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The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple

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Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple

#11
post #10

Apple had the opportunity to lean on the web and elected not to. With appropriate APIs, web apps can reach into devices and leverage GPU and CPU compute, multiple threads, microphone, camera, on-device storage, and more. HTML and canvas don't have to be the only UI primitives available. Both Google and Apple should be forced to fund the W3C and/or Mozilla in leading development of a cross-platform native experience.…

There are plenty of cross-platform native app development platforms.

Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple

#12
The only monopoly here is Apple’s monopoly on designing its own products. The iPhone, iOS, it’s development tools and the App Store are all Apple products, so Apple gets to decide what features they have.

It’s also not unusual for companies to make deals with third parties to include their technology and software in their products, often as optional chargeable extras. That’s all the App Store is, it’s a way to add optional features to your phone, offered by the phone manufacturer. There is nothing illegal or abusive about this.

What’s the alternative. Are you going to mandate what features Apple, or any manufacturer of devices with embedded software, can or cannot implement? Are you going to mandate by law specific features for side loading that all manufacturers have to implement in all devices containing software? What features, who gets to specify them, how will this be enforced?

So now we’re going to have governments design the software in our phones, enshrined in law?

Finally, how does this serve my interests as an iPhone user or developer? Is fragmented app stores going to make it easier to find software, make it easier for developers to connect with customers and increase software revenues? I don’t see it.

Android has had tons of app stores over the years, the public converged on the Play Store because they want to go to one place to get apps and have one company to deal with. Users like consolidation, it serves their needs.

All this does not mean I’m against any regulation. I thing there’s a reasonable case for oversight of these things and a dialogue between law makers and tech companies about how they manage their products and customer relations. That’s fine, but chopping up the market and products arbitrarily does not serve the public interest.

Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple

#13
post #2

Yes, it's a monopoly, but that doesn't mean it's bad per-se. People are freely choosing to buy iPhones and there are alternatives. If the situation on the App Store was so bad, there wouldn't be enough good apps and perhaps people would choose other devices. No one is forcing any company to publish into the App Store.

> No one is forcing any company to publish into the App Store.

If I want iOS users to use my app, where can I publish it besides the App Store?

I like the Android implementation, allow users to install third-party apps but make them manually enable the feature, complete with warnings. Users don't have to enable the feature if they want App Store curation, but the option is there.

Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple

#14
post #2

Yes, it's a monopoly, but that doesn't mean it's bad per-se. People are freely choosing to buy iPhones and there are alternatives. If the situation on the App Store was so bad, there wouldn't be enough good apps and perhaps people would choose other devices. No one is forcing any company to publish into the App Store.

Good points. In fact, I'm guessing consumers ultimately want the App Store to be a monopoly. It gives us a central place where both devs and consumer can exchange with each other. Break it up, and then you may hear people complain about how the mobile app marketplace is too fragmented (similar to how video streaming currently is).

Huh. I live in South Korea, and local Android app market is "fragmented", but approximately nobody complains, both users and developers. Local app market (owned by consortium of local mobile companies and local portals) takes less fee from developers, so developers love it. To let users use it, app developers do special promotion for the local app market, such as discount for in app purchases and special items for games, so users also love it. It is great.

Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple

#15
post #9

As a consumer, I am 100% in favor of the way run the app store. I don't want to give random apps my credit card. I don't want to have 18 accounts to keep track of. I don't want to have to call telephone support to cancel my account. I don't want malware in my apps. I don't want apps to have my email if they don't need it. I don't need another middleman for content companies license and distribute. Everything Apple is…

Well they can do all that with a 10% fee too. The author is contending that by adding those restrictions and a high 30% fee, Apple is acting like a monopoly - it's their way or the highway.

Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple

#17
post #9

As a consumer, I am 100% in favor of the way run the app store. I don't want to give random apps my credit card. I don't want to have 18 accounts to keep track of. I don't want to have to call telephone support to cancel my account. I don't want malware in my apps. I don't want apps to have my email if they don't need it. I don't need another middleman for content companies license and distribute. Everything Apple is…

South Korean local Android app market does all that, with 20% fee. Competition is in fact beneficial, both for consumers and publishers.

Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple

#18
post #9

As a consumer, I am 100% in favor of the way run the app store. I don't want to give random apps my credit card. I don't want to have 18 accounts to keep track of. I don't want to have to call telephone support to cancel my account. I don't want malware in my apps. I don't want apps to have my email if they don't need it. I don't need another middleman for content companies license and distribute. Everything Apple is…

The problem isn't how they run their store -- the problem is that they are the only store.

Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple

#19
post #17
post #9

As a consumer, I am 100% in favor of the way run the app store. I don't want to give random apps my credit card. I don't want to have 18 accounts to keep track of. I don't want to have to call telephone support to cancel my account. I don't want malware in my apps. I don't want apps to have my email if they don't need it. I don't need another middleman for content companies license and distribute. Everything Apple is…

South Korean local Android app market does all that, with 20% fee. Competition is in fact beneficial, both for consumers and publishers.

You can't have competition in a single ecosystem and have all those qualities because some consumers will be tricked into using some app store that looks legit and isn't. And as you point out, Android is a competitor and the Android stores compete with Apple's store. Just buy a different phone.

Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple

#20
post #12

The only monopoly here is Apple’s monopoly on designing its own products. The iPhone, iOS, it’s development tools and the App Store are all Apple products, so Apple gets to decide what features they have. It’s also not unusual for companies to make deals with third parties to include their technology and software in their products, often as optional chargeable extras. That’s all the App Store is, it’s a way to add op…

If the government forces a platform open and hands it over to a consortium of industry leaders, as well as associations of independent developers and open source foundations... sure why not?
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