Cannot purchase 1Password from App Store

CharlieS

I just noticed that 1Password 3.9 is on sale in the Mac App store, so I thought I would buy it to lock in a good deal. However, I was unable to complete the purchase and got an error message instead:



[quote]1Password can't be installed because Mac OS X version 10.7 or later is required[/quote]



Well, that is fine---I don't want to install the software right now. [b]I just want to buy a licence while the price is good, but the App store won't let me initiate a purchase.[/b]



I have even purchased a license for Lion---just haven't upgraded yet because I need to give the open source world a few months to catch up with bugfixes related to API shifts. When I do upgrade I would like to have a copy of 1Password waiting for me and I would like to buy it now when there is a sale occurring.



So, any way around this? Is there a way to "gift" myself the App for redemption at a later date?

Ben

Hi CharlieS,



Welcome to the forums! <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />



Unfortunately I'm not aware of a way to gift MAS licenses at this point (hopefully something Apple will implement in the future), but the work around that most of our customers have reported success with is making the purchase from a friend or family member's Lion computer using your Apple ID. The purchase is linked to your Apple ID rather than the computer it is purchased on. We'd then recommend deleting the app that MAS will automatically download as otherwise your friend/family member will be prompted for your Apple ID each time they update their MAS apps.



I realize this is not an ideal solution, but hopefully it is a workable one until Apple comes up with a better method.



Thanks!

Ben

CharlieS

[quote name='bwoodruff' timestamp='1315789600' post='47996']

Hi CharlieS,



Welcome to the forums! <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />



Unfortunately I'm not aware of a way to gift MAS licenses at this point (hopefully something Apple will implement in the future), but the work around that most of our customers have reported success with is making the purchase from a friend or family member's Lion computer using your Apple ID. The purchase is linked to your Apple ID rather than the computer it is purchased on. We'd then recommend deleting the app that MAS will automatically download as otherwise your friend/family member will be prompted for your Apple ID each time they update their MAS apps.



I realize this is not an ideal solution, but hopefully it is a workable one until Apple comes up with a better method.



Thanks!

Ben

[/quote]



Thanks for the reply Ben!



Unfortunately, this won't work for me. All my nearby Mac-using friends are still on Snow Leopard for the foreseeable future and I'm not comfortable with borrowing someone else's machine unless I can punch in my Apple ID/Password myself and make sure everything returns to normal after the transaction occurs.



I've browsed some of the other threads and it looks like the switch to App Store-only distribution has been a bit controversial (to put it mildly). In case Agile re-considers the decision here is my two cents:



When choosing a distribution method for software, the first question I would ask is "can my customers initiate a purchase quickly and easily without discrimination?". If the answer to that question is "no", I would not use the distribution service---at least not exclusively.



I think Steam is a good example of an online store that gets this right---I can open the Steam client on my Mac and buy a game that is only available for Windows. I can even buy a game that my graphics card cannot handle. Heck, I could even be sitting in a public library somewhere and go to steampowered.com and buy a game from an 8-year old PC running Internet Explorer 6.



The bottom line is that when someone is standing at the counter with a credit card ready to go, the very last thing you want is for a message box to pop up that says "Go away. We don't want your money if you are running Snow Leopard." (if a user were to have a very negative interpretation of the error I got).





That's just my thoughts on the issue---hopefully you find them helpful. I love 1Password. It is the only Application I have ever bought as a gift to give other people because I was sure they would find it indispensable as well.



If I get the time, I will file an support request with the App Store support to see if the problem can be attacked from that direction.

danco

Depends on your setup. I have an external drive with three partitions, running Leopard (to support a friend with an old machine that can't run Snow Leopard), Snow Leopard (a clone of my internal drive), and Lion. The Lion partition is for experiments, but I just booted into Lion to buy 1PW. Maybe this would work for you. If you have already bought Lion, I would expect you might want to play with it occasionally.

CharlieS

[quote name='danco' timestamp='1315814203' post='48082']

Depends on your setup. I have an external drive with three partitions, running Leopard (to support a friend with an old machine that can't run Snow Leopard), Snow Leopard (a clone of my internal drive), and Lion. The Lion partition is for experiments, but I just booted into Lion to buy 1PW. Maybe this would work for you. If you have already bought Lion, I would expect you might want to play with it occasionally.

[/quote]



That could be a workable solution. I don't want to mess with the partitions on my main drive but perhaps I could find enough space on my secondary to work in a temporary Lion install.



However, it's still a big hoop to jump through in order to give someone $20.

jgajon

[quote name='danco' timestamp='1315814203' post='48082']

Depends on your setup. I have an external drive with three partitions, running Leopard (to support a friend with an old machine that can't run Snow Leopard), Snow Leopard (a clone of my internal drive), and Lion. The Lion partition is for experiments, but I just booted into Lion to buy 1PW. Maybe this would work for you. If you have already bought Lion, I would expect you might want to play with it occasionally.

[/quote]



Is there a guide on how to install Lion on an external drive? I have a USB external drive, perhaps I could install Lion there and get 1P, but it didn't occur to me that this could be done.



Any guidelines?

Thank you!

ryy

I'm in the same situation, I was hoping I could buy it now on Snow Leopard just to get the license, then install it when I get Lion in the future.



This suggestion isn't great, but is it possible for you to remove the requirement that a user have 10.7 to buy it, but put a giant notice in the description that says "[b]this needs Lion to work[/b]"? I know you'd get complaints from people who don't read descriptions for some reason and thought it'd work on 10.6, but you'd probably also get a deluge of purchases from forward-thinking Snow Leopard users.



I hope there's some way around this... I love the program but I'm feeling a bit [censored] right now (probably unjustly, but regardless).

Also, can you share roughly how long this sale will be on for?

Ben

[quote name='ryy' timestamp='1315876394' post='48391']

I'm in the same situation, I was hoping I could buy it now on Snow Leopard just to get the license, then install it when I get Lion in the future.



This suggestion isn't great, but is it possible for you to remove the requirement that a user have 10.7 to buy it, but put a giant notice in the description that says "[b]this needs Lion to work[/b]"? I know you'd get complaints from people who don't read descriptions for some reason and thought it'd work on 10.6, but you'd probably also get a deluge of purchases from forward-thinking Snow Leopard users.



I hope there's some way around this... I love the program but I'm feeling a bit [censored] right now (probably unjustly, but regardless).

Also, can you share roughly how long this sale will be on for?

[/quote]



That would be one sure fire way to get pulled from the App Store. Quickly, I imagine. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> I don't know how long the sale will last, but Dave did promise that we could tweet at least 24 hours before the sale ends.



The best workaround I've come up with at this point is to use someone else's Lion running computer to make the purchase. That will tie the app to your account for installation later. I'm sorry I don't have a better answer at this point.



P.S. I had to censor one of the words from your post. These forums are G rated. Please keep that in mind for the future. Thank you!

ryy

Heh, that's taking G-rated to a new level, but okay, thanks for the quick reply.

Ben

[quote name='ryy' timestamp='1315879373' post='48406']

Heh, that's taking G-rated to a new level, but okay, thanks for the quick reply.

[/quote]



Sorry <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' /> We try to keep a positive atmosphere while still letting folks voice their opinions. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />



Not a problem. If there is anything else I can help with, please let me know.

ryy

Well I made another post at the end of this thread ([url="http://forum.agilebits.com/index.php?/topic/8054-pricing-concerns/"]http://forum.agilebi...icing-concerns/[/url]) that I'd appreciate a reply to when you get a chance. To elaborate a bit more (please excuse the double-threading), is 4.0 not being offered outside the App Store for a certain reason? Couldn't the same sandboxed/etc. version be offered on the site?



And couldn't you offer a 4.0 upgrade outside the store for customers with an existing license? That way new customers would have to use the MAS, but those of us that already bought it would have the option to continue being supported outside the store.

Ben

[quote name='ryy' timestamp='1315881009' post='48425']

Well I made another post at the end of this thread ([url="http://forum.agilebits.com/index.php?/topic/8054-pricing-concerns/"]http://forum.agilebi...icing-concerns/[/url]) that I'd appreciate a reply to when you get a chance. To elaborate a bit more (please excuse the double-threading), is 4.0 not being offered outside the App Store for a certain reason? Couldn't the same sandboxed/etc. version be offered on the site?



And couldn't you offer a 4.0 upgrade outside the store for customers with an existing license? That way new customers would have to use the MAS, but those of us that already bought it would have the option to continue being supported outside the store.

[/quote]



Much of the reason for going to the MAS is so that we have to do less:

Licensing issues

Server maintenance

Distribution

Affiliate programs

etc etc (insert everything except "making great software" here)

Instead, Apple will do many of these things for us. Of course we will still have to do some, due to the Windows version, but substantially less.



This enables us to do more of:

Making great software



Which at the end of the day, we would much rather spend time doing that, than the above things. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />



I hope that helps explain the rationale.



Ben

lugee

Another Snow Leopard user who is wondering:

- buying a license again though I already have one

- buying a version I can't use on my current OS (when to upgrade? not in the next 2 or 3 months)

- buying a version not possible because I need to be running the newer OS ??? Jeeez…



Dear Agile team,



I guess a lot of this pain is caused by "limitations of the current Mac App Store".

If I'm right please try to convince Appe to enhance possibilities for upgrading software previously bought outside the MAS etc. - for example offering codes in exchange for old license or something like that.



Maybe the "new situation" at Apple is the right time to raise these issues…

For now I won't upgrade and will look forward how this situation will evolve.



Thanks in advance for any further explanations or helping hints.

Realflo

Sorry, but I don't see a big problem.

If you don't have Lion installed as your main system, you have the solution with a virtual machine or a second partition.



If you don't have Lion as your standard Boot-System because of Software, that isn't Lion-comatible, it is a good idea to have a second partition to test lion with this software.

Fairwind

Same goes here, too.



Hello Ben and Agile team,





I am currently owning and using 3.8 on Snow Leopard.

Will you give us (who purchased it from you, not from MAS) a chance to upgrade to 4.0 with discounted price like the current promotion on MAS or even better price??? Hope you will... :-)A



Anyhow, the suggestion that ryy made above looks great and hope that happens before this promotion ends.

CharlieS

[quote name='Realflo' timestamp='1315950761' post='48713']

Sorry, but I don't see a big problem.

If you don't have Lion installed as your main system, you have the solution with a virtual machine or a second partition.



If you don't have Lion as your standard Boot-System because of Software, that isn't Lion-comatible, it is a good idea to have a second partition to test lion with this software.

[/quote]



It's still a big problem Realflo. Virtualbox doesn't support Lion installs---so an easy VM path is out unless the user has purchased a recent copy of commercial software like VMWare Fusion or Parallels. I spent 2 hours yesterday trying to cut a new partition loose from my secondary disk but all Disk Utility would do is spend 45 minutes analyzing and then throw an error. I might give it one more shot seeing as how the sale ends tomorrow---but I have kind of given up at this point.



The bottom line is that an online sale should be a pont-and-click operation---ten seconds tops if my credit card is on file. A situation where a customer has to spend hours setting up a virtual machine or disk partition in order to buy your software [b]is a big problem[/b].

Ben

[quote name='Fairwind' timestamp='1315953798' post='48720']

Same goes here, too.



Hello Ben and Agile team,





I am currently owning and using 3.8 on Snow Leopard.

Will you give us (who purchased it from you, not from MAS) a chance to upgrade to 4.0 with discounted price like the current promotion on MAS or even better price??? Hope you will... :-)A



Anyhow, the suggestion that ryy made above looks great and hope that happens before this promotion ends.

[/quote]



I can't comment on future sales, for obvious reasons (one of which being I don't know. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' /> ). I can say for sure though that the current promotion is a steal.

CharlieS

Just a couple of footnotes to this discussion in case anyone else is trying to install Lion without really installing Lion:

[list]

[*]I was unable to create a separate disk partition on either of my two backup drives even though there was plenty of space available. Both drives are heavily used so I believe this may be due to file fragmentation or other issues that would require the drives to be wiped before being partitioned.

[/list][list]

[*]I did manage to get a Virtual Machine running Lion by taking advantage of a 30 day trial offered by VMWare for Fusion 4---which is capable of virtualizing OS X Lion. I managed to convert the virtual hard disk to a format suitable for VirtualBox and after the application of some unholy hacks, I have a Lion VM that will run inside of VBox.

[/list]

So, for anyone looking to quickly run Lion without switching your main system over---commercial virtualization software looks like the best bet.

Mangoes

How it the free upgrade to version 4 for people who have bought 3.9 going to be done ?

Ben

[quote name='Mangoes' timestamp='1316485855' post='50498']

How it the free upgrade to version 4 for people who have bought 3.9 going to be done ?

[/quote]



When 4.0 is released to the MAS those who have bought 3.9 will get an update notification just as if it had been 3.9.1 instead of 4.0.