Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can't carry neither your TV nor your desktop on the go with you like you can with your smartphone.
But just like my TV and my desktop computer, I've paid for my phone with cash. Its mine. Just like my PC, I don't owe Apple Computers any extra money in exchange for the privilege to install apps like spotify on my device. The benefit of having access to the app store is already factored into the (quite high) price I paid for my phone.
Addressing Spotify’s Claims
351–360 of 688 posts
Re: Addressing Spotify’s Claims
#352Earlier quoted context omitted.
I can also see the argument that for users that discover an app through the App store, they must pay the platform/acquisition costs. But I agree a lifetime 15% is unfair. Best case scenario is 1) Apple switches their platform monetization to a more direct model where you pay to advertise your app in the App store. This will get tricky because their "Top apps" list still serve as advertising but you can't just remove…
In this case users should also be able to install from outside sources and not be forced to use the app store.
Re: Addressing Spotify’s Claims
#353Earlier quoted context omitted.
> There's also no law against having a monopoly, Yes there is. It's called anti-trust law and a large part is about pure market share. It's also illegal to use your monopoly in a market to get advantages in that market. Most notably, you can't use your monopoly to keep your monopoly. (I.e. intel making a deal with dell where dell cannot use AMD processors)
Apple’s market share is 15%. Not quite monopoly territory.
Re: Addressing Spotify’s Claims
#354For example - as a developer I can't cancel subscriptions on a user's behalf, even if they've requested us to cancel it multiple times, nor can I refund a user's subscription, give them discounts/free months for their troubles/etc. The thing is, when a user reaches out to Apple to request a refund (since we can't do it on their behalf), and Apple denies the refund, we get the bad review.
On top of all of that, Apple does not pay out their developers until 30 days after the end of the month. That means that we can be waiting for 60(!) days before we receive revenue from an active, paid, subscription. They don't even let us know how much we will get paid for the month until a week before payments are dispatched.
Re: Addressing Spotify’s Claims
#355Earlier quoted context omitted.
Same story with phones. You are free to buy from other suppliers. But you can’t walk into a Walmart and buy milk from whole foods on their shelf’s, even if you feel that would be great for you personally because Walmart is closer but you prefer Whole Foods.
No, that is not the same story. Physical stores can be swapped out on a whim. Phones are something you change at most every couple of years (and hopefully last even longer, if you give a damn about the environment). Actually, the "Walmart is a choice" claim also only holds up if there actually are multiple stores nearby, because who is going to drive fifty miles to the next store? Food deserts are a thing. This is a…
Re: Addressing Spotify’s Claims
#356Re: Addressing Spotify’s Claims
#357Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't know how you arrive at that conclusion unless you seriously compare physical with digital distribution. Retail margins are famously low (very low single digits). The problem is that Apple and Google are exploiting their mobile content distribution oligopoly so aggressively that they are practically begging for a regulatory crackdown. I wonder why companies are getting carried away with this kind of profit des…
"I wonder why companies are getting carried away with this kind of profit destroying greed again and again. They are killing their own golden goose. " Could simply be that they dont know what the world will look like in 5 years so they might as well cash out while they can. No use playing the long game when the next big game changer could be around the corner?
Anyhow, they have so much money that even when regulation comes, their business will still be secured.
Re: Addressing Spotify’s Claims
#358Earlier quoted context omitted.
Problem is that Apple is actively trying to prevent that. They have no right to do that and are abusing the power they have in other areas to do it.
How are Apple trying to prevent people using Spotify or Netflix on smart TVs and Linux desktops?
Re: Addressing Spotify’s Claims
#359Where Apple is especially unfair in allowing others to compete is that it too has a music service and in the past was able to charge users lower than what any competitor would charge for a music streaming subscription.
So it’s the combination of 30% fee and making apps where it itself doesn’t “charge itself” 30%
Re: Addressing Spotify’s Claims
#360Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, not exactly. You're free to buy from other stores, and suppliers can sell to them. A very important distinction.
Same story with phones. You are free to buy from other suppliers. But you can’t walk into a Walmart and buy milk from whole foods on their shelf’s, even if you feel that would be great for you personally because Walmart is closer but you prefer Whole Foods.