Apple has damaged the perceived value of software
I'd argue that the perceived value of software is correct. As with all IP, once created the value of a <i>copy</i> is pretty much zero. It's a simple case of supply and demand, the supply is infinite so logically the price is zero.<p>The problem is not selling software (or songs, or movies or any other IP really) for too little, the problem is billing for something that is not scarce. People intuitively understand that scarce things have value and that the value depends on how scarce it is. This is why selling things for which there is an unlimited supply is an uphill battle.<p>Look at it like this: if you hire a plumber to install a toilet in your home, would you accept it if the toilet was 'free' but you had to pay a fee for every usage ? Hell no. But you'll gladly pay the plumbers hourly wage and material costs.<p>The IP industry is trying to sell toilets on a pay-per-flush basis and then acts all surprised when people don't accept this and see no ethical problems with piracy.<p>The real solution would be to find a way to charge for things that people <i>do</i> consider scarce, such as the developers/artists time. Unless we find a way to do that we are stuck with this conflict between consumers and producers of IP.