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Apple sort-of joins the ‘Try before you buy’ app store party

There’s something psychologically jarring about paying for apps. Even apps costing as little as £1.50 – an amount we’d happily waste on a king-size Mars bar or a small novelty item – seem expensive, let alone the mega-apps that’ll set you back a tenner or more.

While Android has a returns policy on apps, and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 will feature a trial tool of some kind, the Apple App Store has neither.

Well, until now: Apple is trialling a ‘Try Before You Buy’ section. It’s not quite what it first appears to be though; instead of giving users a free trial of certain premium apps, or instigating a refund policy a la Android, Apple is just grouping the App Store’s ‘Lite’ apps together. These are free, cut-down versions of paid-for apps, usually with lots of ad content and a horrible ‘LITE!’ banner stuck across the app icon.

So there’s no new process, no new apps here – just an easier way to find those free versions, with the hope that if you like what you see then you’ll invest in the full app.

[9to5Mac via IntoMobile]
 

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