While we don't have payments in place yet this explains what our long term goal is. We are web app developers. We understand the problems with finding an audience for our services.
"The web has been plagued with required forms fields when signing up for websites, apps and services. While auto-fill is helpful it hasn't made the process of signing up for services any easier. Smart Bar apps provide us with a 1-click process for adding an app to your browser. When we combine this with an API for developers to integrate their "Best Offer" with subscription services we can provide a 1-click sign-up and subscription management just like you can with other software."
> The web has been plagued with required forms fields when signing up for websites, apps and services.
The solution isn't yet another standard (cue XKCD comic)—we already have OAuth, OpenID, and BrowserID for authentication.
> Smart Bar apps provide us with a 1-click process for adding an app to your browser. When we combine this with an API for developers to integrate their "Best Offer" with subscription services we can provide a 1-click sign-up and subscription management just like you can with other software
A proprietary API usable only in a new OS X-only browser? Have you approached the Mozilla Foundation?
Mozilla is putting quite a bit of effort into apps right now. "App tabs" in the browser is definitely one small step in getting a nice total ecosystem in place for developers.
FWIW, when I looked at Raven, my initial thought was "it's a browser with app tabs on the side". It's nicely designed, but doesn't seem groundbreaking to me.
I do like the Instapaper integration, though! I also like people exploring new browser ideas.
I'm not defending the ideas of raven (i don't know enough about it anyway) but OpenID etc don't solve anything for me. I don't want 'one login to rule them all'-- at least, not server-side (or the 'cloud' as we are supposed to call it these days)
but i don't get raven's USP