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Netflix stops paying the ‘Apple tax’ on its $853M in annual iOS revenue

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Re: Netflix stops paying the ‘Apple tax’ on its $853M in annual iOS revenue

#381
post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You are free to make that choice. i do not believe that apple allows you to sideload apps without jailbreaking (which voids warranty iirc). Therefore, the user is not free to make that choice.

Let me be clearer. You are free to make that choice [of running software from more than one retailer] by choosing a different computing platform. Hundreds of models of Android phone are available at every price point, from super-budget to super-premium. It's important to me that I can choose a platform that has a strongly walled ecosystem because I greatly prefer the advantages of it more than I dislike the disadvant…

If Jeep started suing people for modifying their Jeep with a Tesla Drivetrain, I would object to that as well.

Or even if Jeep started adding specific "features" that attempted to make it difficult for people to modify their car.

Apple used to literally sue people for this stuff. That's immoral. And the courts shutdown those frivolous lawsuits from Apple.

It is perfectly reasonable for people to modify products that they own. If you don't like then, then feel free to not modify your product. You own it, and all.

Re: Netflix stops paying the ‘Apple tax’ on its $853M in annual iOS revenue

#383
post #380

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AgileBits are a very small private company with just one noteworthy product and fewer than 100 employees. Calling them "huge and very well known" is objectively absurd.

> Except 1Password is a huge and very well known product > AgileBits are a very small private company

The context being

>>> And if you're a smaller developer there's no way they will let you get away with what Netflix and Epic have done.

Re: Netflix stops paying the ‘Apple tax’ on its $853M in annual iOS revenue

#384
post #349
post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The cost of Apple's gatekeeping -- their review bureaucracy -- is entirely their own doing and benefits no one. That was actually the reason I ditched my Android and switched to an iPhone a few years back. After writing an app for both platforms and seeing how terrifyingly easy it was to get on the Play store ($25 and 4 hours after uploading the apk) vs Apple's more rigorous review process which took close to a mon…

> That was actually the reason I ditched my Android and switched to an iPhone a few years back. After writing an app for both platforms and seeing how terrifyingly easy it was to get on the Play store ($25 and 4 hours after uploading the apk) vs Apple's more rigorous review process which took close to a month, checked out our company's DUNS number and _actually_ tested/used the app. An optional appstore with verifica…

> An optional appstore with verifications is one (great) thing, making it mandatory is another.

Sure, and it's great that Android has side-loading and it would be nice if Apple offered that too without a Mac/Dev License and XCode. But, given the option between the two ecosystems, I continue to choose iOS.

> There are still some holdouts that don't upgrade to the newer api on purpose but that's why google is bumping the minimum api version to publish on the store soon

I've heard a similar argument 4+ years ago, this was supposed to be fixed in Lollipop: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8461466

Re: Netflix stops paying the ‘Apple tax’ on its $853M in annual iOS revenue

#385
post #384
post #349

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That was actually the reason I ditched my Android and switched to an iPhone a few years back. After writing an app for both platforms and seeing how terrifyingly easy it was to get on the Play store ($25 and 4 hours after uploading the apk) vs Apple's more rigorous review process which took close to a month, checked out our company's DUNS number and _actually_ tested/used the app. An optional appstore with verifica…

> An optional appstore with verifications is one (great) thing, making it mandatory is another. Sure, and it's great that Android has side-loading and it would be nice if Apple offered that too without a Mac/Dev License and XCode. But, given the option between the two ecosystems, I continue to choose iOS. > There are still some holdouts that don't upgrade to the newer api on purpose but that's why google is bumping t…

No, lolipop offered the new api that allowed to ask for granular permissions, but apps using the older api were still using the old permission system, and the store still allowed to publish apps using the older api (because most phone of the time weren't being updated).

Now (like right now and for the first time) google is making is impossible to publish new apps, or update to existing apps, using the older api.

That's two very different things, "X is deprecated but still there, the new Y is available for those who want it" and "X is removed now, you must use Y".

Re: Netflix stops paying the ‘Apple tax’ on its $853M in annual iOS revenue

#386
post #349

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That was actually the reason I ditched my Android and switched to an iPhone a few years back. After writing an app for both platforms and seeing how terrifyingly easy it was to get on the Play store ($25 and 4 hours after uploading the apk) vs Apple's more rigorous review process which took close to a month, checked out our company's DUNS number and _actually_ tested/used the app. An optional appstore with verifica…

Android's permissions system is still ridiculously terrible and nowhere close to as user/privacy-friendly as the system on iOS. Just look at how each OS handles e.g. location permissions.

I kind of agree, my comment was toward his about the previous version of (non granular, must allow all at install) permissions.

Though if we're being frank, just like I said about the app store quality, I believe that apple permission system is well above others, but it's still nowhere near good enough. Rule is, don't install crap on your phone thinking "the permission system will protect me from all abuse", it won't.

Re: Netflix stops paying the ‘Apple tax’ on its $853M in annual iOS revenue

#387
post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are my target customer. Willing to throw away hundreds (thousands?) of dollars on licenses and willing brag about it.

It’s not bragging. It’s career development.

I have thousands of different licenses you could purchase to put on your resume.

Re: Netflix stops paying the ‘Apple tax’ on its $853M in annual iOS revenue

#388
post #387

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not bragging. It’s career development.

I have thousands of different licenses you could purchase to put on your resume.

“licensing” is not resume building.

Paying for courses and continuous learning is.

Re: Netflix stops paying the ‘Apple tax’ on its $853M in annual iOS revenue

#389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it hard to blame anyone for leaving any store when there has been almost nothing of value added in years and things are even regressing. That 30% should have gone a lot further It's not really a market if the seller thinks there's no alternatives, and the buyer has no choice but to put up with anything. Works the other way around, too.

This misses the point. It is not equal. I choose Apple's store for one Very Big Reason over almost all other third-party services: I trust them with my financial details. I don't have to 'beg' to later cancel my subscription. I don't have to worry about my credit card being stolen. I don't have to worry about a bunch of sophomoric engineers breaking their own website and creating grief for me. I am in control with Ap…

Still, it doesn't seem reasonable for Netflix to get 30% less revenue from users who happen to be using iOS. I guess the fairest thing for Netflix to do is to charge 40% more (so they get roughly the same amount after Apple takes their 30% cut) for people who sign up through Apple. That way, customers get the choice to go through Apple or not.

  >  I don't have to worry about my credit card being stolen. 
I still think it's bizarre that you even have to authorise payment through the vendor you're buying from, rather than through your bank. This credit card-based payment system the internet accidentally foisted upon us is completely backwards.

Re: Netflix stops paying the ‘Apple tax’ on its $853M in annual iOS revenue

#390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, that’s perplexing and unusual-sounding. I’ve had updates take awhile occasionally, but I’ve never seen your issue. Could it be tied to your Apple ID in some way? Despite your dismissive last line I have to share my data. Here are my results for my currently updateable apps on residential Comcast in the Midwest from the moment “Update” is hit until “Open” appears: - Strong 117.6MB 15 seconds - Waze 100.6MB 20 sec…

different apple IDs (my wife's and mine). but... wth? there's absolutely nothing I can do about it, and apple hasn't noticed this issue with my id-level accounts (if it's just me, can I be literally the only one on the planet with this issue?) I just did an install last night of a 100meg app which took 'only' 1 minute - maybe things are improving in to 2019?

I tihnk you are on some end of a bell curve but far from the only one at their scale, I’m sure. Is it possibly device-based, i.e. you use older devices that download moderately quickly and choke on the install portion? I had an SE until last year and noted that sometimes it would take a bit to initialize the update after I hit the button, too.
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