Let me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of Tweetie. It's a superb app for using Twitter on my iPhone and I soon migrated across from Tweetdeck to the Mac desktop version thanks to it's simple, yet beautiful interface. The news that Tweetie is launching version 2.0 is very exciting especially considering the introduction of features such as draft manager or synching with the iPhone address book.

But here's the flip side. Tweetie 2.0 will cost £1.79. Now that's not a huge amount but we have to consider that the majority of Tweetie users have already paid to download the original application. Surely it's our right, as original users, to qualify for a free upgrade to the latest software isn't it? Well if that's our perception, Apple has a lot to answer for.

Apple has, for the past two years, allowed iPhone users to upgrade to subsequent versions of their iPhone software for no extra cost (iPod Touch owners have to pay for the upgrade). The chief reason for this has to be related to the perceived value of what is an incredibly expensive phone. Traditionally phone software was clunky and anything but a pleasure to use but the iPhone changed all that. By updating the software at no cost, they are able to add new features to the expensive hardware, extending the life of the product. Effectively this gives users a brand new phone every year - 2.0 introduced apps (can you believe how much love we gave the phone when all we could do was go online, via edge if you were lucky!) while 3.0 added the long awaited basic functions of cut & paste and MMS. Only when the software is limited by the hardware (eg. no video recording, slow internet connection) do users feel the necessity upgrade.

In terms of software development, this goes completely against the grain, especially in a world where new operating systems are released every couple of years by Microsoft or Apple. At least that software is discounted for upgraders. No such luck for Tweetie users.

Intially I shared the sentiments of PatrickJ as I was outraged at the thought of parting with more cash for what is 'just another Twitter app' especially considering other quality apps such as Twitterific are available for free. But then Tweetie 2.0 is being built from the ground up. And it's packed full of new features. And if Loren Brichter really is working so hard, he deserves my cash for what is, quite simply, a delighful product and a joy to use.

UPDATE: I conceded after plenty of debate and bought Tweetie 2. It's worth every penny.