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Actually the evidence is right here. Fortnite IS charging less. Just because it is not the full 30% markup is charging doesn't matter. The consumer is still paying less.

Spotify, e.g., charges more for service on the App Store rather than charge less elsewhere.
 
From what I can tell, that option is not being taken away from you.

That's correct for now. But many of these (usually large) developers object to having to use Apple's payment system, meaning that they want to implement their own. Which will inevitably lead to a worse user experience and far more data collection.
 
I think the evidence points to developers and publishers wanting to raise prices due to increasing development costs. That's the line that's being used for $70 retail prices for games being teased for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. I'm sure it wouldn't take Epic very long to use that same line for raising the price for Fortnite even if they did pay less for Apple's store cut, i.e., "we passed along the savings for as long as we could, but our dedication to quality and rising development costs require a new pricing structure".

Yeah of course. I can't imagine any developer is going to reduce their prices from where they are now, even if they don't have to pay Apple anything.
 
Well, they're not passing ALL the savings to the players. $9.99-30% = $6.99 not $7.99.
What, you thought Apple was the greedy one? The App Store needs some scrutiny and maybe oversight but their payment policies seem pretty fair compared to their own and comparable markets. I’d also rather deal with one payment system vs who-knows-how many if every dev suddenly had their own in-app payment program in an attempt to circumvent Apple’s percentage.
 
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That's correct for now. But many of these (usually large) developers object to having to use Apple's payment system, meaning that they want to implement their own. Which will inevitably lead to a worse user experience and far more data collection.

But it seems for now that epic has great middle ground?
 
:rolleyes: So many here defending Apple blindly. We all benefit if the current policies at Apple change to allow alternative payment systems, allowing apps like Kindle to offer the store inside the app and allowing game streaming services like Xcloud.
No we don’t. Speaking of Kindle, if you want Apple to open up their App Store why can’t I buy B&N eBooks on my Kindle? Wouldn’t we all benefit from that? Some of us aren’t blindly defending Apple we just aren’t blindly attacking them either.
 
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Apple just needs to reduce this to something more reasonable. A 30% cut when there's no "shelf space" being used is too high. I agree there needs to be some compensation, but not 30% of *every* transaction!

The 30% markup is rooted in traditional retail where a retailer needs to pre-purchase all the stock and then sell it again. That model is entirely different from digital-only transactions that cost Apple nothing up-front.
 
2. Internet > very low distribution costs, direct-to-consumer sales requiring miniscule overhead > 95% revenue straight to the creator
What legit internet marketplace passes along 95% of the revenue to the creator? YouTube? Amazon? Google? Kickstarter? Nope. Nope. Nope. People who grew up on the internet where everything is “free” seem to have no concept of value or money.
 
No we don’t. Speaking of Kindle, if you want Apple to open up their App Store why can’t I buy B&N eBooks on my Kindle? Wouldn’t we all benefit from that? Some of us aren’t blindly defending Apple we just aren’t blindly attacking them either.
lol your example is terrible. Maybe you do not remember back in 2010, apps like Kindle were able to have their stores inside the apps. Apple decided to change their policy and forced them to remove it or be kicked out of the App Store. So, yeah, we will all benefit with changes to the policies and you won't be affected. You can still continue to blindly defend Apple.

You can like the brand, but when they are wrong, you should also speak up.
 
What legit internet marketplace passes along 95% of the revenue to the creator? YouTube? Amazon? Google? Kickstarter? Nope. Nope. Nope. People who grew up on the internet where everything is “free” seem to have no concept of value or money.

Shopify starts at $30 per month plus about ~3% for credit card payments.
 
Good point but apples to oranges. Shopify is an e-commerce/payment platform it isn’t a marketplace. The App Store is that plus hosting, customer service, distribution, developer API’s, etc.


Lol. So Shopify has no customer service, API's or hosting to maintain? I would like to know about that magic.

Moreover, free apps pay nothing to the App Store, so you clearly cannot associate the 30% to those concepts. The only reason Apple can charge 30% is because they have no competition on payments, but that will hopefully end soon.
 
lol your example is terrible. Maybe you do not remember back in 2010, apps like Kindle were able to have their stores inside the apps. Apple decided to change their policy and forced them to remove it or be kicked out of the App Store. So, yeah, we will all benefit with changes to the policies and you won't be affected. You can still continue to blindly defend Apple.

You can like the brand, but when they are wrong, you should also speak up.
Why is my example terrible other than it doesn’t agree with your opinion? You’re right I don’t remember Kindle having its own store in 2010, but if so then Apple followed a precedent. Are you looking for an industry-wide shake up? Do you remember when buy and selling on the internet was true Wild West and buying anything online was risky? I do.

Yes, Apple is protecting their profits but they are also providing something to the users, a safe and low-friction shopping experience. That is a huge value to me and many others.

When I think Apple is wrong I do speak up and more importantly I don’t complain about it on forums, I vote with my wallet. I’ve passed on many of their products. As I said before, I think the App Store needs some review and possible regulation but their rates (generally) are competitive with comparable marketplaces. I think their review process and some of their policies are skewed but overall their rate structures seem fair.
 
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if they are using a payment processor like PayPal, Epic is making something like 47 cents more in the example provided in this article. PayPal takes a 53 cent cut, and the customer pays $2 less.

So no, Epic only keeps about half of the 10% difference.

But they also save that same amount of money by using Apple's system
But it seems for now that epic has great middle ground?

Seems that way, but it's pretty apparent that Epic isn't going to stop there. They obviously didn't do this for a few extra cents on an in-app purchase.
 
Lol. So Shopify has no customer service, API's or hosting to maintain? I would like to know about that magic.

Moreover, free apps pay nothing to the App Store, so you clearly cannot associate the 30% to those concepts. The only reason Apple can charge 30% is because they have no competition on payments, but that will hopefully end soon.
LOL. So Shopify provides the same services the App Store does to developers and users?

My point was business models. Shopify is strictly e-commerce it isn’t a marketplace. Much less a marketplace tied to a development environment. Apple charges a comparable rate as other online marketplaces (less than marketplaces like Amazon and Audible). You can continue to ignore that fact if you’d like but it makes any debate pretty pointless if you cherry pick your facts.

Free apps don’t “pay nothing”. The dev pays $99 a year. Are you really complaining that Apple doesn’t charge them more?! What crazy standard of fairness is getting upset at a company for giving a person who isn’t making money a price break because they they then charge a percentage to people who do make money? Apple could very well say, “well, we are charging them 30% because 30% of $0 is . . . ?”
 
Spotify, e.g., charges more for service on the App Store rather than charge less elsewhere.

Interesting double-speak. Is 5 less than 10 or is 10 more than 5.

That's correct for now. But many of these (usually large) developers object to having to use Apple's payment system, meaning that they want to implement their own. Which will inevitably lead to a worse user experience and far more data collection.

And consumers can choose to vote with their wallets. If customers don't like Epic's terms they can go somewhere else. (Where have I heard that before?)

Yeah of course. I can't imagine any developer is going to reduce their prices from where they are now, even if they don't have to pay Apple anything.
Look up the term "price elasticity". If a company can sell 100 widgets @$50, but only 25 widgets @ $100, they are better off with a lower price. Especially in the case of "in-game" purchases which have an effect marginal cost of $0. All companies are looking to maximize revenue and profit.
 
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