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Wolfram Alpha App Debuts with $49.99 Price Tag

Monday October 19, 2009 2:32 pm PDT by Marianne Schultz


Wolfram Alpha, the online computational knowledge engine that launched in May, now has an app available in the App Store. According to its App Store description, the app "plugs directly into Wolfram|Alpha's supercomputing cloud to deliver the unrivaled power of the Wolfram|Alpha knowledge engine to the mobile environment."

While the app still requires an internet connection to work, it includes a special keyboard to make the entry of special characters for mathematical and other functions easy. An early review by CNET describes that the app makes all output, which are provided as GIF images even when the service is accessed through Safari, show well on the iPhone's screen and that queries can be bookmarked and published via Twitter.



The app's price is what garners quite a bit of attention - it costs $49.99 [App Store] while the Wolfram Alpha site is free to use when accessed through a web browser, including Safari on the iPhone, and is most likely targeted at power users who need frequent access to the service for complex computations.
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metanoia
Posted: 30 months ago
Hopefully this can stem the tide of apps that sell for far below that they're worth... as an app developer, this is great to see :)
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MBHockey
Posted: 30 months ago
Or you could use the site for free...

:confused:
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ThunderSkunk
Posted: 30 months ago
I love wolfram alpha.

I just wish it didn't make me feel stupid every time I use it.
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websyndicate
Posted: 30 months ago
cool its only 49.99 too much
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wackymacky
Posted: 30 months ago
Pitty it's so much; it is quite a fun toy.
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BornAgainMac
Posted: 30 months ago
We are spoiled. 20 years ago, we would have easily paid that for software that did what it did.
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rhett7660
Posted: 30 months ago

We are spoiled. 20 years ago, we would have easily paid that for software that did what it did.


I agree..... Great site though!!! Leo Laport interviewed him on TWIT and to say the least, he has put a lot of time and effort into the website. Something like 5 years in the making and over 1-5 (can't remember which) million lines of mathematical lines of code.. or something along those lines..
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benspratling
Posted: 30 months ago
$50 for an app that does nothing but give you access to a free webpage?
(And one that works just fine on the iPhone?)

Geez...

Someone in marketing wrote 50 and meant cents not dollars....

Edit: I checked. Using Wolfram Alpha WEBPAGE on my iPhone to integrate x^2 while standing in line at Subway - works just fine. No app required. - Just the darn network connection.
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Harpo
Posted: 30 months ago
It does seem a little absurd, but it is also absurd that if the website required a payment, less people would complain. I suppose we're complaining about the perversity, not the price.
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icloud
Posted: 30 months ago
WTF? It's free to access using Safari but costs 50.00 to use their app (which seems to be a glorified access to the same site with some .css/html mods to make it more accessible for iPhone)?

Who's the village idiot there in charge of marketing?
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