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Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

marketwatch.com

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Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#41

Post by kodablah »

bepotts wrote: post #10

Apple and Google not only created the device and funded the R & D for the features, but also created the APIs, the tools, the infrastructure, and attracted the (hundreds of millions of) users. The 30% cut they ask of developers is more than reasonable. Want to bypass that cut? Build a web app and make it play well on mobile. If you want to run it on Android and iOS devices, then I don't really see how anyone can say…

> Apple and Google not only created the device and funded the R & D for the features, but also created the APIs, the tools, the infrastructure, and attracted the (hundreds of millions of) users. The 30% cut they ask of developers is more than reasonable.

Do you believe this with regards to laptops? Laptops masquerading as tablets? Tablets? If not, why? And if it was the case with laptops, i.e. near 100% of users are on only two OS's both (and especially one) of which effectively force native apps through their channel for discovery, would you change your stance or accept that as a reasonable development/computing model for native development?

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#42

Post by [deleted] »

bepotts wrote: post #10

Apple and Google not only created the device and funded the R & D for the features, but also created the APIs, the tools, the infrastructure, and attracted the (hundreds of millions of) users. The 30% cut they ask of developers is more than reasonable. Want to bypass that cut? Build a web app and make it play well on mobile. If you want to run it on Android and iOS devices, then I don't really see how anyone can say…

[deleted]

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#43

Post by vorpalhex »

ihuman wrote: post #6

Doesn't this violate the App Store guidelines? > Section 3.1.3(b) Multiplatform Services: > Apps that operate across multiple platforms may allow users to access content, subscriptions, or features they have acquired elsewhere, including consumable items in multi-platform games, provided those items are also available as in-app purchases within the app. You must not directly or indirectly target iOS users to use a pu…

Yes, they are running a gambit that their app is critical enough that Apple won't ban them. Given how many people use Netflix on their phones (a ton), that's a safe bet. Same gamble Spotify is doing and winning.

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#44

Post by berbec »

beaner wrote: post #28
bepotts wrote: post #10

Apple and Google not only created the device and funded the R & D for the features, but also created the APIs, the tools, the infrastructure, and attracted the (hundreds of millions of) users. The 30% cut they ask of developers is more than reasonable. Want to bypass that cut? Build a web app and make it play well on mobile. If you want to run it on Android and iOS devices, then I don't really see how anyone can say…

Do you think this argument also applies to personal computers? If not, what's the difference?

I am not 100% sure and able to provide a link, but I'm almost certain the Microsoft store does this too.

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#45

Post by naravara »

bepotts wrote: post #10

Apple and Google not only created the device and funded the R & D for the features, but also created the APIs, the tools, the infrastructure, and attracted the (hundreds of millions of) users. The 30% cut they ask of developers is more than reasonable. Want to bypass that cut? Build a web app and make it play well on mobile. If you want to run it on Android and iOS devices, then I don't really see how anyone can say…

>Build a web app and make it play well on mobile.

I suspect most of the executives making these decisions not only don't even know such a thing is possible, but probably don't even understand wha the difference is.

The vast VAST majority of apps in the iOS App Store would be better served by just being websites. If those services would just focus on making decent sites for the mobile web instead of expecting all mobile visitors to download a separate app they would be much better.

The only thing that would make web apps better is ways to take advantage of the identity management and authorization stuff you can do by installing through the App Store. If Apple could just create a way to do that the mobile web would be 1000x better.

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#46

Post by bepotts »

peatmoss wrote: post #20

I miss the idea that a platform, applications, and marketplace were not a vertical stack owned by one entity. As a consumer, I’d love to buy a phone, not a content distribution straight jacket.

As a consumer, I love it.

I love that I buy an iPhone and Apple doesn't allow any non-trusted binaries to run on my phone, enforces strict style guidelines (the average app just looks better on my iPhone than Android IMO), has one place where all possible apps are, maintains a distribution channels that allows all my apps to be updated easily, and builds hardware and software that is designed to work together.

I love my iPhone because Apple is such sticklers about apps, design, and creating a consistently nice user experience. The average user doesn't care about how "open" Android is. They just want something that works.

Even if you didn't want to go the walled garden approach, who could look at how Europe treats Android and come to the conclusion that Google made the right decision by being open?

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#47

Post by sambroner »

There's two arguments: Apple/Google developed the device, support the platform, built the api, maintain the infrastructure, and market the experience.

The other is that app developers have a symbiotic, probably synergistic relationship with the phone makers. Apps are a huge part of the draw of a good platform.

My take is that until we decide that a given platform is a monopoly, we let the platforms fight for a larger market share by attracting high quality apps using this "tax" as leverage (better dev experience, larger market share, superior hardware are other tactics). Microsoft tried (and failed) to improve their platform by offering developers a larger share of the take away and hoping they'd improve the ecosystem.

My hope is the market gets more competitive so that app makers get a larger share of the profit.

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#48

Post by ballenf »

microtonal wrote: post #24
bepotts wrote: post #10

Apple and Google not only created the device and funded the R & D for the features, but also created the APIs, the tools, the infrastructure, and attracted the (hundreds of millions of) users. The 30% cut they ask of developers is more than reasonable. Want to bypass that cut? Build a web app and make it play well on mobile. If you want to run it on Android and iOS devices, then I don't really see how anyone can say…

Apple and Google not only created the device and funded the R & D for the features, but also created the APIs, the tools, the infrastructure, and attracted the (hundreds of millions of) users. The 30% cut they ask of developers is more than reasonable. Want to bypass that cut? Build a web app and make it play well on mobile. I can understand the argument that they should accept the 30% cut to be listed in and downloa…

If the whole model depends on getting the cost of the device plus a cut of everything I spend going forward, it's more like I'm renting the device than owning.

It would be users demanding this, not devs, if the cost were more like a sales tax instead of VAT (added after instead of before total).

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#49

Post by orf »

dragonwriter wrote: post #14
orf wrote: post #2

> Epic Games will be launching its hit game Fortnite for Android on its own website, and fans will only be able to download the game there, not on Google Play ... while the setting that blocks third-party installations can be disabled on Android phones. If they are talking about disabling it system wide vs disabling it for a single application, is this not pretty irresponsible? Lots of kids play Fortnite, saying "hey…

> If they are talking about disabling it system wide vs disabling it for a single application, is this not pretty irresponsible? It's not a system wide setting, it's an app-specific setting (that is, it's for the app you wish to be able to install other apps.) Setting it to “allow” for the default browser and leaving it that way is something of an issue, though.

So in this case Chrome or Firefox? Does not seem any better. In fact, way worse.

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#50

Post by jobu »

Didn't Apple change the rules about external accounts and subscriptions a couple years back? I thought you could create an app that required an external account (and external purchases) as long as there was no links to the external site from the app and no mention of subscription or external purchases within the app.

Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, and a few others have been doing it this way for a while, so I'm surprised this is news.

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