Wired:

In an open letter to Apple that published this morning, a group identifying themselves as The Developers Union wrote that “it’s been difficult for developers to earn a living by writing software” built on Apple’s existing values. The group then asked Apple to allow free trials for apps, which would give customers “the chance to experience our work for themselves, before they have to commit to making a purchase.”

Free app trials have been a sticking point over the past several years for some iOS app developers, who believe that mobile apps–especially premium ones that cost more than a few bucks and aren’t games–should mimic the experience that people have had for years with desktop apps. It’s a particularly thorny issue for app makers who don’t make subscription apps, but who still want to give potential customers a free trial of their apps.

“Fed up” may be a misleading characterization of one of this loosely formed union’s “demands” but I agree the issue of free trials is a sticking point. I try out (and therefore buy) much less software from the iOS App Store than I ever did with the old shareware model specifically because I can’t “try before I buy” iOS apps.