rescue

Intermorphic is Tim and Pete and Wotja is a very complex system of interdependencies and UI components. A lot of effort in each major version goes into things most users never see or notice. On top of that, by V22 we also had 14 different variants to build/test every release.

To ease our burden we always hoped to be able find a way to have just one free app per platform that we could update on a rolling basis, and then unlock as required. It was a pipedream because we knew that no store supports in-app upgrades for paid-for apps, the only real solution to that being to bring out another version. And besides, we still needed a free version. Suffice to say, we could never figure out how to do it.

Necessity is the mother of invention and it being 21st December and Apple (in its unfathomable wisdom) effectively saying they would only approve ONE app, we needed a solution to our predicament, fast, and it HAD to be one for the free variant.

We burnt a LOT of mental CPU in the space of a few days and finally came up with and settled on the solution of One Time Buy (OTB) IAP Unlocks in the free variant. These would allow unlocking of New Features in a specified XX Feature Set (FS) for that XX version of Wotja. This meant we could retain and update the existing free variants and thus keep Subscriptions going for existing subscribers.

The big downsides for us were, however, that we believed that A) each and every year we would have to replace those free versions with new apps, effectively having to grow a new installed base each year when as a niche app we cannot afford marketing, AND B) that Subscriptions (which suit some) would thus become much less useful.

It was not the solution we wanted, but it was the ONLY way to get through the eye of the needle so to speak.

All we had to do (hahahahaha, NOT) was to implement it, for iOS, macOS, tvOS, Windows and Android for Google Play and Amazon Appstore, and also to rework the User Guide and website to reflect the big changes. And we had to have it submitted, approved and released by Jan 1st for all platforms.

Horror.

To cut a long story short, we worked like dogs right up to Jan 1st.

Miraculousy, we did manage to do it all and come Jan 1st Wotja 23 was available on all our the App Stores.

Would we want to go through this again? Absolutely not.

All this just goes to show you the power App Stores have over developers, and the big impact their decisions have on our lives.

Background Stage 2 - Wotja gets rolling updates

Since the release of Wotja 23 we continued to mull over the big changes we had had to put in place. We wondered if they could somehow lead on to other things.

It took us a while, but we realised that IF we could find a way to allow Permanent Unlocks to unlock NEW features, capabilities and content added in future major versions, i.e. Wotja 24 in 2024, then we could do away with having to release a NEW downloadable Wotja app every year. It would mean we could just have one app per App Store, "Wotja", and release rolling updates. That in turn would mean we that could continue to grow an installed base and that Subscriptions could continue to work as intended.

Secondly, we realised that IF we could figure that out we then hoped we might be able to adopt fullgrade pricing on OTB.

After a lot of complex, tricky work, we managed to get that in place and it is also in Wotja 23.2.

Existing Wotja 23 'Pro' Unlocks work exactly as before, and no one loses out. In fact, you gain quite considerably, as explained below.

• MAJOR GAIN FOR YOU (MAJOR RISK FOR US):
  • As noted above, a huge amount of work each major release goes into general improvements - new features, capabilies and content are really just the visible tip of the iceberg. This new approach means we have no way of monetising/funding work on general improvements. If you don't want to pay to unlock what is new, then you effect get all that work for free, year-on-year, unless perhaps you tip. The risk for us is that UNLESS enough people help fund work on new things, then Wotja could die.
  • IMPORTANT: As Contact Support eats time we will henceforth be providing it only to those who can demonstrate purchase of a One Time Buy (OTB) IAP for the year in question, or who have an active Subscription (SUB) IAP or an 'in period' Thirty Day Unlock (TDU) IAP.
• Minor Downside for you:
  • App Stores are not good at supporting rollbacks. With just one app that gets rolling updates year-on-year, it will be up to you to find ways to back it up - if you want to. You might want to do that in case we have to remove or deprecate use of some feature, capability or content.

Earlier Wotja 'Fullgrade' Model

IMPORTANT: Wotja now has a Featuregrade Business Model.

Pricing in a nutshell: The most important aspect of the Fullgrade model was that we priced new major versions as if they were upgrades. This meant that whether you were a new or existing customer you could always buy at the best price.

Back in 2012, and after much trial and error, we formally co-opted a calendar year product release cycle. It had some aspects of a 'software as a service' model where we charged each year for extra capabilities (i.e. Pro mode) in order to allow us to continue to evolve/improve our apps as well as to support/maintain them in an ever-changing market environment.

All it meant was that each year the small revenues we generated for each version had to stretch a long way.

Not only did they have to help compensate us for the huge efforts we went to develop the new features, capabilities [which may include improved UIs] and improvements we added for each major new version, or that we might further add during the year, but also to cover maintenance updates for the Operating Systems of that year (these change year on year, nothing stands still) and to provide customer support during that year.

What it meant was that if you wanted to do more than possible for free in Lite mode you simply purchase in the Wotja In-App Store one of the many options available whenever it suited you.

This is what decided back in 2012:

1. We would only make our apps available via the major App Stores (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google)
   • We would do that as soon as it was feasible for us to do so and for these reasons.
   • We completed this move by 2015 for all our Apple apps [Noatikl, Mixtikl, Liptikl and Tiklbox] and by 2018 for all our Windows apps [Noatikl, Mixtikl, Liptikl].
   • Note that the Wotja App has ONLY ever been available via the App stores.
2. Every year we would endeavor to release a new 'Major Version' with some major new features at release.
3. We would regularly update that 'Major Version' during its product cycle.
4. Paid-for App (we no longer do these, but the functional equivalent is a One Time Buy (OTB)): We would sell a paid-for 'Pro' variant of each Version as a NEW APP and at a lower 'Upgrade Price' instead of a higher initial 'Full Price'.
   • This is mainly a historical thing but it means that new customers could get our apps at a lower cost than they otherwise would have done had we not gone down this route in the first place.
   • Note: For a number of reasons the App Stores have never made it easy to support an 'upgrade' model - see the reasons.
5. Subscription (SUB): Where it made sense for us to do it we would look to provide a subscription mechanism for those that wanted to use that Major Version but did not want to make a purchase of the Paid-for app.
   • Our Subscription (SUB) option for Apple OS and Windows OS is easy to dip in and out of at any time.
6. We would only support apps with the current Major Version.
   • Those are the only ones getting updates and, after all, support is a service!
7. At the end of the year, and for all App Stores, we would remove from sale all that year's Major Version Paid-for variants.
   • An App that is not for sale in an App Store (Apple, Microsoft at least) cannot in any event be updated.
8. Finally, we wanted to make it absolutely clear to Customers what they are getting and what they could expect from us.

The dilemma of improvements and new features

Most people like to see regular improvements and new features year-on-year, but that means continued app development and support. The issue is that we simply cannot fund that work year-on-year with just one purchase. It would be like expecting a restaurant to serve you new meals for ever for the price of just one - and we are sure you would never expect (or ask a restaurant for) that!

In addition, if we do ever need to retire an app (e.g. Noatikl, Mixtikl), then we do our level best to ensure there is route forward for the content made in it - we do not want to leave your content high and dry. This is why Wotja can open/play files create right back from the days of SSEYO Koan.

Apps and Plug-ins are a bit like plants - bear with us!

Apps and Plug-ins are complex software and to understand their life-cycles it can be useful to think of them like plants. Wotja is a generative music system that lets you make and play "things". It is a "perennial" that is 30 years in the making and is alive and well today only because it is carefully tended to by a "gardener". Read on!

Plants:

• Survival: To continue to survive year after year, let alone to grow, plants need water, light and nourishment.
• Differences: Plants are all different; some may live, flower and die all in the space of a year (an "annual"), and others may have the capacity to live for years or even thousands of years ("perennials").
• Food: Some plants can be eaten or provide food, like apples, and it may well matter a great deal to you that they continue to produce food.
• Gardeners: If a plant is situated in a challenging environment - and it really matters to you whether that plant survives or dies - then it needs regular care and attention, from someone, lets call them "the gardener". The gardener may have far to travel and has to bring their tools, experience, nourishment and devote their time to keeping that plant healthy and happy - and that means the gardener themself also has to survive.

Apps and Plug-ins:

• Survival: Apps and Plug-ins exist in a very challenging environment, one that is always changing in terms of Operating System, business models, competition, fad/fashion etc.
• Differences: Apps and Plug-ins can be used to meet many needs and solve many problems, some short term some long term. The natural lifespan of an app can therefore vary and depends on the use it is put to as well as the market, competition and market conditions.
• Food: Apps and Plug-ins can be used by you to make "things" and if used for that it is also very likely that you care a great deal if your "things" will play/work/open in years to come - and that is all about content longevity.
• Gardeners: If you really care whether your Apps and Plug-ins continue to work or not over the years (or will just leave it to chance) then it requires someone to maintain and update them - like "the gardener" above. And, as above, the gardener themself also has to survive.