Exactly what do you need to do on your phone that’s so crucial that iOS doesn’t let you do? It’s a #$&@* phone for Christ’s sake. You send text messages and make phone calls with it, first and foremost. Other than that, what? Check email, check the weather, small time convenience information (public transportation schedules or routes), and use it to pay for things maybe? Listen to music with earphones?
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South Korea Passes Bill Banning Apple From Requiring Developers to Use App Store In-App Purchase System
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Exactly what do you need to do on your phone that’s so crucial that iOS doesn’t let you do? It’s a #$&@* phone for Christ’s sake. You send text messages and make phone calls with it, first and foremost. Other than that, what? Check email, check the weather, small time convenience information (public transportation schedules or routes), and use it to pay for things maybe? Listen to music with earphones?
So you have actual proof that app developers will not force you to use only their store? Hope Apple pulls out of South Korea to “comply” with their law.
I would also like an option on my phone that refuses any airdrop or other connections with iPhones using other app stores.
Then use android, see you have a choice.
Which is not my point.
People are saying that Apple could compete with other payment processing companies by simply offering iTunes billing at a more competitive rate, say 5% or 3% or whatever the current prevailing rate is.
I don’t see how that makes sense, when these companies only have to contend with the costs of processing payments, while Apple has to deal with both that and the cost of operating the App Store.
I can see a couple of things which Apple could do.
1) Simply open up and absorb the costs in South Korea only (not going to happen, because it will just embolden other countries to do the same thing).
2) Charge developers more in annual fees (possibly $200 or $300 a year), but you end penalising the smaller developers more and risk driving them away from the app store.
3) Find some way to audit how much developers earn and bill them separately for 15-30%. No idea how Apple might figure this out if users paid via third party payment options, but let’s assume for argument’s sake that Apple has a way.
4) Pull out of South Korea (unlikely).
Your move, Apple. Your move.
Why would you?
On my Android I have four stores I frequent. All use Google Pay as an option.
Why not have Apple Pay as a payment option?
Don’t have to find another app just have to side load the AppleHaxStore version. I will not give my banking info to any more companies than I already do business with. Congrats you get nothing.
I’ll fully support legislation like this when the rest of the system is fixed with it. Oh you compromised my billing information? No you don’t give me a couple years of credit monitoring and call it a day you pay me for any loss indefinitely due to your actions. I need to keep my credit frozen? You pay anytime I need to freeze/unfreeze indefinitely. Multiple companies compromised me? You divide the cost based on how recent the compromise is.
Still want to trust that cheaper card processor? Cool. You’re a business you take on the risk not I.
How many companies would want to play this game if they had to deal with the consequences and not have just keep a identity protection budget?
You all go on and on about this being the better option for consumers. How about real legislation that removes arbitration and other clauses that protect these companies when they ultimately screw you over.
If the big guys like TMobile can screw you over you really think the little guys are going to do a better job?
From a user perspective, this stuff is silly.
I have never paid a penny for an Apple app on my phone. All the apps I buy are from 3rd party vendors. There is no shortage of them.
Where there might be some argument is with streaming services like music and movies. But when it comes to apps, does Apple even have a phone app they charge for?
It has nothing to do with users. None of these types of laws are going to benefit users.
Looks like as a consumer you have a choice and that choice is android
I disagree... I already have more choices than I can possibly keep track of. It is already too much choice in just 1 App Store.
Operating the app store doesn't cost Apple the billions it gets them with their 30% extortion rate (above 1 million $ I know).
This will be an interesting case study in what happens when this restriction is lifted. Will Apple Pay die as a purchase option or will it live on?
I suspect Apple Pay will survive for most apps - particularly small ones - since user convenience factor may drive sales more than they lose from high Apple Pay fees (and the fee is lower anyway for small devs).
I think larger devs will absolutely switch away in S Korea to save that % profit margin. I bet PayPal SK will be doing great business!
The mega big apps like Netflix, Amazon, etc. might even switch on the option to pay/subscribe from within the app.
I really think Apple made a mistake by not unilaterally cutting the % years ago to a much lower level that would avoid scrutiny - this is coming about because Apple (and Google) has clung to 30% as the right number for too long and now faces politicians and judges setting that % or abolishing it entirely.
I suspect Apple Pay will survive for most apps - particularly small ones - since user convenience factor may drive sales more than they lose from high Apple Pay fees (and the fee is lower anyway for small devs).
I think larger devs will absolutely switch away in S Korea to save that % profit margin. I bet PayPal SK will be doing great business!
The mega big apps like Netflix, Amazon, etc. might even switch on the option to pay/subscribe from within the app.
I really think Apple made a mistake by not unilaterally cutting the % years ago to a much lower level that would avoid scrutiny - this is coming about because Apple (and Google) has clung to 30% as the right number for too long and now faces politicians and judges setting that % or abolishing it entirely.
I suppose if that is what you want to spend your time on.
Me, I have far more interesting work in my life than to care in the slightest about theming a phone.
I want a phone where I spend the least amount of time thinking about it, configuring it, making choices about it. It is a utilitarian device that serves me best when it's invisible. 1 App Store is all I ever need and beyond. I doubt I have looked at even 1% of the apps currently available.
In that regard, the current iPhone works well for me. I prefer it to stay as it is. If someone wants those choices, get an Android phone. Making the iPhone like Android, means there is less choice.
Exactly: had Apple set their rate to 10% or so years ago, this would probably be a non-topic.
In the eventuality such law get widespread in more countries, nothing prevents Apple/Google to lower their fee to be competitive with other payment processors, in a way that makes no sense for most developers to use them (bare maybe for big players such as Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, ...).
Serves Apple right! When they launched the App Store, iPhone already was undisputed market leader with millions of billions units sold. And prior to the iPhone there was absolutely no way to sell apps on other devices, so developers were literally FORCED to accept Apple's greedy rules. No one ever wanted to put apps on the App Store.
There are developers and users... A developer will have motivation to seek lower fees elsewhere, but then they are likely to have less overall sales.
As a user, I'm not going to use anything but the Apple App Store. That already works well for me and there is no benefit for me to spend my time going elsewhere.
The world is full of companies that cornered the market and don’t give a damn about their users. I can see Microsoft, Adobe, Blizzard, most large media companies (so affecting Disney+, HBO Max, NYTimes) forcing switch to their own payment systems with separate card management, separate cancellation rules (“call us at least 30 days before the end of subscription period”), etc.
If this change takes off across other countries I suspect we will see several other “stores” spring up settling to a good few.
Be a decent improvement to the app landscape IMO.
I agree I think PayPal will see a boost.
Be a decent improvement to the app landscape IMO.
I agree I think PayPal will see a boost.
“I rather suspect they are in for a very different kind of ride.”
My thinking as well. It is entertaining to think about how developer who do not want to use Apple’s payment method will be charged. With Apple’s method, you make money we make money, without our method, we make money even if you have to pay us with the shirt on your back. Apple better force them to make absolutely clear which payment system will be used because I will not use a third party system.
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Ok so there's 430,000 developers in Korea alone? Meaning Apple makes a cool $40M from developer fees alone - per year??
Holy crap. I've paid my developer fee for a good ... 10 years or whatever. But I had no idea this is serious revenue.
I mean - 40 million dollars. Apple is a Tn dollar company, but that's 40 million only for the country of Korea, per year! You can do a lot of things with 40M USD! That's 4 well funded startups!
Generally, I don't like governments doing anything since I don't believe they ever act in the interest of the people - even though they're great at making it appear as if they do, that's basically their only job, to sell their services as something that is actually useful, when in reality, it's not. Everyone would be better off without these corrupt clowns.
But Apple's tactics are bullying, dystopian, and overall too much - all of these app store policies made perfect sense at the time they were introduced, they were what made the app store really great. But they've been long overdue for an overhaul, I believe Apple should actually give these lawmakers way more than they're asking for and open up the space for a multitude of decentralized uncensorable app stores;
Even if that happened, people are so lazy I would bet that > 90% of users would still get everything from the Apple app store, just because it's easiest and most convenient.
Holy crap. I've paid my developer fee for a good ... 10 years or whatever. But I had no idea this is serious revenue.
I mean - 40 million dollars. Apple is a Tn dollar company, but that's 40 million only for the country of Korea, per year! You can do a lot of things with 40M USD! That's 4 well funded startups!
Generally, I don't like governments doing anything since I don't believe they ever act in the interest of the people - even though they're great at making it appear as if they do, that's basically their only job, to sell their services as something that is actually useful, when in reality, it's not. Everyone would be better off without these corrupt clowns.
But Apple's tactics are bullying, dystopian, and overall too much - all of these app store policies made perfect sense at the time they were introduced, they were what made the app store really great. But they've been long overdue for an overhaul, I believe Apple should actually give these lawmakers way more than they're asking for and open up the space for a multitude of decentralized uncensorable app stores;
Even if that happened, people are so lazy I would bet that > 90% of users would still get everything from the Apple app store, just because it's easiest and most convenient.
