My point about releasing a new app asap is that I am afraid the downloads for my current app will not last long, and I wanted to act fast based upon that. I'll wait a few more days to see if the downloads are holding. And you're right, pushing low quality apps will certainly not help.
I do have a trial version, with limited features, and I think that trying to give them the trial version for free is a good idea. But honestly, my sales have been so ridiculous that $500 for the full version does not look that bad at this stage.
Also, they claim to have a circulation of 500,000. This seems huge to me, but they are a monthly magazine so it might be possible. I am going to ask them if this number really is the circulation of their paper version, or if it also includes the visitors on their website...
EDIT: The licensing/activation system I developed for the full version would allow me to limit the time period with which I allow free activations. This means that I could make a "special" version based on the full version, which allows users to register for free for let say, two months, and then blocks the free activation process. That way, even if the app is distributed on the internet outside of my control (and it will), the number of free licenses will be limited to a two-month period (I checked, and the license agreement that the magazine offered would allow this two-month restriction).
Thanks for your time and for the advice :)