Why Are iPhone Users Willing to Pay for Content?

According to Bits Blog, the best-selling computer book so far this year is “iPhone: The Missing Manual,” by David Pogue.

But the most popular edition of this book isn’t on paper or the PDF file that O’Reilly Media also sells. It is the downloadable application for the iPhone, according to Tim O’Reilly, the chief executive of O’Reilly Media.

What’s most interesting is how iPhone users are willing to spend money in ways that Web users are not.

Apple has created an environment that makes buying digital goods easy and common. With an infrastructure that supports one-click purchases of songs and videos, it was easy to add applications in the same paradigm. Paying for software, especially games, is not new to Apple customers. So when you see the iPhone manual or the Frommer’s Paris guidebook, it feels natural to click. (And of course, your credit card is already on file with Apple.)

emily | 8:19 AM | Cell Phone Apps Related Articles |
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