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U.S. Supreme Court Appears 'Open' to Allowing App Store Monopoly Lawsuit vs. Apple to Proceed

I wonder if this could lead to a market where the large developers will forgo the App Store because they already have all of the necessary infrastructure. Which would leave the App Store for small developers still paying Apple 30%, and thus unable to compete against the big guys.

If they are forced to allow 3rd party apps to be installed from sources outside the App Store, I don't think I'd buy from any small developers outside of the App Store. Seems too risky of a proposition. My phone has too much of my data to risk exposure (at least that's my mindset).
 
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Altis said:
Apple seems to love monopolies as they have control over everything, leaving the end user with little choice but to play their game.
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No one is forced to buy an Apple product....there's other options available. Let's not forget it was Apple that provided the App Store and the infrastructure that went with it....that's no easy task. And quite frankly 30% cut is pretty fair I would say based on the platform they provide. 30% of zero (which most apps are now) = 0% anyway.

As a developer myself, I'd say it was a pretty fair deal. The only thing I don't like is that the little guys no longer get any exposure like they used to in the early days which I think is pretty unfair.
 
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TheRealTVGuy said:
Only if you also understand that by doing so you don't get to come back and whine that your processor is overtaxed, your phone overheats, runs slow, etc. because of the crap apps you put on it.

I can hear it now: "Oh Apple, you should replace my phone free of charge since it runs slower due to the crappliy coded and compiled freemium porn app I purchased and installed outside of the App Store (which also stole my identity and spied on me)."
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Why would any of that happen? It doesn't happen in the Mac environment... neither the whining nor a lower level of security. Are you implying iPhone owners are somehow dumb? What @jclardy stated isn't unique. As he said, it's how MacOS works and it's also how Android works. I've heard whining from neither crowd.
 
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barkomatic said:
That 30% commission is pretty hefty but allowing apps to be sold outside the appstore and installed on iPhones without being jailbroken would pretty much ruin the edge Apple has on security and privacy it would seem.
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The commission is nothing compared to what it would cost to promote your own software products. It is so easy to forget that before the App Store there was virtually no way to get your software on the shelf.
 
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haydn! said:
Exactly. Most small developers could not fund this infrastructure and account management themselves with the cut Apple takes. Considering a huge number of Apps hover in the low £1-5 range, and a card transaction fee alone is probably the best part of 30-50p or 15-30%
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And before the App Store, the cut was near the opposite. The developer would get 30% and the publisher would get 70%.
 
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MacRumors said:
The bottom line is that the iPhone users, led by Chicago resident Robert Pepper, believe that apps would be priced lower outside of the App Store, as Apple's 30 percent cut would not be baked in to prices.
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Regardless of anyone's position re: how Apple restricts apps to the AppStore... Seems like a huge assumption? I'd imagine most developers price their apps as high as they believe potential customers will be willing to pay?

Even if Apple allowed non-AppStore apps tomorrow on iOS devices, would any of these developers sell their apps for 30% less on their own websites? I'm sure if they were processing their own orders, they'd have to account for credit card processing fees somehow? I'd think that would be a nice chunk of the 30%? Would any of the developers of apps these plaintiffs have purchased lower their prices, or keep the additional 30% (minus costs of selling/processing orders themselves) as additional(?) profit? Has even one developer testified that they'd lower prices under oath?



Again, regardless of our personal opinions re: Apple's AppStore policies... How the Hell does a case like this not get laughed out of court on day 1?
 
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Chrjy said:
No one is forced to buy an Apple product....there's other options available. Let's not forget it was Apple that provided the App Store and the infrastructure that went with it....that's no easy task. And quite frankly 30% cut is pretty fair I would say based on the platform they provide. 30% of zero (which most apps are now) = 0% anyway.

As a developer myself, I'd say it was a pretty fair deal. The only thing I don't like is that the little guys no longer get any exposure like they used to in the early days which I think is pretty unfair.
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I happen to think it's very anti-consumer to restrict what software you can install on hardware you purchased.

By forcing users to install Apps using the Apple-controlled AppStore, they've effectively created a monopoly. It's a tricky issue so it will be interesting to see where it goes and what precedents will be set.
 
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In a way. This is similar to the Qualcomm case.. why should app developers have to pay more to apple based off the price of the app.
But I view apple as the distributor as well. I don’t have a problem with them taking a cut. They do a lot for developers. I think their needs to be a middle ground formed, but anther app-store or allowing people to download from other places could be dangerous.
 
App Developer perspective (& initially posted elsewhere on the Net on Sat):

From our perspective, "the Argument" being debated by the Supreme Court is the wrong argument ... the iOS App Store is primarily a "curated" App Store, in which AAPL has a complete & total Stranglehold on "App Discovery".

The problem is compounded by the fact that AAPL develops apps that are NOT integrated into iOS.

Specifically, AAPL has a known history of copying / stealing good ideas, & promoting them as their own.

This ALSO provides incentive for AAPL to NOT promote Unique & Innovative apps, like our xxx, as they try to copy / steal others' good ideas.

At a Minimum, we believe AAPL should NOT be allowed to develop NON-integrated apps that use their low-level Camera Frameworks !

Remove the incentive for AAPL to copy & steal, & they will very-likely become more of a Friend to App Developers of Unique & Innovative apps, rather than a Bully ... that move ALONE could trigger more enthusiasm for the iOS App Store than anything AAPL has tried on their own the past 10 or so years !

NOT Rocket Science, they clearly have the wrong people running their Marketing Dept !
 
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If anything the store did it was to allow anyone to enter the market for selling apps. There is no other market in the world where you can get your products seen by the world. Shelf space at a store is impossible to get unless you have established in demand items or are willing to pay the store to stock it.

If this were to succeed then why not sue to allow apps to be developed in a different language because restricting it Xcode on a Mac hurts people as well. It's a stupid thought but not much farther out there than this suit.

That said why not sue for lack of headphone jack, non-swappable batteries, proprietary charger cable, the notch, etc. The bottom line is do not buy it if you do not like it or the App Store.
 
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Altis said:
I happen to think it's very anti-consumer to restrict what software you can install on hardware you purchased.

By forcing users to install Apps using the Apple-controlled AppStore, they've effectively created a monopoly. It's a tricky issue so it will be interesting to see where it goes and what precedents will be set.
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This is true but there are other choices available. I would presume most people know what they're getting onto should they buy an Apple product....but then again...you know what they say about assumptions!
 
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If this goes through, I'll continue to get my apps on the Apple App Store, and only on the Apple App Store. If devs don't want to release there so that they can keep a larger cut, be my guest.
 
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69Mustang said:
No comment on the intelligence of anyone. I do think an alternative app environment would be helpful... if nothing else it would give people a choice like MacOS does.
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There are other options like Android which is far more popular than iOS.
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anthonymoody said:
If this goes through, I'll continue to get my apps on the Apple App Store, and only on the Apple App Store. If devs don't want to release there so that they can keep a larger cut, be my guest.
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And these renegade developers will find out that no one can find their products and that few will install them because of the friction required to pay for and install on all of your devices and manage license keys. Being able to press the Get button and have the installation start is the most important feature for anyone selling apps.
 
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Chrjy said:
This is true but there are other choices available. I would presume most people know what they're getting onto should they buy an Apple product....but then again...you know what they say about assumptions!
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We would think so, but the in my view, the average person has become rather clueless about computers and even complacent. As long as they can do what they need/want to do, they don't think about it.

In any case, I think what happens is people get financially stuck to 'ecosystems' because it's all so locked down.
 
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JeffPerrin said:
Basis of this case is so opposite of what actually happened: the race to the bottom in terms of app pricing.

And for those wondering, some of what Apple's 30% pays for for devs:

- Credit card transactions (incl. associated fees)
- Managing sales tax - local and international (!!!)
- Distribution (server and bandwidth costs)
- Sales and installation analytics
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Not to mention access to a marketplace to be seen. One of the BIGGEST challenges for small app developers is being seen. Good luck getting anyone to find your website on Google when you're a little guy. With the App Store, anyone of any size can be found. We've seen countless times where a 1 man shop can become the best selling app out there. That doesn't generally happen when you rely on Google search to be found.

That's a huge advantage of the App Store and a reason macOS developers use it too, even though they don't have to. Discoverability can make or break you and the App Store helps more small developers to be found.
 
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This is a very dangerous case. None of the monopoly rules should be used here. Apple is not a monopoly. They control their own software, but they are not a monopoly.

This is a money grab by the lawyers.

Should this case go against Apple, it allows the government to say...we know you created something and it is making money....but we want you to let others have a piece of the pie. You create a restaurant with super successful retail store..think Cracker Barrell...they don't want to let others in the store to sell - it affects them...but Cracker Barrell OWNS this market - no other restaurant comes close - just force them to give up floor space...why not?
 
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