> the goal was always to get to free. Remember all the stuff from a few years ago, when the iPhone first came out, and Apple used “subscription-based accounting” for iPhone sales, because it was the only way it saw to comply with U.S. accounting regulations and also provide free software updates?

> Apple’s not trying to milk money from those customers ineligible for the free versions of these apps (although, of course, they will happily keep the money). It’s simply the fallout from Apple’s accounting guidelines that they cannot simply offer these apps free of charge to everyone.

Can anyone who knows more about accounting than myself confirm this? I find it very hard to believe that accountants dictate your pricing strategy. Accountants are there to manage your money and keep the books straight. They might advise you that offering free updates foregoes a large source of revenue, but there is no way that the way they define your products ties your hands, and stops you from legally giving away certain products.

But, I only say this because I know nothing about accounting.