You download the app and it doesn’t work
271–280 of 559 posts
Re: You download the app and it doesn’t work
#272Earlier quoted context omitted.
These things are true; and also a significant component of Apple's value proposition. An Apple customer can be sure they will: 1) Never need to learn what a "sideload" is 2) Never be exposed to Apps that havn't been vetted by a trustworthy party (in this case Apple) Apple is taking the opportunity to milk app developers, but they've done an effective job of positioning the milking process so that it is done in the us…
> An Apple customer can be sure they will: (1) Never need to learn what a "sideload" is, and (2) never be exposed to Apps that haven't been vetted by a trustworthy party. But Apple customers can be sure of that anyway--just don't sideload apps. Anything essential is going to want to be in the App Store, in order to reach customers.
> But Apple customers can be sure of that anyway--just don't sideload apps.
Well, no. At some point they'd need to know what it is to decide if they wanted it or not. At some point they'd encounter an App that isn't in the App store and have to figure out sideloading. We've got a whole heap of people commenting here today who give off a distinct "I want to bypass the App Store" vibe. User hat on, I'd rather they were forced to use it.
I don't think there is enough reflecting here on just how critical a phone is. At the extremes, the US government sometimes targets predator drones based on phone GPS. I suspect an enormous number of phones contain compromising pictures. Phones contain detailed logs of where I am, who I'm talking to, and potentially access to actual records of what was said.
I really don't want to be in a situation where 'Wowfunhappy' is executing arbitrary unknown code on a phone owned by me or my family. I don't want Google and Facebook browsing through and indexing this stuff either. Apple isn't even a good gatekeeper, but they are much better than nothing.
Re: You download the app and it doesn’t work
#273Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes because most retailers like Best Buy let manufacturers advertise that you can get products cheaper at Amazon....
Best Buy also doesn't require you to sell your software in their store if you want people to be able to use it with the laptop they bought there.
And neither does Apple. You are free to offer both in app and out of app subscriptions and charge different prices. You don’t have to sell your app in the App Store, you have to distribute it.
Re: You download the app and it doesn’t work
#274Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why though? Apple is well-aware of their worth in your sales funnel and know that customer acquisition outside of their store/devices is a lot more expensive. Nobody would be complaining if you Apple's user-base wasn't so juicy that your best option is forking over 30%. If it was easy to acquire customers outside the store it wouldn't even be an issue.
Forking over 30% isn't the best option. It's the only option. If Apple had unlisted apps that didn't show up in the store listings and required a click through from your website to get to the app's store page, I bet some developers would opt for that if it meant they didn't have to pay the 30% tax.
No, the other option is to not fork over 30%. If your app is so good that Apple needs you more than you need Apple, they’ll come to the table.
Re: You download the app and it doesn’t work
#275The most damning part of this is that you can’t sign up for Apple services in their own apps for those services.
Re: You download the app and it doesn’t work
#276Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would say that if anything Hey was hoping that Apple would reject their app specifically so they could become a cause célèbre, and ride the streisand effect, They've done a great job organizing their protest campaign. I would be extremely surprised if it wasn't planned from the beginning. They are ultimately depending on Apple caving under pressure.
It isn't clear that Hey couldn't just be a PWA like many other email services?
Do you have any statistics breaking down how frequently mobile users access email via a PWA versus a dedicated app? Also surveys on the difference in user experience?
If not, please refrain from disingenuously advancing obviously problematic ideas. It adds nothing to the conversation.
Re: You download the app and it doesn’t work
#277Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why though? Apple is well-aware of their worth in your sales funnel and know that customer acquisition outside of their store/devices is a lot more expensive. Nobody would be complaining if you Apple's user-base wasn't so juicy that your best option is forking over 30%. If it was easy to acquire customers outside the store it wouldn't even be an issue.
You've repeated this argument several times and you're starting to sound like an Apple shill. The idea that the App Store (with 2M+ apps) is a meaningful source of customer acquisition is utter horseshit. In fact it's now the opposite since Apple will sometimes place ads for competitor apps ahead of your own in search results.
I only repeat the argument so I get to hear a bunch of people’s takes on it. Once you’re deep in a thread it’s pretty much only you and the person you’re replying to.
I don’t think the App Store is the source of customer acquisition. I think being able to sell on iOS devices is the source of customer acquisition. Being able to upsell a user to your premium service right there on the device is the valuable thing that costs a premium.
Re: You download the app and it doesn’t work
#278Ordinarily I would be inclined to say that as a "private marketplace", Apple is entirely within its rights to selectively enforce rules (and whims) like this so as to maximize their profit, but surely there must be a limit when about 45% of US smartphone users (so about 36% of the population) have an iPhone [1]? At this point this is no private dark pool, but a public market place, the transactions on which affect an…
I dislike the 30% IAP cut as much as the next developer, but what is it about perceived tech monopolies that bring out the hyperbolic comparisons?
> Apple should and must be subject to the level of government regulation and oversight that governs other public market places like the NYSE and the CME.
First it's Facebook should be treated as a Public-as-in-Government Square, and now the App Store should be governed like the stock market?
I think Apple's morally in the wrong here. But the solution isn't just going to be just pulling some lofty regulation out of thin air and trying to re-apply it.
Re: You download the app and it doesn’t work
#279Legitimate question: assume I sell a service that costs $7. If I understand Apple's current restrictions I sell it for $10 on the app and for $7 on my website, correct?
If so, can I put a banner on my app that says "hey, you can buy this on my website for $7?" (without any links to the website). Just inform the user of that fact.
Re: You download the app and it doesn’t work
#280Why is Apple's revenue here even percentage-based at all? It makes zero sense. According to Apple they need this revenue cut because of the cost of keeping the platform running. If I offer a subscription in my app for 1$/month vs 10$/month what marginal expense is being incurred that apple deserves an extra $2.70 for the higher price?
This is my big problem with it too. The cost of maintaining the app store and the search is the same no matter what the app is. It should be a fixed fee. On the other hand the argument is that all the $0 apps are being subsidized by the paid apps, so they went percentage based so that the cheap apps didn't have a huge fee. It would mean the cheapest paid apps in the app store would be a lot more to absorb the fixed c…
You still have to pay $100-$300 to publish a completely free app.