The App Store tax is irrelevant compared to the lack of flexibility around things like paid upgrades.
Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’
221–230 of 474 posts
Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’
#222The problem is less the fee than the lack of value being provided to developers and consumers, e.g. improved app discovery, more flexible business models for app monetization. If app stores unbundled their 30% fee into separate fees for services provided to developers, there would be internal competition among services to win developer adoption.
Market-based developer feedback would improve the services being offered by app stores. Google/Apple made a feature change and developer revenue from that feature dropped by 25%? Time to revisit the decision. At the moment, developers pay the same fee independently of the quality of the “product” they are purchasing.
Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’
#223And they should. We are fast approaching a world where all markets are walled-in by a few international companies. I've had clients of mine go under because Amazon decided to close their accounts and they depend on the platform to sell their wares. Imagine how hard it is to sell stuff online if you're barred from ebay and amazon... and there is no legal recourse to appeal those bans. Same goes for app stores, what ha…
It's really screwed up even as a consumer. E.g. for things like Uber I've taken to always rating 5 stars regardless of my experience, because even if I have something bad to say do I really want to so nonchalantly be a cog in the machine of potentially robbing someone of their livelyhood?
I think the same goes for peer reviews. If I have negative feedback for one of my colleagues, I'd rather share it with them personally instead of going through a system where it ends up in their HR file, and thus might affect their future career at the company.
Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’
#224The 30% cut would have been reasonable after all this time if the platforms were doing anything useful with the money. Instead, we got: - Store APIs that to this day are stupidly complex to get right in all cases, making you wonder why it’s so hard - No support for very common, decades-old pricing schemes like “free demo, then buy” (except through convoluted means) - Stagnant app store designs (esp. Mac, for YEARS) -…
In my opinion the 30% fee is reasonable because it provides access to Apple's user base. It's not as though they're specifically obligated to earmark that money to improve the app store itself. The things you're complaining about are valid criticisms, but I don't think the have anything to do with whether or not the fee is appropriate. In return for 30%, Apple develops and maintains a centralized software distributio…
I really doubt firms are "happy" to trade 30% of their sales for access to the iOS marketplace. They put up with it because it is literally the only way to reach ~50% of the US app marketplace.
I think OP's complaint is that it feels like Apple isn't actually maintaining "the centralized software distribution channel." Apple built something that's good enough, and is in some sense holding their users hostage.
Users would like the ability to buy apps. Developers would like to sell to them. But Apple has created a system where both parties MUST go through Apple. I think this is really key. I don't see a reason why the iOS App Store has to be the only place to buy apps other than that Apple makes more money that way.
What incentive is there for Apple to add new App Store features, improve search, etc.? They've built a system where they're the only option. It doesn't take much to see how this is bad for consumers.
Clearly Apple is providing some value through the app store and deserves a cut, but why 30%? If there was some competition Apple may be forced to lower their rate, but as it stands they can charge whatever they like. It's not a market rate, its whatever Apple can squeeze out of developers.
Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’
#225Don't get me wrong, it is bad... but it also could be worse. Amazon takes 70% of the revenue from my kindle blog subscriptions! I have more subscriptions than some really big publications too. It's nearly criminal, but it's an easy way to monetize a blog so it's better than nothing in a way.
Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’
#226Earlier quoted context omitted.
In part I think it's important to think about how to make and keep a healthy culture of labour unions. There needs to be counter balance to corporate power. Especially in blue collar sectors. I guess gig unions could be a thing? Can we build apps for worker coordination? What if there was a way for all Uber drivers to coordinate global strikes? We should be open for regulation that protect the rights of workers to un…
One of the big problems with forming a gig worker union is the same problem with gig work in general; you're disconnected with your coworkers and other firm participants. Uber can press a button in response to a strike and send out a push notification to potential scabs offering a bribe to cross the digital picket line. The strikers both don't know and can't efficiently tell who scabs are, and as such can't put press…
I'd argue that what people need is a "meta"-union with gig-specific chapters. Regardless of the type of employment, all people are human beings with needs, desires, and limitations. You could argue that government and political parties are supposed to be just that, but here we are.
Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’
#227Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Apple adds no value there Other than inventing the modern phone, writing the operating system and developer tools, running the store, manufacturing the phones people are consuming Amazon's product on and convincing people to buy them...you can argue about what's "fair," but Apple's certainly adding value.
> Other than inventing the modern phone IBM Simon, 1992. Applr popularised, they didn't invent. Ironically given the target of their 1984 ad.
The ridiculously tall screen was certainly ahead of its time.
Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’
#228Doesn't Valve take 30% from games on Steam? But they're complaining Apple taking 30% is too much? I also don't really think the Apple/Google fee is that unreasonable. Considering the resources, tools, marketplaces, tutorials, payment processing, all the other All dev stuff they provide in general. Yes if your app goes big, they make a lot of money. But for every big app there's something like 9 that fail completely (…
People keep saying Apple adds no value but bringing millions of paying customers and a trusted storefront does in fact have lots of value for most apps. This is exactly the value Steam brings on PC. Being locked down or not is a red herring to the value argument, people sell on Steam because of simple math: the millions of additional paying customers outweighs the commission Valve demands.
Valve has competitors in the PC games storefront market. On iOS, there is (for all practical reasons) no other storefront. People would be stuck on the App Store even if they were to charge something ridiculous like 50%, because there's no where else to go.
Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’
#229Earlier quoted context omitted.
Release a free app that requires a user to log in. In order to access the content in the app, the user has to log into a web browser with that account and pay directly via the developer's website. Amazon Kindle and Netflix kind of do this. With Kindle, you have to buy the books with a separate app instead of a website, and Netflix has the option to buy inside the app as well as outside.
Apple has rules against circumventing their billing system. Netflix gets to do it because the service works if you don’t have any iOS devices. I’m not sure someone like Fortnight could get away with bypassing it. If they did it would only be due to being a special case due to pull. No normal app could get away with it, you’d get pulled fast.
IIRC you're just not allowed to programmatically open a web browser; you have to tell the user to do it themselves.
Re: Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store ‘Tax’
#230Earlier quoted context omitted.
Right, and WalMart has a “monopoly” on WalMarts, but that’s not actually a monopoly. If they had a monopoly on supermarket, that would be a legal issue. Apps is the space for competition, and Apple doesn’t have a monopoly on apps, or phones. In fact you can almost always get the same apps on multiple platforms. People just want something they can’t have, so they play word games to make themselves sound righteous rath…
No, Walmart owns those stores. Phones, on the other hand, are owned by the people who purchase them. And those people who own the phones have the full right to do whatever they want with them.
Apple does not support these rights, of course. They'd be happy if you were only leasing the use of an iDevice from them.