# App Store's most expensive App: LionClock Plus - $80.00



## uPhone (Jun 29, 2008)

Has anyone seen this new app called LionClock Plus? 

I believe this is the most expensive App. What is it? It's a stopwatch utility, basically. It has a start and stop button for small business owners (for example, web site designers) to record the amount of time the spend on a project, and the app will automatically calculate (with simple multiplication  ) how much to bill based on a preset per-hour rate.

I think we have a winner for least-valuable app for the most amount of money!


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## kubes (May 6, 2008)

I'm pretty sure I saw some medical app around $114 - for keeping patient data and such..but still haha


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

Isn't the light management app (for professional productions) $99. Might not be listed in the store yet but I saw an announcement for it yesterday on Macworld.


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## kubes (May 6, 2008)

iChart EMR - $139.99


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## davens (Jul 14, 2008)

actually I think that award goes to MyAccountsToGo SAP BusinessOne (and Dynamics GP) weighing in at $449.99 each... though they have a free version as well...I imagine it makes sense for companies that use this type of thing.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

Yeah, seriously... a timer for $80?? Wow.. just wow.


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## uPhone (Jun 29, 2008)

kubes said:


> iChart EMR - $139.99


Wow! It's hard to justify that price when so many apps are free/$0.99-$9.99


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

uPhone said:


> Wow! It's hard to justify that price when so many apps are free/$0.99-$9.99


Not at all. It's not for general public use, it's highly specialised stuff for the medical profession. It's not at all unusual for "professional" apps to cost 10x what a "consumer" app might cost, because it's not intended for a wide audience.

Example: GraphicConverter is $40 shareware, Photoshop is $600, but from a consumer's POV, GC does 80% of what PS does.


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## MomentsofSanity (Jul 9, 2008)

And I believe the most expensive App is MyAccountsToGo at $449.99!


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## kgirl24 (Jul 30, 2008)

kubes said:


> I'm pretty sure I saw some medical app around $114 - for keeping patient data and such..but still haha


Why would that be laughable? That program probably took a ton of time to make, is probably quite professional and complex etc and would you want your doctor keeping your patient data on a program that cost say, $9.99? I doubt it...


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## kubes (May 6, 2008)

kgirl24 said:


> Why would that be laughable? That program probably took a ton of time to make, is probably quite professional and complex etc and would you want your doctor keeping your patient data on a program that cost say, $9.99? I doubt it...


Right, that may be the intention, but it's still a gimmick. That program isn't compatible with the centralised patient databases that hospitals and some general practitioner networks are using (like the one that my family doc is part of). If he was keeping his record on an iPhone, I'd probably smack him. So yes, I laugh


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## CaptainCode (Jun 4, 2006)

kgirl24 said:


> Why would that be laughable? That program probably took a ton of time to make, is probably quite professional and complex etc and would you want your doctor keeping your patient data on a program that cost say, $9.99? I doubt it...


That's also a bit of a problem with the App Store. Mixing professional apps with free and cheap consumer apps and then having all the whiners rating it 1 star because "zomg $500!!!"


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## kgirl24 (Jul 30, 2008)

kubes said:


> Right, that may be the intention, but it's still a gimmick. That program isn't compatible with the centralised patient databases that hospitals and some general practitioner networks are using (like the one that my family doc is part of). If he was keeping his record on an iPhone, I'd probably smack him. So yes, I laugh


I am not a doctor yet so I obviously don't have a completely informed opinion lol but I definitely think its unfair for people to score it low etc on the app store because of the price alone when they are not physicians and don't completely understand the software or have the ability to appreciate what its valuable for.
I know that a lot of doctors were waiting for ePocrates on the iPhone, which is just a reference.. so this must be an exciting piece of software to some medical professionals out there.


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## used to be jwoodget (Aug 22, 2002)

kubes said:


> Right, that may be the intention, but it's still a gimmick. That program isn't compatible with the centralised patient databases that hospitals and some general practitioner networks are using (like the one that my family doc is part of). If he was keeping his record on an iPhone, I'd probably smack him. So yes, I laugh


Why is it a gimmick? The iPhone is a platform. There are hand-held versions of expensive, vertically integrated programs for a variety of content management applications, inventory control, contact listings, etc. The iPhone is a rich data environment that can suck data from secure servers and databases. If you don't think electronic health records are going to be a huge element of medicine in the next few years, you might want to stick to using the iPhone for games. Apple doesn't really care as it is marketing the phone to anyone. But the company is also targeting it to corporations like Genentech which issues it to their researchers for data collection.

There are also many EHR systems used by medical practices, some Mac based. The problem is that they are fairly non-interoperable and tend to be insular. That will change too. In a decade your cell phone will contain your entire genome as well as your likelihood of adverse reactions to medications you have yet to encounter.

There is little money to be made in traditional cell phones. The big money is in data and applications and healthcare is one of the largest industries in this (and most other) countries (consuming 42% of most provincial budgets).


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## MacGYVER (Apr 15, 2005)

used to be jwoodget said:


> Why is it a gimmick? The iPhone is a platform. There are hand-held versions of expensive, vertically integrated programs for a variety of content management applications, inventory control, contact listings, etc. The iPhone is a rich data environment that can suck data from secure servers and databases. If you don't think electronic health records are going to be a huge element of medicine in the next few years, you might want to stick to using the iPhone for games. Apple doesn't really care as it is marketing the phone to anyone. But the company is also targeting it to corporations like Genentech which issues it to their researchers for data collection.
> 
> There are also many EHR systems used by medical practices, some Mac based. The problem is that they are fairly non-interoperable and tend to be insular. That will change too. In a decade your cell phone will contain your entire genome as well as your likelihood of adverse reactions to medications you have yet to encounter.
> 
> There is little money to be made in traditional cell phones. The big money is in data and applications and healthcare is one of the largest industries in this (and most other) countries (consuming 42% of most provincial budgets).


Right on! :clap: 

Just wait until we see some specific science programs out there as well. I've said it before, the iPhone is and will not be just a phone, it's a device that will depend heavily and probably only on the software that runs it and what can run on it. 

Man the Japanese figured this out years and years ago for their cell phones. We are only seeing the beginning of a whole new way of using our personal information in a digital format and age. 

Just imagine, making hotel reservations on your iPhone, buying concert tickets, movie tickets, using it while boarding an airplane with e-tickets, and the list could go on and on. One day we will be using our devices to pay for groceries instead of debit cards. Just swipe your phone and go


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## JSvo (Nov 12, 2007)

kgirl24 said:


> I am not a doctor yet...


OT: Are you on the way to becoming one?


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## kgirl24 (Jul 30, 2008)

JSvo said:


> OT: Are you on the way to becoming one?


Yes I am  and I LOVE the Netters Anatomy app!!


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## james_squared (May 3, 2002)

My favourite apps are the tip calculators! I guess the regular calculator isn't as easy to use as it doesn't have that fancy % key.

James


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## darrenlovesmac (Apr 29, 2008)

To agree with KGirl, the medical app is worth the price. I have seen similar apps for palm and WM, and this price is within the normal range. Keep in mind these applications are to keep patient data, and then sync it with whatever computer the individual is using. No, the application will NOT sync with the main hospital system, and thank God for that! Most hospitals have archaic or cumbersome computer systems, so a doctor who utilizes something better/more organized, I applaud you! 

Typically the medical application will be the equivalent of the patient demographic data with perhaps the diagnosis added. I have seen doctors carry around a copy of the patient's addressograph card, but this is a much better and much more secure method (assuming a password protection feature is included). 

Finally, consider residents, or doctors in training, need to keep track of the types of patient's they have cared for, skills they have done and so one. These things are counted towards their graduation. I would like my doctor to have an accurate count of what he/she has done and what she/he needs to complete. 

I would not slap my doctor for using an iPhone. I would congratulate her and welcome her to the civilized world!

Darren

BTW, having now looked at the application in more detail, and going to the website of the manufacturer, I believe this program is, on the surface, well worth it. As well, the program is geared towards the American healthcare environment and as such, meets US privacy requirements as well as assisting with one of the hardest and most painful parts of healthcare - that is the application of billing codes. This feature alone is worth the price as far as I am concerned!


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## kgirl24 (Jul 30, 2008)

Lots of doctors don't work at hospitals, also. My family doctors office has some sort of computer system, and probably in a lot of cases docs can pick and choose how they keep track of patient data


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## neufelni (Sep 17, 2007)

I think this app here is the winner. Probably also the most pointless App.

I Am Rich


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## mykal (Aug 6, 2008)

neufelni said:


> I think this app here is the winner. Probably also the most pointless App.
> 
> I Am Rich


Just stumbled on this app...it is pretty pointless. However, it just takes one buy to make this app pure genius. Wish I thought of it


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## Iqueld (Jul 5, 2008)

And to think that all these expensive apps are just a couple of kb-mb s big....


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## planders (Jun 24, 2005)

Iqueld said:


> And to think that all these expensive apps are just a couple of kb-mb s big....


It's not the size of the app, it's the capability/complexity vs. size of the target market that determines the price. I'm a theatre tech guy and that $99 Luminair app was a dream come true. Even combined with the $249 Art-Net node I needed to make it work, this will save so much time for me that the cost will be justified in a month.

The iPhone/iPod touch is an amazingly powerful platform for apps that go well beyond the capabilities of apps for other phones/Palm OS/Windows Mobile, and we shouldn't be surprised to see expensive specialized apps in the store. After all, that's the only available distribution method if you want to reach more than 100 users.


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