WSJ: Apple Apps Unfairly Dominate App Store Search Results

[69Mustang]

They do feature branded products and they charge those companies quite heftily for the placement of those products. The rent on the walls and shelves of most stores is not cheap to the manufacturers.

What does it matter? The claim was Walmart features their Walmart products like the WSJ claimed Apple does. They don't. Me, you, and the two other posters who replied to my comment with the same sentiment that you did are all in agreement. All three of you unintentionally supported my refutation of the original poster's claim. Thanks.

 

[AppleHaterLover]

You mean I built my app platform from scratch, and also a mobile OS from the ground up, and cannot give any sort of special treatment to my own apps on the platform that I myself spent billions of dollars to develop?

Jesus. Take a hike

 

[Wonder Warthog]

OK, Apple's apps rank highest on the Apple App Store. Fine. You've made your case. Now prove that they're ranked UNFAIRLY at the top or GTFO.

 

[mrkite77]

He recently got exposed by none other than the brilliant DED on why you shouldn’t make stuff up like this

lol. DED is famous for his trumpian amounts of lying. He lied about going to CES, he once claimed Android couldn't play music or videos and that Google was paying reviewers to say good things about Android. He said the same thing about the xbox 360 because he hates Microsoft even more than Google. He maintains that Android's marketshare is fake, probably still upset that his prediction that Android would die a decade ago didn't pan out.

He has no credibility at all and it's been that way for decades (literally ever since he was banned from slashdot and digg for using over 60 sockpuppet accounts to upvote his own articles)
[doublepost=1563941767][/doublepost]

So WSJ, you gonna do one of these for Google too?

No, because Google is already heavily promoting competitors due to a 2.4 billion euro fine over this exact same thing.

 

[Gasu E.]

Article Link: WSJ: Apple Apps Unfairly Dominate App Store Search Results

No, the WSJ did not say Apple's domination was "unfair". That would be a subjective judgement. The actual WSJ article contained just factual statements. It was MacRumors, as well as some quoted developers, who characterized it as unfair; not the WSJ. Shame on MacRumors for adding their own spin and blaming it on the WSJ.

 

[MobiusStrip]

The App Store's search function goes way beyond incompetence. You can search for an application by its exact name and it doesn't come up.

Then again, we're talking about the company that brought us the Finder... which suffers from the same problem.

 

[garylapointe]

Apple is a flea market that charges it's tenants yearly rent for their booth and takes a cut of each of the tenants sales. But to get to the tenants booth, you have to run the gauntlet of Apple booths before getting to the tenant.

If I deleted an Apple app, it should be easy for me to find it to reinstall it.

 

[vmachiel]

If I owned a store and made products that were sold in it I'd probably put my stuff up front too.

Yeah, this isn't any different from a grocery story putting their house brand front and center. Of course they do that.

 

[nickgovier]

.

 

[Abazigal]

lol. DED is famous for his trumpian amounts of lying. He lied about going to CES, he once claimed Android couldn't play music or videos and that Google was paying reviewers to say good things about Android. He said the same thing about the xbox 360 because he hates Microsoft even more than Google. He maintains that Android's marketshare is fake, probably still upset that his prediction that Android would die a decade ago didn't pan out.

He has no credibility at all and it's been that way for decades (literally ever since he was banned from slashdot and digg for using over 60 sockpuppet accounts to upvote his own articles)
[doublepost=1563941767][/doublepost]


No, because Google is already heavily promoting competitors due to a 2.4 billion euro fine over this exact same thing.

I guess it says a lot about the state of tech journalism when I consider him the voice of reason in this maelstrom of chaos then.

 

[fatboyslick]

So presumably WSJ will go after Netflix for pushing their "Netflix Originals" content to the top fo recommendations, for amazon pushing Alexa products at the top of all Prime Day lists, for Sony pushing PS5 exclusives on the PSN store

Ridiculous

 

[dilbert99]

If I owned a store and made products that were sold in it I'd probably put my stuff up front too.

If you were as big as Apple, you would be abusing your market power of being platform owner and app provider.
[doublepost=1563959402][/doublepost]

So presumably WSJ will go after Netflix for pushing their "Netflix Originals" content to the top fo recommendations, for amazon pushing Alexa products at the top of all Prime Day lists, for Sony pushing PS5 exclusives on the PSN store

Ridiculous

You have some valid concerns here but Apple doing what they do is a worse situation than what you list in other companies.

 

[mrex]

The App Store's search function goes way beyond incompetence. You can search for an application by its exact name and it doesn't come up.

Then again, we're talking about the company that brought us the Finder... which suffers from the same problem.

exactly the reason why i often use google to search something from appstore - you just cant find the app you are looking for inside app store app.

 

[69Mustang]

If I deleted an Apple app, it should be easy for me to find it to reinstall it.

I have no idea the point you're trying to convey. If you delete any app it should be easy to reinstall. What exactly are you trying to say? Pretty sure it has nothing to do with tidbit of my quote you parsed out of context.

 

[Morgenland]

WSJ should be dealing with some real problems: Google gives 'unfairly' outdated search results on almost all topics concerning Apple's operating systems!

 

[Bonte]

So many dumb hot takes in this thread.

You get a bunch of Apple apps preinstalled on your phone. You can download third party apps, but only from an Apple-controlled store, where Apple takes a cut of any revenue. Apple then shows its apps at the top of searches in this store, even when they are already installed. It blocks user reviews or ratings on its apps, to prevent unfavourable comparisons with third party apps, even while telling third party app developers that ratings are a key factor in determining search results. It justifies this approach by saying this allows people to reinstall deleted Apple apps, even though there is a separate section of the store devoted to this purpose. Finally, when you do get a third party app onto your phone, in many cases Apple will prevent you from making that app the default, forcing you to keep using the Apple alternative.

Replace the word "Apple" in the above with the word "Microsoft" or the word "Google" and see if your opinion changes at all.

De xBox store is Microsoft controlled where Microsoft takes a cut of any revenue, same for Nintendo and Sony. These also favor exclusive and inhouse games and even want a cut from software on physical disks, contrary to Mac and iOS you can't even use web applications.

So, it's even much worse with Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, smart-TV's, set-top boxes, etc.

Then you have physical stores that put home-products front and center and let other brands pay for top locations in the store, they even dare to ban certain brands or products because they compete with the home-product or a better-paying brand.

Now, what is Apple doing wrong again?

 

[chatin]

They needed to dig a bit deeper to see Tim and Jeff are looting the company with so many hair-brained projects. If I want to get an Apple app I just go to the Apps by Apple folder.

 

[Wanted797]

This could also be because Apple uses very basic App names like maps, music & podcasts.

 

[TonyC28]

If you were as big as Apple, you would be abusing your market power of being platform owner and app provider.
[doublepost=1563959402][/doublepost]
You have some valid concerns here but Apple doing what they do is a worse situation than what you list in other companies.

Is there any law or regulation for that sort of thing?

 

[heov]

So do Walmart products in a Walmart Store. Why is this a big deal?

because you can shop elsewhere.

when there's only one store, the store owner can push out all competitors easily, and this affects the economy as a whole. we call this a monopolistic practice.

of there were alternatives to the app store, this would be a non issue, just like your Walmart example.
[doublepost=1563973851][/doublepost]

If I owned a store and made products that were sold in it I'd probably put my stuff up front too.

and you'd be sued if you had the only store in country loo

 

[Fender2112]

I'm not sure how to take this article.

If I use the keyword "music app" to search for options for music apps, I will get a list of some sort. If I do that same search 99 more times, why should I expect the results to be different? Why wouldn't that top ranked app still be top ranked.

 

[GermanSuplex]

I don't think Apple apps appearing first on Apple devices in Apple's app store is "unfair". People may delete stock apps and wish to redownload them. They may search "word processor" and perhaps Pages looks the best, and its made by Apple, so its chosen first. Who knows. Unless they can prove Apple isn't abiding by its own algorithm, I don't see the big deal. Hell, even if they promote their own apps on their own store, I don't think that unfair or monopolistic, especially when most (if not all) of its apps are free.

 

[Gorms]

Cool, cool, so out of curiousity, what does Play Store do in this situation?

 

[nickgovier]

.

 

[KGBguy]

Did I miss something? Is anyone making this argument?

Nope, just venting at WSJ.