341–350 of 1001 posts
Imagine if Microsoft did this on PCs. a) prohibiting the installation of non-windows store software (sideloading) and b) insisting that all purchases done via apps give them a 30% cut. I think this is a ridiculous practice on the behalf of Apple.
Except Microsoft did not create and sol you the hardware?
I'm a software developer considering releasing a mobile version of my software. Is there a way to completely bypass the iOS app store and allow users to download and install iOS apps from Safari? I hear stories like this all the time and don't want to touch the App Store one bit. Can this be done with Android? Perhaps I could release for Android-only and allow the app to be downloaded with Chrome.
Android's let's you download the app from any website. No questions asked. And the app can charge you without giving Google a single dime. For example I can go to itch.io and download this game directly to my phone: https://majorariatto.itch.io/pureya
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Microsoft already does exactly this on console. When will we see the Google Stadia game streaming app on the XBOX? Does Microsoft really not take a cut of VBucks bought on the Microsoft store? This is just three big corporations fighting over their respective slices of the pie, if you think any of this is being said or done for your benefit I’m sure Epic has a plentiful supply of really tasty Koolaid for you. But no…
> Microsoft already does exactly this on console. I never thought about it like this. It could be viewed differently because the Xbox is a game console and the iphone is a general handheld computer, but perhaps it should be illegal to restrict users installing software on your device by any means they choose, though there's no reason for you to support those means.
finger crossed. Fortnite is not really the hill I have seen this battle take place. For example Apple also rejected the satirical app of a Pulitzer winning journalist (it does not make their app good but suggests that the content was probably not just a fart joke). Still, people should be able to install whatever they want on their phones, without Apple playing walled garden. It is not good for devs getting squeezed…
Given the money at stake, they are also strongly motivated to do it without paying Apple's 30% ransom
I don't think this should be regulated at all. Apple should be able to impose their rules in their systems. Let's be clear about this, if people are choosing to buy these black-box closed handheld computing devices, there are consequences that come with that choice.
I don't agree. Millions (maybe even billions) of people user their devices and the country absolutely should regulate their systems. As an extreme example imagine if Apple tomorrow said that all apps have to pay a 95% cut instead of a 30% cut and all customers have to pay $20/month to use Wifi or internet on their iPhone. Obviously this is unlikely to happen but then I would expect the govt. to intervene. If Apple wa…
If they did they did this with the app store as used by existing iphones, then that would probably cause them to get in trouble, but if they made a new app store with these policies that was only used by a new model of iphone, then while extreme, I'd think it's within their rights. It's not that long ago that feature phones with limited app selection and internet browsing as a premium feature were a thing.
For those who are arguing that Apple should allow third party developers to have their own marketplace without Apple taking a cut, should: - Ebay allow for a third party marketplace to exist without them getting a cut? -PayPal, chase, stripe allow third party developers to offer up their own payment services without the respective companies take a cut? Also by the same token, Amazon is a monopoly by taking a percenta…
Imagine if Microsoft did this on PCs. a) prohibiting the installation of non-windows store software (sideloading) and b) insisting that all purchases done via apps give them a 30% cut. I think this is a ridiculous practice on the behalf of Apple.
Even worse. Imagine if the World Wide Web was not open and you had to go through a closed WWW like AOL and websites were "under review" by the providers and would take a 30% cut of your revenues or clicks on your web app or subscription service and websites require going only through that provider. Thank goodness that wasn't the case.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Let‘s take the example of an autonomous car. Would you also argue that you have the right to run any software on it? Looking a bit further down the line toward a society with more prevalent and powerful AI there will need to be some kind of certification that the software you are running is safe. It will be almost impossible to enforce this without the help of device manufacturers who will be mandated to only run saf…
I think the line is “does this harm a human who does not consent.” Regulating autonomous vehicles? Apple being able to reject apps that steal user data? Both within reason. But rejecting simply because it lets someone pay in an alternate manner crosses a line.
The argument goes, if I'm not mistaken, that by enforcing their payment gateway, they're assuring that users aren't handing over credit card info and other PPI in an insecure manner.
Whether you buy that or not is up to you, but this is definitely a defence I've heard.
Imagine if Microsoft did this on PCs. a) prohibiting the installation of non-windows store software (sideloading) and b) insisting that all purchases done via apps give them a 30% cut. I think this is a ridiculous practice on the behalf of Apple.
The difference is that if you own an Apple device, you knew you were buying into a walled garden ecosystem. Windows was not sold that way, so for them to cut off unapproved apps would be a bait and switch.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This will cost Epic more money than it will Apple. Either company can end up dragging the legal battle on for years. In the meantime Epic's game won't be available on Apple platforms. By the time that battle is over, the game is probably not popular anymore.
Fortnite grosses hundreds of millions of dollars on the App Store [1]; every dollar spent is a cut Apple counts toward its $10B+ annual gaming revenue numbers [2]. It is not an understatement to say that Fortnite, as a single application, is responsible for single-digit percentages of Apple's gaming revenue (which, while small as a whole, is a TON of money). This move hurt Apple, full stop. It will likely cost them s…
Thanks for clarifying that framing for me.
[1] https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2002/06/12/strategy-letter-v/