Adobe angers iOS developers with 10% Director charge
By Dave Stevenson
Posted on 14 Feb 2013 at 12:30
Adobe has angered its community of app developers with the terms and conditions attached to its Director 12 software.
The software, which is used to create apps for Apple's App Store, will now cost developers 10% of their earnings on any app which makes more than $20,000 (around £13,000).
The charge only applies to apps which make the watershed amount after Apple has taken its 30% fee per app. This means an app will actually have to make $26,000 before Adobe's charges apply.
The move has angered software developers, some of whom note that Adobe’s 10% charge comes on top of the price of buying Adobe Director, whose full version for Mac and PC cost just over £900 each. Posting on Adobe Director’s discussion forum, one user described the change as "preposterous", adding, "I will never agree to this."
"This is ridiculous," wrote another. “I realise you need to make your money back on development costs, but considering you are charging $1,000 for a new install and asking for an additional cut on top... is pretty insane."
Another user complained about the difficulty of explaining the charge to clients. "Try explaining that to a customer," they wrote. "‘Yes, we can make an app for you, but if you earn too much Adobe will take a 10% cut!' I can't imagine they would accept that, can you?"
Apple's 30% ok, Adobe's 10% not?
I don't see how 'developers' can complain. Adobe Director 12 is the only reason many developers can even make apps for iOS. Without it the majority of developers simply lack the basic coding knowledge to build apps, so why shouldn't Adobe get a fee for highly successful apps that wouldn't exist without Director?
By skarlock on 14 Feb 2013 
Adobe's not, no
Adobe provide the tool to develop the code. Apple provide the store, payment facilities, download capacity, and general infrastructure. Adobe do a one off deliver, Apple keep supplying. They are completely different.
The good news though is that this will be resolved quite quickly. Either Adobe relent, or no one will buy the tool anyway.
By MJ2010 on 14 Feb 2013
If 10% charge is ok on Directory I guess a 10% charge on profits made with websites built using Dreamweaver?
10% profit on a photo edited in Photoshop as well perhaps?
I agree with MJ2010 Adobe supplies the tools but the don't actually do the work.
In the "real world" can you imagine builders paying 10% charge to the supplier of their tools?
By cyberindie on 14 Feb 2013
Director is much more than a 'tool' to use your builder analogy. Director is more akin to an architect who does all the complex design. Builders must pay architects a fee to design a building and then a fee for each time their plans are used for each build. In the same way, app designers who get Director to do all the complex programming they can't do themselves should expect to pay for the service if it makes them a lot of money.
By skarlock on 15 Feb 2013
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