For 99-cents I can enjoy a King Sized candy bar, five chicken nuggets, or a large sweet tea from a fast food drive-thru. I’m paying a dollar for about five minutes worth of fleeting junk food pleasure.  99-cents is the perfect price for an impulse buy, and it rarely feels like a loss because a little digging in your couch cushions or car console means another dollar is right around the corner.

Why then, do I balk at 99-cent applications? What is it about apps that turns me into a picky buyer? To put this in perspective, when I’m hungry and armed with a dollar, I don’t pore over user reviews for potato chips before I make my purchase — I simply pick a flavor.  When an app is anything more than free, I check star ratings, peruse lengthy reviews, evaluate the design and research the promised features. I put more work into getting my dollar’s worth from an app than any sane person should. More after the JUMP…