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US developers can offer non-app store purchasing, Apple still collect commission

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Re: US developers can offer non-app store purchasing, Apple still collect commission

#121
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh absolutely it is. But all app store developers are complicit in enabling that monopoly. What should happen is that all app store developers withdraw their apps until Apple sees the light. But that won't happen because every app store developer will be pitted against their competition in a race to the bottom who will accept the highest fees that Apple is going to impose and sooner or later you'll be back at that 30…

Victim blaming and expects a mass market behavior change is not good, or realistic.

If you can legitimately blame the middle of a pyramid scheme for tolerating the top, you can blame app developers for tolerating apple. Both do so at the expense of those at the bottom.

Re: US developers can offer non-app store purchasing, Apple still collect commission

#122

Am I getting this right? Say I use Stripe as my payment processor. Stripe takes 2.9% + $0.30, then Apple takes 27% so I'm at 29.9% + $0.30 being taken out of however much I charge for my app? For a $10 app, $0.30 is 3% putting the fee at 32.9%. For the privilege of paying 2.9% more, my users get to see a scary privacy message and when I bill the customer a year later for a subscription, there's a 20-30% chance that t…

[flagged]

Re: US developers can offer non-app store purchasing, Apple still collect commission

#123
post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh absolutely it is. But all app store developers are complicit in enabling that monopoly. What should happen is that all app store developers withdraw their apps until Apple sees the light. But that won't happen because every app store developer will be pitted against their competition in a race to the bottom who will accept the highest fees that Apple is going to impose and sooner or later you'll be back at that 30…

This is a weird take. It’s similar to saying workers pre unionisation and labour movements were complicit in enabling poor working conditions.

App store developers are suppliers, they don't work for Apple nor do they have to work for Apple. Technically Apple re-sells their product. But they could and should unite in order to increase their bargaining power. You see the same with every supermarket chain.

But what I think would happen is that there would be enough hold-outs from such an effort that Apple would come out on top because the players in the eco -system are more in competition with each other than that they really mind Apple. They want to pay Apple less but they want to put their competition out of business even more...

Re: US developers can offer non-app store purchasing, Apple still collect commission

#124
post #119

This is the same strategy that Apple pursued for dating apps in the Netherlands, after a court there forced them to allow third-party payments a year or two ago. Their argument is that the 15/30% is a general fee for use of their infrastructure (App Store, etc), and so they'll subtract the approximate cost of payment processing if you're handling it yourself but you'll still have to pay the rest of the fee to them. A…

What’s the egregious bit? Because Apple were so successful with their product they should have a cap on how much they capitalise?

Do you get upset at business class in airlines? Or cinema food being so expensive? Isn’t this the point of capitalism?

Re: US developers can offer non-app store purchasing, Apple still collect commission

#125

Am I getting this right? Say I use Stripe as my payment processor. Stripe takes 2.9% + $0.30, then Apple takes 27% so I'm at 29.9% + $0.30 being taken out of however much I charge for my app? For a $10 app, $0.30 is 3% putting the fee at 32.9%. For the privilege of paying 2.9% more, my users get to see a scary privacy message and when I bill the customer a year later for a subscription, there's a 20-30% chance that t…

Oh absolutely it is. But all app store developers are complicit in enabling that monopoly. What should happen is that all app store developers withdraw their apps until Apple sees the light. But that won't happen because every app store developer will be pitted against their competition in a race to the bottom who will accept the highest fees that Apple is going to impose and sooner or later you'll be back at that 30…

I suspect that after 15 years of the App Store existing most developers know the score.

And so by all means withdraw your app but the rest of us will simply continue to pay the 15/30% as we have always done.

Re: US developers can offer non-app store purchasing, Apple still collect commission

#126

Am I getting this right? Say I use Stripe as my payment processor. Stripe takes 2.9% + $0.30, then Apple takes 27% so I'm at 29.9% + $0.30 being taken out of however much I charge for my app? For a $10 app, $0.30 is 3% putting the fee at 32.9%. For the privilege of paying 2.9% more, my users get to see a scary privacy message and when I bill the customer a year later for a subscription, there's a 20-30% chance that t…

Apple need the 30% to keep the services revenue up to keep the stock price up. I have no doubt many people at Apple know this is wrong, including the people at the very top, but stock must not go down.

Re: US developers can offer non-app store purchasing, Apple still collect commission

#127
It really feels like Apple keeps making these unforced errors. While they're working to hype up their new product launch coming up, giving prominent tech journalists early access / hands-on demos to stir up some good press, they pull shit like this completely destroying any good feelings people may have about the brand.

I don't get it. Absolutely greedy and (seemingly?) short-sighted.

Re: US developers can offer non-app store purchasing, Apple still collect commission

#128
post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a weird take. It’s similar to saying workers pre unionisation and labour movements were complicit in enabling poor working conditions.

App store developers are suppliers, they don't work for Apple nor do they have to work for Apple. Technically Apple re-sells their product. But they could and should unite in order to increase their bargaining power. You see the same with every supermarket chain. But what I think would happen is that there would be enough hold-outs from such an effort that Apple would come out on top because the players in the eco -s…

There are tens of millions [1] of App Store developers you will need to coordinate.

Where you think of organising a rally or just an email campaign ?

[1] https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/19/23730302/apple-app-store-...

Re: US developers can offer non-app store purchasing, Apple still collect commission

#129
post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh absolutely it is. But all app store developers are complicit in enabling that monopoly. What should happen is that all app store developers withdraw their apps until Apple sees the light. But that won't happen because every app store developer will be pitted against their competition in a race to the bottom who will accept the highest fees that Apple is going to impose and sooner or later you'll be back at that 30…

This is a weird take. It’s similar to saying workers pre unionisation and labour movements were complicit in enabling poor working conditions.

They were. You teach people how to treat you. If you congratulate people for working to improve their conditions you have to say they had a hand in the bad conditions before.

Re: US developers can offer non-app store purchasing, Apple still collect commission

#130

Am I getting this right? Say I use Stripe as my payment processor. Stripe takes 2.9% + $0.30, then Apple takes 27% so I'm at 29.9% + $0.30 being taken out of however much I charge for my app? For a $10 app, $0.30 is 3% putting the fee at 32.9%. For the privilege of paying 2.9% more, my users get to see a scary privacy message and when I bill the customer a year later for a subscription, there's a 20-30% chance that t…

How can the “second most popular phone” have a monopoly?
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