I was watching the WPIX channel 11 morning news yesterday before heading out to the in-laws for Thanksgiving. As usual it focused on ways to help you orgainze and plan that big Thanksgiving meal. Since iPhone and Android have consumerized the smartphone market for all; smartphone applications have garnered the attention of main stream media for most major holidays.
Well, Kurt the Cyberguy came on during the Thanksgiving Cooking Tips segment and pointed all those watching to a new application for the iPhone called KitchenPad Timer. It was all good until he said
“the problem only with it is, is they’re charging for it.”
I was really shocked and appalled at hearing this. Developers work long and hard to create applications for smartphones and should be compensated even if it’s in a minute way. Obviously, by this statement, the Cyberguy doesn’t agree. Don’t get me wrong I love free applications too, but to say that charging for an application is a problem is going to far. I may have been more inclined to agree if the application was one of those useless, cookie cutter apps out there that simply copied another developers template and was complete garbage in comparison to the original, but this was not the case. This application although one of probably a hundred timer applications took the concept further to make it more than just another “egg timer” to add to your collection. I don’t think he would feel the same if WPIX decided he must work for free since there is a proclaimed “cyberguy” on just about every local network out there. Although, he went on to state that he likes free apps it does not make up for the fact that he stated that having to pay for an application is a problem.
I’ve noticed this is a slow and growing trend in main stream. While every instance may not be exactly the same, the mere fact of incomplete or extremely personal preferences which in no way give merit to an objective review or article just should not be said in the first place. Main stream media seems to be getting a little to loose with interjecting personal opinions into what’s suppose to be factual and objective journalism. When they do this we all are liable to go away with the wrong impression of a product or event. Hopefully, main stream media will correct this as it is not what objective journalism is.
UPDATE: Thanks to Michael Lapico, the developer of KitchenPad Timer here is a proper mention of the application during the App Wrap: Cooking, Meal-Planning Apps segment by Adam Balkin on NY1. http://bit.ly/amb5Oi
Wyatt's Tech Corner 
Hello Wyatt…
First off, full disclosure… I am the developer of KitchenPad Timer. Just read your article and I couldn’t agree with you more. Well some of you out there will read this comment and say… “of course he agrees, he is the developer”, but I am also an avid “news watcher” (someone help me out with a better term… does “newsie” work?) and have seen this opinion journalism slowly take over the major news programs.
With that said, Kurt the Cyberguy expressed his “opinion” that he does not like to pay for apps, does that mean the rest of us won’t see value in it? Absolutely not! I have received a lot of email this week from users of KitchenPad Timer that love the app, and other news outlets have done a much better job at covering our application (See NY1 segment at http://bit.ly/amb5Oi).
What a lot of main stream media fails to realize is that what we do as developers are real businesses, with real people behind them. We are not a big development house, but, we employ myself along with 4 other individuals. Thats 5 people, 5 family’s that need to earn a living, pay our bills and put food on the table just like everyone else. Is there some sort of illusion out there in the main stream media that all app developers are rich or something? Maybe next time we can give the app away for free and Kurt the Cyberguy can pay our salaries.
One last point… I’m not against the “news” or its covering of all the great apps in the AppStore, any developer would agree that the exposure is great, and any developer that has had their app featured on a local or national news program knows the impact that it has on sales. I don’t want you to think I’m whining about our app getting on the news… quite the opposite. All we ask is that it is fair and factual reporting and that main stream media realize that not every app is free and there is a very good reason for that!
Anyway… thanks Wyatt for this article. I am interested to see the feedback from your readers.
Thank you Michael for your input. I did purchase the app and I like what I see so far. Very good use of graphics and the timer settings are great. Looking forward to the update. I’ve also added the video link you provided to the article.