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Apple agrees to settle potential class action suit by U.S. developers

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Re: Apple agrees to settle potential class action suit by U.S. developers

#11

Post by okamiueru »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #4
post_break wrote: post #3

I love how in their press release they say: "The terms of the agreement will help make the App Store an even better business opportunity for developers, while maintaining the safe and trusted marketplace users love." This is going to make the App Store even better! You're going to love it! (not because we did this on our own, but because we saw the writing on the wall and were forced to). I can't stand how they are b…

Well, what else are they going to do, not release a statement? If you release a statement about a legal ruling you lost, it's obviously going to be spun from whoever published it.

Not releasing a statement sounds like a good option to me. Even better would be simply not "spinning" it. I don't see what's obvious about it. Companies don't have to behave dishonestly.

Re: Apple agrees to settle potential class action suit by U.S. developers

#13

Post by routerl »

Let's be clear about this: this settlement means that Apple is offering developers less than what they believe they would be forced to provide by law. There is never any other business logic behind these settlements.

This is just another brick on the "benevolent monopoly" road.

Re: Apple agrees to settle potential class action suit by U.S. developers

#14

Post by gjsman-1000 »

I don't understand why the App Store, this small "side business" in the grand scheme of things, is something Apple is worth fighting and dying over.

It's literally, a small fraction of their revenue, and yet it grabs 80% of the bad PR and is now under investigation and proposed legislation in the US, UK, EU, Korea, and I think Australia.

If I'm Apple, shouldn't it be obvious at this point that losing the App Store monopoly is inevitable, a when instead of an if? And yet...

Re: Apple agrees to settle potential class action suit by U.S. developers

#15

Post by smoldesu »

saurik wrote: post #7

I don't understand... did anything even really change? Like, "more price points"... but that seems like a non-sequitur :/. A big change would be letting developers make it clear to users how to use alternative payment options, but Apple's press release only says via e-mail... which I guess they insist wasn't allowed before?

> did anything even really change?

Nope, that's the point of coming out in front like this and donating 100 million dollars towards keeping the status quo in place. To me, it reads as an insult to anyone who thinks their processes are democratic.

Re: Apple agrees to settle potential class action suit by U.S. developers

#16

Post by jsnell »

saurik wrote: post #7

I don't understand... did anything even really change? Like, "more price points"... but that seems like a non-sequitur :/. A big change would be letting developers make it clear to users how to use alternative payment options, but Apple's press release only says via e-mail... which I guess they insist wasn't allowed before?

> which I guess they insist wasn't allowed before?

I think they'd actually claim that it was allowed before. The press release is after all saying that all that's happening is that they're clarifying the policy, not that they are changing it.

Re: Apple agrees to settle potential class action suit by U.S. developers

#17

Post by gjsman-1000 »

smoldesu wrote: post #15
saurik wrote: post #7

I don't understand... did anything even really change? Like, "more price points"... but that seems like a non-sequitur :/. A big change would be letting developers make it clear to users how to use alternative payment options, but Apple's press release only says via e-mail... which I guess they insist wasn't allowed before?

> did anything even really change? Nope, that's the point of coming out in front like this and donating 100 million dollars towards keeping the status quo in place. To me, it reads as an insult to anyone who thinks their processes are democratic.

Apple is willing to spend $100 million because their executives are in an echo chamber.

There are investigations (and some proposed laws) in the US, EU, Australia, UK, South Korea, and others. If Apple were a regular business, it should be obvious at this point that losing the App Store is inevitable by now. A question of when, not if.

And yet Apple thinks that maybe, just maybe, they can buy their way out and have a chance to keep the status quo still. I think it's way too late for that now. We just need to sit back and wait for the lawmakers to finish the job.

Re: Apple agrees to settle potential class action suit by U.S. developers

#18

Post by cube00 »

mortenjorck wrote: post #9
saurik wrote: post #7

I don't understand... did anything even really change? Like, "more price points"... but that seems like a non-sequitur :/. A big change would be letting developers make it clear to users how to use alternative payment options, but Apple's press release only says via e-mail... which I guess they insist wasn't allowed before?

> A big change would be letting developers make it clear to users how to use alternative payment options, but Apple's press release only says via e-mail It really says something that "allowing" businesses to communicate certain information with their own customers via an independent channel was considered a concession in this settlement. I'm still wrapping my head around it.

They're not your customers, they're Apple's customers and they're granting you a limited audience with them as long as you follow the house rules.

Of course if something goes wrong and the customer gets litigious they'll be your customer then.

Re: Apple agrees to settle potential class action suit by U.S. developers

#19

Post by foota »

routerl wrote: post #13

Let's be clear about this: this settlement means that Apple is offering developers less than what they believe they would be forced to provide by law. There is never any other business logic behind these settlements. This is just another brick on the "benevolent monopoly" road.

Not necessarily, it could be they believe a lawsuit would inflict PR damage and depress their stock price, or that they feel the risk of an extremely negative outcome is too high, even if still unlikely.
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