[dendory]

Wait, 90% of users pirating it? I just don't buy it. How many iPhone users jailbreak their phones? 5%? less probably? So those few users are 90% of your user base? These numbers just don't seem right. I would bet the real reason he saw a peak of traffic is something else. He bases his conclusions on how many people click a button, which presumably loads a URL on his server. It could be something as stupid as Google having found the hidden url somehow and indexed it.

[skidooer]

I estimate 90% of the people who use my app have pirated it. That is based on server communication with the app that would not be easily duplicated by outside sources like Google crawlers. There is some margin of error: Each purchased copy is able to be installed on up to five devices, for example. But I find it to be still fairly telling.

What is more interesting is that I noticed a dramatic drop in sales when it started to be distributed on the pirate websites. I'm not quite sure what to make of that, but it does give some indication that piracy did affect me.

For what it is worth, my app appeals to the geek crowd. From the data I have been able to acquire, I would say the majority of my users, including legitimate ones, are running jailbroken devices. That may help skew the piracy rates towards the higher end.

Ultimately, I'm not worried about it. I wasn't banking my livelihood on the success of the app. It has made enough money to recoup my time investment, which is an added bonus. I do feel for the users who did pay for my app, however. I do feel that piracy has prevented me from spending more time making the product better for them. That is the real unfortunate side.

[wccrawford]

It's not 90% of iPhone owners. It's 90% of the people using his app.

In other words, 90% of his 'customer base' is people who wanted to try it for free, or didn't find it worth paying for, or wouldn't pay for it anyhow.

It's a red herring. It's making him think more people want his app than really do... At least, at the price he's asking.