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Apple Could Be Forced to Open Up App Store in the UK
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The market driven way to get to "fair terms" is the ability to install from elsewhere so that Apple has to compete on terms to attract interest to their store and offering.
Not sure about you, but I'd like a competitive landscape to decide how the terms end up, much more than I'd like any particular jurisdiction to literally dictate exact business terms and pricing.
Apple could solve everything is they just moved the camera module to the other side of the phone for the UK, Australia, and Hong Kong 🤣
Agree 100%
Apple's "outrageous payment terms" are, in actuality, industry standard rates. Google, which is "open" and allows third party stores to compete: charges the exact same rates. Microsoft: charges the exact same rates. Nintendo: charges the exact same rates. Playstation: charges the exact same rates. Steam: charges the exact same rates. Amazon App Store: charged the exact same rates. The only one who doesn't, Epic, has admitted in court they're losing money at the rates they charge (which, at 12%, is pretty equivalent to the 15% virtually all apps actually pay), and are presumably only doing so to get Apple's rates lowered by courts.
If the rates are unfair, why has no one come in and undercut the Play Store on price? I mean, Android is open and allows third party stores. If the rates are as outrageous as you say, there's a lot of money to be made in getting developers to come over to a new store that charges less. Why didn't Amazon do that when they operated a store? Why did they charge the same split? You don't think Amazon is willing to charge less to make it up in volume? Maybe Walmart could open an App Store. I bet they could get a bunch of big-name developers to sign on AND get a critical mass of users. So why haven't they (or someone else) tried?
The reason it hasn't happened is the rates aren't outrageous. I understand why developers don't like paying them, but they're standard for a reason. The (in most cases) 15% up to 30% cut is needed because it's what funds payment processing, fraud protection, hosting, customer support, refunds, and developer tools.
And before someone says “Apple should just fund the App Store with iPhone profits,” using profits from one dominant product line to subsidize below-cost pricing in another is literally the kind of monopolistic behavior regulators normally crack down on as anti-competitive (because it is!). You can’t argue Apple is a monopoly on one hand, then demand they behave like one by using hardware profits to distort a separate market.
Look what happened to Google in their antitrust case. Got off with minimal fine or changes.
Apple will walk away Scot free considering Google is far worse in terms of their business practices.
An alternative exists—websites. Safari will allow you to browse any website you wish, not matter the risk or content.
Again, I find it hilarious the adult entertainment industry finds ways to make their sites work on any mobile device/browser and yet App developers pretend they’re unable to and NEED access to The App Store.
I think they should stop selling on planet earth entirely. People just don’t appreciate Apple enough. We should all be so grateful for everything Apple does. They are the sun and they swallow the moon
Or alternatively, let the market decide for itself....Oh wait.
You want to live in a world where trillion dollar companies rule over governmenta?
Ah yes, the EU would shiver for Apple to leave. Apple contributes with less than 0.2% to the EUs GDP.
The government spying on people: bad.
People given the option to install software Apple doesn't like, on hardware they bought: good.
hope that helps
Nope, and I'm sure most rational people would prefer to to either.
But the sad fact is much of the word (at least the western world) is governed by GIANT business when it comes down to it.
Politicians can't fight those who make all the money.
what huge cut? Be specific.
What monopolistic position? Be specific.
What forcing developers to agree to their terms? Be specific.
And customers are free to buy the hardware if their choice that works for them.
The market driven way is to have consumers vote with their $$$ so Apple does the needful. Not through govt regulations.
Yes. I’d like a competitive landscape where there are true competitors. Not slices of apples footprint.
Exactly . Let the market decide.
Whether you like it or not, Apple paved the way for a new digital landscape with the App Store. There was no precedent and thanks to the pace at which it grew, legislation didn't keep up (which of course Apple enjoyed the fruits of). It's only now that people are starting to look at it through the same lens as Microsoft was scrutinised under in the 90s and going "hold on a minute".
Huh? Apple invented online software sales?
Jobs was famously against the idea, which was a totally obvious addition to millions of people.
Phones are just computers, why should we not have the option of installing what we want.
dude, what happened to you? You sound sore all the time. Do you work at Epic? Maybe at Epic in UK?The UK, the EU, China, Brazil, Australia, India, Japan, Turkey, even the US...
Maybe Apple's practices are the issue?
dude, what happened to you? You sound sore all the time. Do you work at Epic? Maybe at Epic in UK?
"The only reason I can imagine someone being unhappy with Apple's business practices is ... being paid by their competition."
The problem is, having bought that hardware (that runs Apple iOS or Android), we are in a prison and CANNOT run any software of our choice from third parties.
This is quite different from buying, for example, a computer. On my iMac, I'm not restricted to buying SW that's on Apple's Mac App Store, I can and do buy and run lots of other programs that I directly download from the vendor. Occasionally MacOS reminds me that "this program is downloaded from the internet, do you want to proceed?", but it never stops me from running the program.
But everything is different for the iPhone. I'm in a prison where I can only run apps that are no Apple's iOS App Store.
This was known from day 1 of purchase. Anyone claims otherwise in 2025 is prevaricating. And of course the question always is: is government responsible for enforcing user requirements or should market forces speak.
The iPhone hardware is yours but the software isn’t. One has 2 weeks to return a device that doesn’t suit them.
And one has two weeks to return the phone and buy what fits their needs, wants and requirements.
Prison?!?! Seriously?!?!?
You bought an iPhone because you wanted an iPhone. You knew the restrictions. If somehow you didn’t, you had a no-questions asked return period. You’re not imprisoned.
Had third party access to software been important to you, you could have bought a phone that did that. And if you’ve had a change of heart all it takes is walking into a store, trading in your iPhone for an Android device. What a prison!
And, by the way, you can jailbreak you phone and run whatever you want. Apple isn’t obligated to help you, but go have at it.
But I7guy, you have not addressed my point ... when I buy a Mac I own the hardware but not the software, just like the iPhone. However on the Mac I can run what I like ... the SW does not prevent me ... but on the iPhone I cannot, I can only run what Apple dictates to me.
And if I don't like the Apple prison, the Android one isn't much better! Why aren't both more open, just like MacOS and Windows computers?
The Mac is a different entity than an iPhone, which is different than an iPod etc.
That’s the beauty of competition get to choose what works best (or as some claim, the best of the worst)