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Messaging App LINE Ordered by Apple to Remove Paid Sticker Gifting
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This is why competition within the App Store ecosystem is important. Strongarming like this for no reason is just ridiculous.
And don't give me that "there's always Android" crap. You know what I mean
Apple is all about curating the app store to provide the most fair and pleasant user experience, profits are second. They're only strongarming apps that don't play by the rules, which is great for us.
These stickers will be back within a week after the developers fix the app.
I realize people here are poking fun at those buying stickers, but just think...
How many people play MMO'S (specifically WoW)? There is a bunch of useless vanity crap that gets purchased in those games with real money.
My question is, why is this a problem for Apple. Honestly, this limitation isn't a loss for me in and of itself. I feel it is a loss for the consumer. Apple already doesn't allow you to officially put whatever you want on their device. Now they are limiting the sale of digital content that, as far as I can tell, followed their guidelines completely. This is a classic case of a company trying to protect consumers from themselves. My question is, "how far is too far?" I personally think that bridge has long been crossed.
I realize the common rebuttal is "go get an Android". Well, for one, I already have. But I don't see it that way. I see this as Apple walking a fine line of anti-competative behavior. And when we are talking about that, it matters not whether there are other options out there. Anticompetitive is anticompetitive and some courts are taking a deeper look into it. Curious to see those outcomes.
How many people play MMO'S (specifically WoW)? There is a bunch of useless vanity crap that gets purchased in those games with real money.
My question is, why is this a problem for Apple. Honestly, this limitation isn't a loss for me in and of itself. I feel it is a loss for the consumer. Apple already doesn't allow you to officially put whatever you want on their device. Now they are limiting the sale of digital content that, as far as I can tell, followed their guidelines completely. This is a classic case of a company trying to protect consumers from themselves. My question is, "how far is too far?" I personally think that bridge has long been crossed.
I realize the common rebuttal is "go get an Android". Well, for one, I already have. But I don't see it that way. I see this as Apple walking a fine line of anti-competative behavior. And when we are talking about that, it matters not whether there are other options out there. Anticompetitive is anticompetitive and some courts are taking a deeper look into it. Curious to see those outcomes.
What's up with the imaginary sicker thing?
Updated Facebook on my Android and they added a send stickers to friends feature.
Updated Facebook on my Android and they added a send stickers to friends feature.
Lots of people, 17 million dollars worth. This is one of those things that lets people know what apple is really about.
It's Apple's fault to begin with. They created a crowded app store with poor app discovery which created a race to the bottom. Developers competed on price until the pricepoint dropped to nothing and the only way to get people do download your app was to put it out for free. So you do you recoup the dev cost? IAP, subscriptions, and other forms of monetization that offset that free download
If Apple doesn't want IAP, they shouldn't have commoditized the software on their own ecosystem to the point people now complain $1-2 software is too expensive
Or, perhaps, just maybe people buy virtual stickers (and all of those other things on your list) because they give them a little joy.
Nothing at all stupid about that.
Thx for the clarification... Hmm, curiouser & curiouser. Maybe it's simply to vastly discourage the convoluted nature of purchasing 'coins', rather than just listing ACTUAL price? I hope it's this.. & not something more nefarious. I could get behind that sentiment.. it does seem a little sneaky, like "oh, it only cost me 20 coins", if that is actually $7.99.. it should state exactly that prior to purchase & not rely on the consumer's conversion skills. I don't know. With millions of dollars at stake, I think were I the developer, I'd add this feature back in using normal pricing, submit to Apple, & see what happens. *shrug*
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I don't see your point... *confused* It would ONLY be considered anticompetitive if Apple sold the stickers & wouldn't let them sell the stickers.. or if a partner of Apple sold the stickers, and they were granting them "favored nation" status. Apple is in ZERO competition with this app's sales of stickers.. so what on earth are you basing your anticompetitive statements on??
It's HUGE in Asia with 45 million users in Japan alone (that's one third of the country's population BTW), 17 millions in Thailand and 15 millions in Taiwan (the only people without an account are probably newborns and bedridden seniors) and they've recently reached 150 million users globally.
I don't know why either. I'm fine with Google Talk and Skype, and iMessages for friends who own an iOS device.
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Nope. LINE is the major IM app in Asia with 45 million users in Japan alone, and 150 million users globally.
Don't ask me why though, I've never understood the appeal of that app over the existing IM apps.
Not in this case. The main market for the stickers are young, affluent career women here in Japan, where the app was developed.
The free functionality of the app is outstanding, and the voice sound quality is unsurpassed. It's pretty much replaced Skype as my primary VOIP-type client.
lots of apps use coins etc in app to buy things. with the option to buy more coins. Temple Run which is a fav of Apple in particular does this.
It's likely more the way it is set up where it just asks if you want to charge but doesn't seem to be saying how much. If it said "I'm sorry you don't have enough coins, would you like to go to the coin shop to buy some" and then to a screen with amounts and prices it might have been okay. but from that screen it's possible the user doesn't really know exactly what amount they are saying okay to
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perhaps in games. Or at least require that anything powerups etc have to be obtainable without buying even if it takes a tad longer.
But for regular apps, free w/ads v paid w/o, level packs, magazines etc IAP is good. Great even. In fact I would say that it isn't used enough in many cases. Many of the games out there are just levels of the same play (like Angry Birds Seasons), why isn't that just a level pack off the original. the whole free v paid, lite v pro should have to be IAP to make it more seamless for the user.
I would say this is one of those things that lets Apple know what people are really about.