[reeses]

It's that race to the bottom they mention. As they mention, they're in a relatively expensive labor market (although, as I sit here in the Bay Area, they have me thinking about a recruiting run to the UK).

They're paying for the market validation that can be eaten up by a company in a less expensive market to produce a knock-off version (or, more likely, ten knockoff versions) for that USD9.99 and enjoy boatloads of sales.

This pattern sets an expectation that, because it can run on your phone, it should cost significantly less than desktop software, even if it is more useful than a desktop version.

I'm a big fan of leverage and my father taught me the ROI model of tool selection from an early age, for everything from shoes to calculators. Unless it's completely unaffordable, the cost of a tool is irrelevant outside the context of its ability to amplify your thought and your output.