Japan Passes Law to Allow Third-Party App Stores on the iPhone

[icanhazmac]

It’s not a big problem - but desirable competition.

That is your opinion. My opinion is that it is a big problem and it impacts the store experience that I bought into and prefer. If the "one stop shop" is legislated into extinction, those that prefer it have no other options.

It never ceases to amaze me that the pro alt-store crowd never acknowledges that some of us simply prefer what we bought into and want it to remain as is. Folks that want alt-store freedoms have other options in Android, we do not. Why buy a Honda when you want a Toyota? The pro alt-store crowd preaches choice but have no problem taking our choice away, and yes, if an app I own now moves to Epic exclusively the only "choice" I have is to abandon it or join another store, that isn't choice in my book. Alt-stores will only hoover up my personal info so it can be harvested and sold along with my payment info so they can in turn experience a "breach"... fun times!

Do I like everything Apple does, no, but I weighed my options and bought into the ecosystem that provided the best experience for me.

 

[seek3r]

Rocket League Sideswipe is being removed from the Play Store next week

With the launch of the Epic Games Store on Android, it’s been announced that Rocket League Sideswipe will be removed...

9to5google.com

Well, it seems that I called it. Most of you above said I was incorrect, being hyperbolic, etc. by claiming that the likes of Epic, Steam, Amazon, Meta, etc would offer exclusive deals but here is an app leaving the Google Play Store for Epic. This is the beginning I was talking about. Please stop claiming that alt-stores aren't going to cause fragmentation.

If epic has as much “success” against the play store as they’ve had against steam it wont last that long. The only reason anyone’s using it at all on a computer is the free games they’ve been making available, and that’s not sustainable

For most apps this isnt gonna happen

 

[Shirasaki]

That is your opinion. My opinion is that it is a big problem and it impacts the store experience that I bought into and prefer. If the "one stop shop" is legislated into extinction, those that prefer it have no other options.

Then my opinion is I like competition and love to see Apple being forced to compete with other app stores on service, App Library, app quality etc etc, all within iOS. I preferred lots of things that went into extinction at many points of my life. This “one stop shop“ will be no exception, I mean, in terms of the chance to “go extinct”.

It never ceases to amaze me that the pro alt-store crowd never acknowledges that some simply prefer what we bought into and want it to remain as is.

So yeah, pro alt-store and anti alt-store. Nothing out of ordinary. Borrowing the same argument, us pro alt-store crowd can also say we had no option prior to this EU change thus we demand that option. Change Is the only thing that will never change. Status quo won’t last forever.

 

[icanhazmac]

For most apps this isnt gonna happen

First it was "this will never happen"

Now it is "for most apps, isn't gonna happen"

Keep moving those goalposts.

us pro alt-store crowd can also say we had no option prior to this EU change

But you did have an alt-store choice in the Android ecosystem.

 

[Shirasaki]

First it was "this will never happen"

Now it is "for most apps, isn't gonna happen"

Keep moving those goalposts.



But you did have an alt-store choice in the Android ecosystem.

I say it again: pro alt-store folks want it in iOS. Whether android has it or not is irrelevant for those people.

As for “apps fleeing App Store”, it will happen here and there, and eventually it will stabilise, just like Google Play Store.

 

[AppliedMicro]

It never ceases to amaze me that the pro alt-store crowd never acknowledges that some of us simply prefer what we bought into and want it to remain as is

…which you can.

You can limit your app purchases to Apple‘s Store.
May you lose access to certain apps that withdraw?
Yes - just as I couldn’t get them in the first place, because Apple rejected them or made them nonviable.

Look, as I said above (and somewhere else):
I don‘t even have a large problem with a single App Store.
If Apple only hadn’t been and aren’t so greedy jerks about.

Offer fair commissions, allow Spotify and others to put offers in the apps they created - and allow them the same payment options as I can use when buying a music CD. And don’t discriminate against apps that can run code.

Again, if Apple offered competitive commissions on top of that, developers would be more than happy to continue offering In-app purchases through Apple.

The pro alt-store crowd preaches choice but have no problem taking our choice away

More choice isn’t taking away choice.

 

[icanhazmac]

I say it again: pro alt-store folks want it in iOS.

I say it again: Pro alt-store folks foolishly bought into an ecosystem that didn't provide something they wanted when another ecosystem did. Who's fault is that?

I say it again: Anti alt-store folks have no other option. The one stop shop might be legislated into existence but that isn't a good thing for choice. If you truly support choice then you shouldn't be supporting the demise of an alternate choice.

May you lose access to certain apps that withdraw?
Yes - just as I couldn’t get them in the first place, because Apple rejected them or made them nonviable.

You could get them, just on a different ecosystem.

More choice isn’t taking away choice.

Yes it is.

Right now I have a choice to buy into Apple's unique, one stop shop, ecosystem. If that is legislated away, what is my choice? My only "choice", if you can call it a choice, is have my preferred ecosystem completely upended and turned into something I didn't want. That isn't choice. That is buying a Chevy because you prefer their motor and then having the government dictate it must get a Ford motor next time you service it.

I have said this a million times, this is not regulation territory, this is free market territory. If Apple was so oppressive they wouldn't have the user base they do, obviously they are doing something right. If they go too far they will lose market share and need to adjust or suffer. IMHO forcing the matter, via legislation, is not the right way to go about this.

 

[AppliedMicro]

Pro alt-store folks foolishly bought into an ecosystem that didn't provide something they wanted when another ecosystem did. Who's fault is that?

It was’t foolish at all.
It was a choice of evil (Apple) in face of a lack of attractive alternative options.

If you truly support choice then you shouldn't be supporting the demise of an alternate choice.

Your choice remains (to but everything through Apple).
And others gain choices by buying elsewhere - or things Apple doesn’t allow.

We’ve seen the positive effects of more choice already, with Apple softening their stance on emulators and game streaming apps.

You could get them, just on a different ecosystem.

…which I chose not to buy into, for other, unrelated reasons.

Right now I have a choice to buy into Apple's unique, one stop shop, ecosystem.

You still can.

If that is legislated away, what is my choice?

If there’s one store you like to shop, the opening of a second or third store nearby doesn’t take away your choice to shop in your one preferred store.

It especially isn’t “legislated“ away. Cause no law forces you to buy from other shops.

 

[icanhazmac]

You still can.

If there’s one store you like to shop, the opening of a second or third store nearby doesn’t take away your choice to shop in your one preferred store.

This is getting maddening.

What don't you understand about this scenario:

I currently own app X, which I purchased through the Apple app store.
App X gets paid by Epic to move to their store exclusively.
My "choice" as you describe it, is to either:

1. Abandon something I already own, as I will not get updates without signing up with Epic.
2. I am forced to provide my personal information and payment info to Epic, a company I don't want to deal with.

Those choices both suck as far as I am concerned. They aren't real choices, they are like being offered the choice between two different poisons. I want an Apple but you offer me an orange or a grape and then have the audacity to tell me they are both Apples.

One cannot argue that the Mac App Store is nearly useless, in that world I have no choice but to shop at other stores. If alt-stores are forced upon iOS then the Apple iOS store soon looks like the Apple Mac store.

You keep acting like apps won't move, they can, they have and they will continue to do so. This all means the choice of a one stop shop is gone.

 

[seek3r]

First it was "this will never happen"

Now it is "for most apps, isn't gonna happen"

Keep moving those goalposts.

Not sure who you’re thinking of, but I’ve never said “this will never happen”…

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Rocket League Sideswipe is being removed from the Play Store next week

With the launch of the Epic Games Store on Android, it’s been announced that Rocket League Sideswipe will be removed...

9to5google.com

Well, it seems that I called it. Most of you above said I was incorrect, being hyperbolic, etc. by claiming that the likes of Epic, Steam, Amazon, Meta, etc would offer exclusive deals but here is an app leaving the Google Play Store for Epic. This is the beginning I was talking about. Please stop claiming that alt-stores aren't going to cause fragmentation.

Hasn't the Epic Games Store been a monumental failure on PC? Wouldn't surprise me if it gains zero traction on Android.

Anyways, let me know when Amazon, Meta, etc do what your premonition suggests. Tim Sweeney is an outlier, doing everything he can to keep the spotlight

 

[AppliedMicro]

Hasn't the Epic Games Store been a monumental failure on PC? Wouldn't surprise me if it gains zero traction on Android.

At a monthly active users at 75 million and almost a billion USD in revenue, it surely could be bigger - but I wouldn’t call it monumental a failure.

 

[cicalinarrot]

Well, it seems that I called it. Most of you above said I was incorrect, being hyperbolic, etc. by claiming that the likes of Epic, Steam, Amazon, Meta, etc would offer exclusive deals but here is an app leaving the Google Play Store for Epic. This is the beginning I was talking about. Please stop claiming that alt-stores aren't going to cause fragmentation.

Not sure what I said but... yes, there will be fragmentation and it won't be a problem, just like it isn't on Mac.
The worst thing I lived in that sense is Steam-Epic's fight. And it was only bad because I had to launch Epic's app to launch their game, which won't happen on iOS.

 

[MilaM]

Well, it seems that I called it. Most of you above said I was incorrect, being hyperbolic, etc. by claiming that the likes of Epic, Steam, Amazon, Meta, etc would offer exclusive deals but here is an app leaving the Google Play Store for Epic. This is the beginning I was talking about. Please stop claiming that alt-stores aren't going to cause fragmentation.

If Apple managed the App Store as a cost center, and not a profit center, this "fragmentation" would have never happened. You can blame Apple's management for this.

App publishers don't owe you anything. They can choose what is best for them.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

At a monthly active users at 75 million and almost a billion USD in revenue, it surely could be bigger - but I wouldn’t call it monumental a failure.

Ah, excuse me, I got mixed up with that report about Sweeney admitting that giving away games to draw in users didn't work out as expected.

 

[I7guy]

If Apple managed the App Store as a cost center, and not a profit center, this "fragmentation" would have never happened. You can blame Apple's management for this.

App publishers don't owe you anything. They can choose what is best for them.

App publishers have multiple distribution points also.

 

[Aoligei]

Rocket League Sideswipe is being removed from the Play Store next week

With the launch of the Epic Games Store on Android, it’s been announced that Rocket League Sideswipe will be removed...

9to5google.com

Well, it seems that I called it. Most of you above said I was incorrect, being hyperbolic, etc. by claiming that the likes of Epic, Steam, Amazon, Meta, etc would offer exclusive deals but here is an app leaving the Google Play Store for Epic. This is the beginning I was talking about. Please stop claiming that alt-stores aren't going to cause fragmentation.

Which is fine I suppose. More competition, at expense of fragmentation is okay.

I still don't think this is going to be a big problem. You won't end up with thousands of app store. Also I suppose Apple should allow actual sideload, where I can install .ipa file directly. This will undoubtedly solve fragmentation issue.

 

[jlc1978]

Which is fine I suppose. More competition, at expense of fragmentation is okay.

I still don't think this is going to be a big problem. You won't end up with thousands of app store. Also I suppose Apple should allow actual sideload, where I can install .ipa file directly. This will undoubtedly solve fragmentation issue.

Yea, but it's likely to cause piracy issues with developers needing to find ways you can't just load an iPad and it runs. Apple could do that for them but I suspect they'll want to be paid to do it; or developers incorporate some sore of key/license setup to stop casual piracy.

 

[frownface]

being japan, i can imagine this being a gateway for some uh cultured content to be distributed.

I best pick up a JDM iphone next time i'm over there

 

[Aoligei]

Yea, but it's likely to cause piracy issues with developers needing to find ways you can't just load an iPad and it runs. Apple could do that for them but I suspect they'll want to be paid to do it; or developers incorporate some sore of key/license setup to stop casual piracy.

Right now, the vaste majority of apps are following freeimum model anyway. It is hard to priate subscriptions.

 

[jlc1978]

Right now, the vaste majority of apps are following freeimum model anyway. It is hard to priate subscriptions.

The latest data I could find (2021) had about 5% paid and 11% Sub/IAP with the rest free so fully 1/3 of all paid apps are still one time buys. It did not say how many IAP were subs vs 1 time buys to get more features.

I suspect we'll see that trend accelerate, for piracy and as an attempt to generate a reliable revenue stream as an app peaks in adoption; although some other data suggest renewal rates are the challenge for developers.