iPhone App Directory

The Abandoned list

The other day I asked what apps you wished hadn't been abandoned and there were lots of comments. I thought about it, and decided that I'd put a this list out of all the apps we think have been abandoned and see if any of the developers respond. It is a long shot, and I don't expect we'll get too much in the way of response, but who knows?
I've linked each one to the app store in case you don't know about the app. Also I've left out a few from the comments on the previous post as I know that they are in development. Apps like bleep!BOX.

It would be great to hear from any developers about their plans to revive some of these apps. Let's hope we get some takers.

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14 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:48 pm

    isn't akai synthstation basically a reskinned isyn?>

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  2. i agree with some of this list. Synth Pond and Sound yeah. I love these two for sure. I wish they would keep those up to date. I would pay again. I am crazy.

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  3. johnnyg08:36 pm

    Wow, I wouldn't have thought so many high-profile apps would've been abandonned so quickly (some of them are barely 1 year old).

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  4. Have these apps stopped working? Do they have major bugs? If they work as they are meant to work, maybe they are "done" not abandoned.

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  5. Anonymous10:07 pm

    @velocipede

    Ahh, an ounce of reason! Thank you.

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  6. kovsky10:35 pm

    The ones that dont work anymore on my itouch4g
    pocketsynth
    isyn
    hexatone
    randgrid
    noisio
    dopplerpad still works
    the others I dont own

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  7. Anon,

    I think if app's are 'done' that's fine but then maybe the devs should let users know that there won't be any more updates.

    If some of these aren't abandoned then I'd love to hear from the devs.

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  8. johnnyg010:50 pm

    @velocipede
    "Have these apps stopped working?"

    Actually yes, I do have many apps that stopped working with IOS 4 because they were never updated (Randgrid, iStylophone are 2 of them). I still keep them, hoping they will work again, or until I get another device that I will keep on IOS 3.

    So yes, in this regard, they were abandonned.

    But I can understand that, as most IOS apps were developped by a single person, and they don't want to go back to an older project just because an OS update broke their app.

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  9. Oh and MendelSynth. One of the best apps conceptually, I think. I wish more could be done with this idea. I do love it as is though. Most of my apps still work for the record. I do rather like @velocipede's perspective on abandonment though.

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  10. Brad Spitt1:30 am

    The only app i know well from the list is the ielectribe. While I would love to be able to use audio copy w/in it I can easily see it as being done. It works well and you can record and transfer files later so though it may be tedious to use as I prefer, it is a great app that works.

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  11. Anonymous1:47 am

    The issue of app abandonment ultimately comes down to the economics of the App Store.

    App sales are strongly tied to an app being either a hit or not. Revenues from apps are often minimal. Updates are a way of giving an app that's got some sales more legs before it falls off the chart.

    Updates for apps that have fallen off the chart are difficult to rationalize from a business perspective.

    It's pretty unlikely adding features or updates will transform an app with failing sales into a hit.

    Updates are typically free. So there's little hope getting more revenue from existing customers unless you add some sort of in-app-purchase features.

    So if an app is no longer a business or never was that makes it more like a hobby project.

    Hobby projects sometimes get abandoned.

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  12. Icepulse3:38 am

    I lament the neglect of WIVI Band. A real brass and reed instrument modeling app. I loved the nuanced tones from that thing.

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  13. Anonymous3:54 am

    But a hobbyproject isn't a bussiness and more dependant on motivation than economics.
    Randgrid wasnt even finished I think
    and from Pocketsynth I even couldnt find a developer or website

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  14. I agree it would be nice to know when an app will no longer be updated or developed. In fact, given that it is a closed ecosystem, it would be nice if the App Store had some policy on indicating status in the store.

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