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Am I the only one here who thinks Apple/Google should not be able to skim more than a token 1-3% fee off transactions? Both already make enough money off their

Am I the only one here who thinks Apple/Google should not be able to skim more than a token 1-3% fee off transactions? Both already make enough money off their customers and they effectively have a duopoly on mobile platforms. If there were dozens of app stores (more like repositories at that point) that you could easily search across, then the market would be self regulating. I don't think that's the case right now.

hkmurakami 9y ago
well, "should vs can" In the realm of "should", I'm afraid regulation is your only bet. Otherwise obviously any company will take whatever % they think will get them the maximum long term profit
- deleted 9y ago
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subterfudge4 9y ago
> have a duopoly on mobile platforms There ARE dozens of app stores. These two are very very strong ones. The thing is how long Apple and Google and continue to squeeze people until someone will come up with a clever trick to bypass their payment system.
- pdelbarba 9y ago
  Sure there are alternatives on Android and the Windows phone platform (which nobody uses because running multiple app stores is cumbersome) but Apple has their entire ecosystem, silicon to cat videos, locked down hard.
soared 9y ago
"Already making enough money" sounds like a contradiction :)
- pdelbarba 9y ago
  Yea, but I mean when you have $256 BILLION sitting around doing nothing you can probably afford to stop squeezing the hell out of artists and developers.
prostoalex 9y ago
It seems expensive to get set up in every supported country https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204411 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204411 https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/table/3539140?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/tabl... with requirements for a business entity, money processing licenses, etc., and that's before hooking up to local payment methods (credit cards, prepaid cards, mobile top-ups) and paying their fees. Paypal or some other large entity could probably do this, though.
Steko 9y ago
Walmart and Amazon make lots of money too, let's make it so they can't mark stuff up more than 1-3%.

hkmurakami 9y ago

well, "should vs can" In the realm of "should", I'm afraid regulation is your only bet. Otherwise obviously any company will take whatever % they think will get them the maximum long term profit

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

subterfudge4 9y ago

> have a duopoly on mobile platforms There ARE dozens of app stores. These two are very very strong ones. The thing is how long Apple and Google and continue to squeeze people until someone will come up with a clever trick to bypass their payment system.

pdelbarba 9y ago
Sure there are alternatives on Android and the Windows phone platform (which nobody uses because running multiple app stores is cumbersome) but Apple has their entire ecosystem, silicon to cat videos, locked down hard.

soared 9y ago

"Already making enough money" sounds like a contradiction :)

pdelbarba 9y ago
Yea, but I mean when you have $256 BILLION sitting around doing nothing you can probably afford to stop squeezing the hell out of artists and developers.

prostoalex 9y ago

It seems expensive to get set up in every supported country https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204411 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204411 https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/table/3539140?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/tabl... with requirements for a business entity, money processing licenses, etc., and that's before hooking up to local payment methods (credit cards, prepaid cards, mobile top-ups) and paying their fees. Paypal or some other large entity could probably do this, though.

Steko 9y ago

Walmart and Amazon make lots of money too, let's make it so they can't mark stuff up more than 1-3%.