The fact that video game consoles with their own OS and take a cut of developer sales up to 30%, and one of them is Microsoft, kind of disproves your point.
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Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney Calls Apple's App Store a 'Disservice to Developers'
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Maybe. But at least Apple helps them make lots of money. Sweeney just wants a cut.
Are you really not paying attention to what is happening around the world? ? Keep up that delusion…
So berates Apple and Google as monopolies because of the app stores but because Meta doesn’t restrict his businesses he considers Meta not a monopoly at all. In fact he looks at Meta as a ally. Just wow!
You ignored the first part of my post. Apple provides tremendous value to developers. They invest in the platform and keep consumers engaged. Sweeney just wants to change the logo on the store and collect some money.
Yes, really. If Apple had gone the "feature phone" route instead, that doesn't mean someone else wouldn't have come along with an iOS/Android setup and potentially left Apple in the dust or playing catch up, etc.
Besides, the iPhone wasn't a runaway hit out of the box either. Lots of other mobile OS/phone makers continued to see notable sales increases after the iPhone came out and if Apple hadn't drastically slashed prices (8GB iPhone went from $599 to $199 in about a year), who knows what would've happened.
Largely true, although software often cost a lot more (adjusting for inflation) back in the day. 30 years ago, MS Office for the Mac could run the equivalent of $1,100+ in 2022 dollars. Today, it's $150. 20% to 30% of $1,100 is still more than even 100% of $150.
Apple didn't "drastically slash prices". The consumer's upfront price went from $599 to $399 because the allowed AT&T to subsidize the phone like most other smartphones instead of paying for the whole thing upfront. Apple still got the full $599.
The iPhone turned into a runaway hit with the iPhone 4.
Seems like he just wants to make headlines so he can talk up his company's metaverse efforts.
It is not. I am 100% fine with my cut going to Apple. In the bad old days you’d be lucky to take home 30%, with cd / dvd production, marketing , warehousing and distribution, retail cut ( that was 40% alone )
Even more modern delivery - storage and payment cuts are more than I am paying now.
Sweeny just wants all Apples customers for free.
At the end of the day, Apple is tiny in comparison to Android and Windows. So, they have all right to defend and protect their platform. It’s only a matter of time before Epic has their clashes with other platforms like Facebook.
All of the prices I mentioned were AT&T subsidized (required 2 year plan) prices.
The original 8GB iPhone launched in June 2007 for $599. Less than three months later, the price was dropped to $399 and due to the uproar, Apple ended up having to give early buyers $100 Apple credit. The following year when the 8GB iPhone 3G came out, it was priced at just $199.
Again, in about a year's time, the price of an 8GB iPhone was drastically slashed from $599 to $199.
Turns out the correct answer was in between our two versions of history.
The iPhone launched at $499 (4Gb) and $599 (8 Gb) without subsidy but did require a 2 yr contract. They eliminated the 4Gb version and dropped the price of the 8GB to $399 without subsidy (and gave a $100 credit to early adopters). The iPhone 3G started $599 unlocked, $199 with subsidy.
iPhone - Wikipedia
Charts show the evolution of iPhone prices over the years and how well older phones held their value
There has been a Cambrian explosion of price points in the last few years. Analyst Horace Dediu argues that the iPhone 13 series is “the most important...
Before the App Store you bought your mobile apps through the phone company. They took easily 30% or more and offered zero support and consumer protections. Scamming was rampant, "forever" charge scams were rampant and the phone company looked the other way while threatening to turn your phone off and send you to collections for their mistakes.
The Mac App Store was meant to compete with boxed software. Software developers were lucky to take home 25% of retail after Publishing, printing, and retail markup figured in. Retail markup for boxed software was like 40% in the 00s when the app stores started. An independent software developer keeping 70% was Absolutely unheard of.
You are absolutely right, which is why I think Apple will comply, however it wouldn't surprise me if they have a different phone for that market, that is either limited or without something... I don't see them pulling out of the market to spite the regulators of that area.
But little Timmy from Epic is a douche...
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