Top Ten Software Rip-Offs, 1992-08-03
mathew
Monday, August 3, 1992
Well, Aldus's efforts to keep the #1 slot just weren't good enough. Userland
have jumped straight in there -- and for the first time, we have a UK price
in pounds which is higher than the US price in dollars. Wow! I suppose us
stinking foreigners will have to wait until Apple releases a scripting
language as part of the System.
A slightly disappointing new entry from Quark. Given the horror stories
about their attitude towards customer support, I expected them to be near the
top of the chart.
# Company Product UK RRP US RRP UK RRP Rip-off
name name pounds $ $ %ge
1 UserLand Frontier 250.00 249.00 471.87 89.51
2 Aldus Personal Press 195.00 199.00 368.06 84.96
3 Aldus Persuasion 450.00 495.00 849.37 71.59
4 Symantec Symantec Anti-virus 89.00 99.00 167.99 69.68
5 Claris MacDraw Pro 325.00 399.00 613.44 53.74
6 Salient AutoDoubler (crippleware) 65.00 79.95 122.69 53.46
7 Aladdin StuffIt Deluxe 2.0 79.00 99.00 149.11 50.62
8 Quark Xpress 3.1 695.00 895.00 1311.81 46.57
9 On Technology OnLocation 99.00 129.95 186.86 43.80
10 Beagle Bros BeagleWorks 219.00 299.95 413.36 37.81
Exchange rate used was 1.8875 dollars to the pound.
Finding a hero this week wasn't so easy. Nevertheless, let's have a little
grudging appreciation for Symantec. 13% isn't a completely ridiculous
mark-up on Think C. Now, let's see if they can do something about the price
of SAM, huh?
HERO CORNER
# Company Product UK RRP US RRP UK RRP Rip-off
name name pounds $ $ %ge
1 Claris Resolve 225.00 399.00 424.69 6.44
2 Symantec Think C 5.0 150.00 249.00 283.12 13.70
RRP is Recommended Retail Price; known as Manufacturer's Suggested Retail
Price in the USA.
Crippleware is software deliberately crippled to force the user to pay more
money. I'm still waiting for confirmation on how to de-cripple AutoDoubler.
mathew
[ Boring references follow ]
1 US: MacWorld July 92 p.190 UK: Personal Computer World July 92 p.214
2 US: MacWorld June 1992 p.141 UK: MacUser April 3 1992 p.101
3 US: MacWorld July 92 p.158 UK: MacUser 15 May 92 p.84
4 US: MacWorld June 1992 p.24 UK: MacUser May 15 1992 p.89
5 US: MacWorld July 1992 p.21 UK: Claris brochure
6 US: MacWorld June 1992 p.125 UK: MacUser May 15 1992 p.18
8 US: MacWorld July 92 p.199 UK: MacUser 15 May 92 p.84
9 US: MacWorld June 1992 p.188 UK: MacUser May 15 1992 p.89
10 US: MacWorld June 1992 p.164 UK: MacUser April 3 1992 p.86
Heros:
1 US: MacWorld July 92 p.172 UK: MacUser 15 May 92 p.84
2 US: MacWorld July 92 p.210 UK: MacUser 15 May 92 p.89
Note:
Opinions expressed are those of the author, and nothing to do with Mantis
Consultants. Don't bother suing me; if I had enough money to make it worth
your while I'd be able to afford your software.
Copyright:
This article may be freely copied and republished, but I'd appreciate it if
you'd let me know where it ends up.
Ian Catlin
catalogue...
That's what I paid at my local Applecentre...
Ian.
All my views are my own and not those of my company, wife, friends,
relations and dog.
John F. Woods
>Userland Frontier is advertised for ?189-00 in the MacWarhouse (UK)
>catalogue...
Userland Frontier is advertised for US$189.00 in the MacWarehouse (US)
catalog. Your street price is still way higher than the US street price,
though not quite (apparently) as badly as the Suggested Retail Price.
Maybe MacWarehouse is too cheap to reprint their catalog and just draws
in a pounds-sterling symbol over the top of the dollars symbol for their
UK catalogue... :-)
mathew
> Userland Frontier is advertised for ?189-00 in the MacWarhouse (UK)
> catalogue...
>
> That's what I paid at my local Applecentre...
I quote RRPs, not street prices. You want to compare that #189 UK street
price with the US street price?
mathew
Ian Catlin
>Maybe MacWarehouse is too cheap to reprint their catalog and just draws
>in a pounds-sterling symbol over the top of the dollars symbol for their
>UK catalogue... :-)
The thought had never crossed my mind! :-)
Ian Catlin
be more than MW price though. Mind you, my Applecentre usually charges
MRP...
What is the street price in the US anyway ??? (although it'll probably
make me sick... :-< )