The difference is quite simple. If Netflix and Spotify pull out their apps and are only available in competing platforms, then the huge installed base of those platforms might consider migrating to other options where they can use their platforms. If this email reader does so, then no one will flock to Android to get it. It is just Apple bullying the little guy that has no other recourse, while bending to the big guys that could actually hurt their business. Is not about being "reader" app.
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Phil Schiller: Apple Will Not Change Decision on 'Hey' Email App, No App Store Rule Updates Imminent
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The difference is quite simple. If Netflix and Spotify pull out their apps and are only available in competing platforms, then the huge installed base of those platforms might consider migrating to other options where they can use their platforms. If this email reader does so, then no one will flock to Android to get it. It is just Apple bullying the little guy that has no other recourse, while bending to the big guys that could actually hurt their business. Is not about being "reader" app.
"Only applies to reader apps"...but not an app designed to literally READ EMAIL!!
I’d assume most folks that would pay $99 for email wouldn’t mind switching to a cheap (or, on some plans, free) Android phone to get it. I’d be interested in seeing Hey attempt that, actually.
Spotify allows you to create and share playlists. DropBox allows you to upload and share files.
Another way to look at this situation:
Apple sells hardware at their own stores as well as other retail stores. They would presumably make more profit by selling the hardware at their own stores, so why do they sell at other retail stores? It is because they see the value in, and are willing to pay the cost for, the additional distribution channels.
In the case of the software, the developer has a direct relationship with Apple, so there are no other expenses besides the 30%. This is reasonable when you compare it to traditional manufacturer - distributor - broker - retailer setups.
Apple sells hardware at their own stores as well as other retail stores. They would presumably make more profit by selling the hardware at their own stores, so why do they sell at other retail stores? It is because they see the value in, and are willing to pay the cost for, the additional distribution channels.
In the case of the software, the developer has a direct relationship with Apple, so there are no other expenses besides the 30%. This is reasonable when you compare it to traditional manufacturer - distributor - broker - retailer setups.
I wonder when that changed. I signed up for a subscription because I couldn’t do anything but read documents in the app without it.Nope. That used to be true, but now nearly all features are available for free, including editing. It was opened up about two years ago, thanks to competition from Google.
When do I need a Microsoft 365 subscription? - Microsoft Support
Learn when you'll need a Microsoft 365 subscription rather than the free Office apps for your mobile device.support.microsoft.com
Ah, now I see. It’s based on screen size. My iPad Pro is bigger than 10 inches.
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But doesn’t it work just like a “reader” app i.e. no IAP required?
I doubt he'll be canned over this. Apple's response is consistent with their anti-competitive practices over the last couple decades.
But not create or upload songs. You are still basically consuming.
Dropbox does offer in-app purchases, that is exactly the point.
I don't care about the rule either way, just pointing out what they mean with the rule, as it is pretty straightforward I would think.
He’s not there anymore but I believe when he often worked directly with Steve. I’ve heard him on podcasts before. Fascinating guy with lots of stories.
Because the app would “do something” when purchased. That’s the primary rule Hey is breaking. Adding an In App Purchase is just one of the ways to bring them into compliance and the one generating the most talk because Hey is making is sound like they’re being shaken down. No. There are other solutions that bring them into compliance that doesn’t give Apple those 30% and Phil Schiller suggested a couple of them.
Adding a 99 cent price would make the app work when downloaded which would enable it to pass the rules even though it would stop working after a certain amount of time. Similarly, Hey could just offer a free one week trial and that too would pass the rules.
Many users don’t want to pay someone else. The in-app payment processing brings people with already verified payment info together with developers. Most people don’t want to give their personal info over to yet another random company with questionable security practices. It’s a security risk, every time you give your info to someone else.
Also, Apple is providing marketing for you by having your app listed in the store where people can easily find it.
It's not though. It's not an "email app". The basis for the app is apparently a whole new way to handle email and treats messages like a comprehensive app as opposed to any normal email app.
At least, that's the claim.
Apple has ridden the App store horse long enough. If they don't fix this, regulators (EU and US) will fix it for them.
Schiller can squirm all he wants. The courts will eventually rule the App Store as a monopoly and their house of cards will come a tumblin down.
Exactly. Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction — for everything over the $0.99 tier, you’re netting more money by going with Stripe if it were allowed by Apple. For a $4.99 purchase, the developer gets more than $1 extra with each transaction, and it only goes up quite a bit from there; for a $19.99 IAP, it’s more than $5 extra. (And for anyone thinking that’s inconsequential, just several purchases at $4.99 and you can buy yourself lunch on the money you saved over Apple’s IAP.)
This is a bit pedantic on Apple's part considering
the myriad IOS apps that work with subscription services not purchased through iTunes.
Basecamp just needs to update the app to allow 'reading' of Hey email by trial or limited subscribers and nothing else.
the myriad IOS apps that work with subscription services not purchased through iTunes.
Basecamp just needs to update the app to allow 'reading' of Hey email by trial or limited subscribers and nothing else.
Apple shouldn’t get to decide Hey’s business model for them.
B.S. Apple. There are tons of Apps that are useless without subscriptions. They should offer a lower fee for ongoing subscriptions.
While they may be receiving a deal, I'm sure Microsoft's business model for Office 365 allows plenty of distributor margin. They push subscriptions in physical stores, Amazon, as bundled item with new PCs, through corporate resellers/integrators, etc. and those people easily are taking 20-30% cuts. Just checked on Newegg and they've discounted the home subscription 15%.
Back in the old days, you walked into CompUSA and bought a boxed copy of Office, they'd be undoubtedly taking 20-30%, so it's all built into their pricing. It's these upstart dot-coms with little actual profit that are crying about it.
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Nope. And none of the Fastmail, Gmail, Protonmail or Tutanota apps provide IMAP or POP access, and are still not required to offer IAP ...
ATP podcast had a good discussion on this subject. Marco said what usually happens when Apple changes a rule or interprets it differently is they don’t deal with all the affected apps at once. They deal with it as app updates get submitted. This developer seems large/savvy enough that it seems doubtful they just don’t understand the rules. So there must be other apps doing what they’re app is attempting to do without having IAP. Perhaps those apps haven’t submitted an update recently and when they do they will get rejected too?
Absolutely. This is the cold hard truth for developers — most users do not care about you, and they do not need your software. Without the App Store, I would not have downloaded 99% of the apps that I have.
As one whose job is to design/deploy/maintain large scale data center infrastructure, it is by no means a fixed cost. During peak app download times (usually Christmas time to new years) and as demand trends up and down throughout the year, Apple is spinning up and spinning down cloud infrastructure to match demand and save money when possible. Those costs are a function not just of the number of apps in the app store but also the number of active devices around the world, as the number of devices grow so does the demands on the infrastructure.
Also few folks seem to be mentioning the human cost of the app store. I don't know how many people Apple employs on the App review teams, the Xcode Development teams, or on other of the various teams (legal, phone support, etc.) to that work to support the App store, but let's say it's 5,000 people (out of the over 139,000 employees they have) and guessing a fully loaded salary of $300K (salary + benefits + insurance, this is probably a conservative number for California) that's ~$1.5B a year just in human costs.
Not saying Apple still isn't making a lot of money off the App store it's hard to know how much for sure without seeing the real internal numbers, but I think there is a lot more cost that goes in to it than most people think yet that doesn't stop them from judging how much is too much of a fee to charge developers (who by and large seem fine with it).