Wolfram Alpha iPhone app is cool but overpriced

The iPhone app for Wolfram Alpha (iTunes store link) got approved by Apple surprisingly quickly, I was told in a breathless e-mail from Wolfram PR on Sunday. But the real surprise was the price: The app is $49.99.

The rationale is twisted.

"It's less than half the price of a graphing calculator, but it does more," the rep told me. By the way, "price of a graphing calculator" is a calculation that Wolfram Alpha can't compute.

For much, much less than the price of a graphing calculator, or $0.00, you can point your iPhone's Safari browser at Wolframalpha.com and have full access to the service for free. Divide by that, Wolfie.

Also, the $49.99 price doesn't get you an actual standalone graphing calculator, since the app doesn't work when it doesn't have a Web connection.

The Wolfram Alpha iPhone app makes it easier to enter calculation queries.

(Credit: Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)

Now, to be fair, the iPhone app is a much better way to use Wolfram than the Web site, for a few reasons.

The Wolfram Web site renders all answers, even text, as GIF graphics, which means that text doesn't automatically wrap, or even scale well, on the iPhone's small screen. The app fixes that, and results render nicely on the iPhone. Also, entering complex queries using numbers and symbols on the iPhone's standard keyboard is a real drag, but the Wolfram app has a special keyboard that gives fast access to the symbols you'll need if you're a heavy Wolfram user.

There are several other nice features. You can bookmark queries, e-mail them, and Twitter them. They really do make the Wolfram app very handy for frequent users, and it's those power Wolframers that the app is targeted at. If you need it, then the "price of 12 lattes from Starbucks," which I'm told is another way the team is thinking of the price, is as they might say in the halls of some physics departments, trivial.

But as they would tell you in the economics department, you're being taken for a ride.

Also, Wolfram Alpha doesn't know the price of 12 Starbucks lattes either, but it did tell me the stock price of SBUX and, to its credit, if you enter "12 lattes" as a query, you'll get all sorts of nutritional information, such as calorie content for the 12 lattes (1,654), carbohydrates (61 percent of daily recommended intake), and cholesterol (162 mg).

Just like the dozen lattes, this app is hard to swallow.

Previously: Wolfram Alpha opens API to developers.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Wait... $49.95 for what is essentially a web application that does what ther website does for free in a browser?

Uh..... Okay- here's another equation that I think they may have erred on- who will actually BUY this?

[rafe]

FYI, I corrected the price by $0.04. It's $49.99, not $49.95 as I had it before correcting. Just letting you know so you don't think you're going crazy and using a different price than is in the story now.

[Smegz]

When I first read about this app, I went to WA on Safari on my iPhone and am still scratching my head as to how this is worth to $50 convenience fee. Because that's what it is...a convenience fee since the web site is easily accessed from your phone for free.

[Splashes]

Hmmm. The term "self-limiting market" comes to mind.

Oh well. Perhaps Wolfram believes there are only 10 customers in the whole world who want the app in the first place, and those 10 will buy it no matter what. If so, it's a good pricing strategy. If not, they're nuts.

[bctexas]

I think it's a great app, ....but I'll be one of the many that will download it via installous on a jailbroken iPhone. So for the price of zero lattes, I think it's a great deal. ;)

[Splashes]

And your justification for theft is . . . ?

[Mergatroid Mania]

Take a look at the price again and you'll see his justification.

[Splashes]

That's called an excuse, the usual punk excuse for theft. Here's the definition of justify: "To demonstrate or prove to be just, right, or valid." So yes, my question was rhetorical.

[vamman]

I hope Apple and the company with the app are taking a good look at CNet right now. Not only has the editor here promoted theft but the users are as well. The attitude here is that its over priced and we will do something about it. Trouble is the only thing you can do about it is steal it or slander it because it isn't your business.

[Mystigo]

Whoa. I did not see the author suggest in any way shape or form stealing this application. He suggested it was over-priced is all. You cannot conclude from that that he is recommending theft.

In general if you feel that someone is charging too much for a product, your only moral, legal and ethical recourse is to not buy the product. Stealing it is not an acceptable alternative.

[Splashes]

I'm guessing Vanman's mention of the editor was probably in reference to this Cnet article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-10302186-250.html

Title: "Microsoft apps--only suckers pay retail"
Author: Rafe Needleman

Quotes:
"Chances are the licenses won't let you use the software the way you want, but given that enforcement on these licenses may be lax, they're certainly tempting."
"But don't get it. Because you can get three upgrade licenses all together for just $149 in the Family Pack upgrade. You think Microsoft is going to check to see if everyone using the license is related to you?"
"I can't recommend that anyone break a license agreement, but Microsoft has so many resellers I seriously doubt enforcement for the Partner program is rigorous."
"Want to play it straight and buy multiple fully licensed production versions of Microsoft products? You'll pay."
"If you ever wondered why Microsoft is such a rich company, this explains it."

[bctexas]

Justification? Sorry, I dont need one of those. ;)

[n0thng2bdone]

by taking the moral high ground and not jailbreaking your phone and stealing apps, you preserve the social order and the current concept of value... can you justify that?

[lordmorgul]

Not working offline is a complete deal breaker for a calculator app... utter garbage.

[Mergatroid Mania]

I agree. Who wants to pay time charges to use a calculator app? Who wants to use up their phone battery to use a calculator app?

I would much rather use a real graphic calculator any day. This might be good for an emergency, but for the life of me I just can't think of one.
When have we ever heard "Quick Batman, graph that on your calculator and we can save the world!', "Darn it Robbin my graphic calculator fell out of my utility belt!", "That's OK batman, I have my cell phone with Wolfram's Alpha iPhone app installed! The world is saved!".

Uh, I don't think so...

Marginally more useful and less outrageous than "I am Rich." Much of the functionality (97.66%) is available via the web-based utility/search engine and without a web connection, this app is (on the basis of this review; I haven't purchased it) just a paperweight. I think Wolfram really misunderstands the potential of the iPhone at the most fundamental level. For free (or ninety-nine CENTS), this app could go a long way to popularize the Wolfram Alpha web service and its capabilities to a vast audience. While that's happening, his programming staff could do some actual work and produce a PRO app capable of doing something useful (and cool) enough to spend some money on for whenever the web is unavailable (or available at snail pace so typical of AT&T). THAT they could sell for $4.99 or $9.99. But not in their wildest wet dreams will they ever make any revenue off this app at this price. Wolfram has always used 'outer space' pricing for Mathematica and its predictably frequent and expensive upgrades. That product, however, is stellar and a million-fold more capable. From their perspective (outer space, that is), I'm sure they have deluded themselves into thinking this app is cheap. But in the iPhone universe, a slightly enhanced native version of a web app at this price might as well be in the 'outrageous' category Apple hasn't provided (yet).

Most of the iPhone apps (even those at 99cents) are an utter waste of money as they are mini-versions of what one would get if you simply fire up your web browser. Oh.. Nevermind. Since iPhone=AT&T and the network is utter garbage, Apple people can't use the Internet with any speed whatsoever (I think there's a MAP for that). And since Dictator Jobs disallows flash and other web technologies, even if you could use the Internet, it wouldn't really work.

[Cyrn]

I wonder if they have used the Alpha to query how much does an iPhone Apps cost. :D

[HyraxX]

You can't use it in class on a test... so what is the point? However, it was very rare if ever i was allowed the use of a calculator in class.

[whabilly1]

$50 is quite a steal for an app that requires an active internet connection, and that does not provide much more than the web version... Actually there are several graphing calculator apps for the iPhone that cost 10 times less and able to provide at least 95% of the needs for a graphing calculator, eg: the 4.99$ "Math Graphing" app (http://iphone.kybervision.com/mathgraphing/) looks more useful for students than Wolfram Alpha.

[FujinSL]

The hubris of Wolfram Alpha is simply unbelievable. First a non free API and then a $50 calculator that is almost useless without an internet connection.

[firefly1000]

The app could be (marginally) useful to Wall Street parasites, and what is 49.99 to them?