What Tweetie’s acquisition means for users
- April 12, 2010
- Technology
- Leave a Comment
Over the weekend it was announced that Twitter has bought Atebits, the company that makes the Twitter iPhone client Tweetie. Apparently, they’re going to rename the app “Twitter for iPhone” and offer it for free. (It currently costs $2.99.)
It’s likely a good move for Twitter since it gives them an official iPhone client, but it may not be the best for users. Here’s how I see it playing out:
- Twitter renames Tweetie to “Twitter for iPhone” and makes it free.
- They then make the app ad-supported, probably using Apple’s new iAd platform. This gives Twitter a greater potential for revenue than what they would otherwise get by charging a one-time fee of $2.99.
- Users balk at the new ad-supported version and give it up for lesser quality but ad-free alternatives.
Come to think of it, that’s probably a pattern we’ll see repeated over and over as advertising makes its way into a greater number of mobile apps and services.
