What if Apple is right about the App Store and your control over it?
I never wanted an open App Store. Side loading apps on my best iPhone seemed like the perfect way to infect or ruin them. Of course, I wasn't the type of person to jailbreak the iPhone. I have also never felt limited by that one App Store or even that I was being overcharged because Apple used to charge developers 30% for each transaction (it has since gone down a bit in some situations), a cost that could have cost me They have transmitted it. Perhaps this is because most of the apps I use are free and those I paid for, like Procreate and Star Walk 2, charged me once and then allowed me to download updates freely.
My point is that I've never been unhappy with Apple's approach to apps, access, and app commerce. Based on EU actions, lawsuits, and even potential US laws seeking to alter Apple's policies, perhaps I'm in the minority.
I do not think.
The EU, which has become the world's digital watchdog, is so far the only entity that has managed to force Apple to change. Naturally, Apple acceded to the EU App Store and the demands of the app policy in the most Apple way possible. It has inserted multiple poison pills into the deal that, as some developers have noted, makes it untenable to operate outside of Apple's App Store.
It should surprise no one that Apple has gone this route, and I don't think it's just about money.
When Apple developed the App Store 16 years ago, I think it saw an opportunity to avoid the pain and suffering associated with allowing anyone to download any app or utility from any source. Windows spent years dealing with viruses that simply had to wait for you to log on to the Internet before downloading and infecting your system. While Windows 11 is now a more secure system, allowing third-party apps and apps from not necessarily trusted app sources will always be a potential route of infection. The only way to cut off that risk vector is through control.
Apple's App Store is nothing more than control from development to approval, access, download and future transactions. It is a closed loop that guarantees, although not perfectly, the quality, security and a foundation of privacy of the application. It means that your transactions go through reliable financial sources. The App Store is a safe space.
What it is not, however, is competitive.
A kind of milestone
What the EU will achieve in March with the adoption of its Digital Markets Act (DMA) is nothing short of remarkable, especially when one realizes how long people have been trying to get Apple to change.
In 2011, Robert Pepper and other Apple customers sued Apple for antitrust over its control of the App Store. Pepper argued that the App Store was a monopoly and that Apple's commission was making apps more expensive than they would otherwise be. The case reached the US Supreme Court, which decided in a 5-4 opinion that app customers were purchasing apps from Apple rather than directly from developers and could therefore sue Apple directly. for antitrust. That decision returned the case to lower courts, meaning that, to this day, there is no resolution.
The US government, which is like the tortoise to the EU's hare, has also tried to come up with laws that could restrict or alter Apple's App Store practices. The one that could have the biggest impact is the Open App Markets Act, which could force Apple to modify its commission policies and perhaps somehow address third-party app stores. However, that and similar bills are somewhere in committee and haven't had any movement on them for nearly two years.
Meanwhile, Apple has shown the world how it will deal with pressure from the EU, basically growing another set of weapons. There are new fees, new checks and balances and countless rules that, when iOS 17.4 arrives, will follow the letter of the EU regulations without encouraging anyone to use them.
After sitting down with our legal team to analyze the fine print of Apple's DMA announcement (that took a while), which is vague and misleading at best, I wanted to share my thoughts. While Apple has been bad for years, what they did yesterday represents a new low, even…January 26, 2024
Don't complicate things
However, I wonder if any average app consumer cares about this. I mean, I understand that Spotify (see above), Epic Games and others, especially those who make major in-app purchases (buying outfits in Fortnite, for example) care about this. What Apple allows them to do within the App Store affects their bottom line. Being able to operate on the iPhone while staying outside of Apple's draconian rules and fee structure could translate into millions more in revenue.
However, consumers want consistency and ease of use. Do iPhone owners want to install another app store and search twice (or more) for the app they want? The uncertainty they will encounter in these new app markets might give them pause. Can you still trust these apps? That hasn't been a big question on the App Store. Do app consumers think they are paying too much for them or is it really that developers want more of the money they believe they are owed?
These changes and the ones I bet developers also want in the US may simply pass on developers' problems to consumers.
Apple isn't perfect, and I know its bottom line plays a big role in this decision, but I think the biggest issue for Apple is the quality, consistency, and security of its most important platform. Naturally, he will do everything possible to protect him.
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