uTorrent, a popular BitTorrent client, is gearing up to ditch its freeware revenue model and ask users to pay for the software instead.
uTorrent is a client for loading .torrent files and BitTorrent software, which is used to download and share large files online. When the client first launched, the software was minuscule, clean and easy to use. However, as BitTorrent technology surged in popularity, the list of uTorrent users also began to swell.
Now counting over 170 million users on its books, the uTorrent team had to create a revenue model which would keep the development of the client running.
Then came the bloatware, crapware and advertisements which not only annoy users but can slow down systems and tarnishes the reputation of uTorrent as clean, compact software. While these methods kept the software free -- earning the revenue that otherwise uTorrent users would have to generate via payment -- it seems this model remains unsatisfactory for the company.
Details are scarce, but it is fair to speculate that different subscription or price models would correlate to bare-bones or enhanced BitTorrent client features. Monthly, yearly or lifetime fees could be on offer, and with so many users, uTorrent has a wide pool in which to generate enough revenue to keep the company going. However, it is not known how much users will be expected for each bundle.
uTorrent is a client for loading .torrent files and BitTorrent software, which is used to download and share large files online. When the client first launched, the software was minuscule, clean and easy to use. However, as BitTorrent technology surged in popularity, the list of uTorrent users also began to swell.
Now counting over 170 million users on its books, the uTorrent team had to create a revenue model which would keep the development of the client running.
Then came the bloatware, crapware and advertisements which not only annoy users but can slow down systems and tarnishes the reputation of uTorrent as clean, compact software. While these methods kept the software free -- earning the revenue that otherwise uTorrent users would have to generate via payment -- it seems this model remains unsatisfactory for the company.
Details are scarce, but it is fair to speculate that different subscription or price models would correlate to bare-bones or enhanced BitTorrent client features. Monthly, yearly or lifetime fees could be on offer, and with so many users, uTorrent has a wide pool in which to generate enough revenue to keep the company going. However, it is not known how much users will be expected for each bundle.
