24 ms·

Is it really that hard to deliver a 15Mb .ipa file to someone's iDevice, that Apple needs a 30% cut of every transaction to do so? It's not incredibly difficul

Is it really that hard to deliver a 15Mb .ipa file to someone's iDevice, that Apple needs a 30% cut of every transaction to do so? It's not incredibly difficult to operate a trusted digital app sales ecosystem at all. It's just that there is no competition. If Apple wasn't a monopoly, I have no doubt someone like Amazon could deliver a service that undercut Apple by 90% and deliver the same exact "trusted" ecosystem.

hazz99 7y ago
Presumably they vet the different apps that come through, which is a difficult process to automate. > It's not incredibly difficult to operate a trusted digital app sales ecosystem How do you ensure the trust of the millions of apps that are constantly updating?
pwinnski 7y ago
Amazon Appstore exists[0]. It also takes a 30% cut. As a comment above[1] highlights, it is more expensive than it might seem to operate the ecosystem. It always seems like one should be able to reproduce a popular service in a weekend, but the details (and scale) are tricky. [0] https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1002999431 https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1002999431 [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20093819 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20093819
- banachtarski 7y ago
  Right Google Apple and Amazon all take exactly %30. Seems like a fair competitive market. /s
  - pwinnski 7y ago
    I remember life before the iOS App Store. Mechanisms for delivering software on MacOS usually took a much larger cut than 30%. Heck, when Apple announced 30%, Amazon had to scramble and switch from keeping 70% to matching Apple's 30%. Amazon still keeps 70% if you price your ebook under $3, in fact, while Apple does not. Your comment implies price-fixing, but history demonstrates competition, and Apple lowered the costs for everyone.

24 ms·

Is it really that hard to deliver a 15Mb .ipa file to someone's iDevice, that Apple needs a 30% cut of every transaction to do so? It's not incredibly difficul

by oceanplexian 7y ago

hazz99 7y ago
Presumably they vet the different apps that come through, which is a difficult process to automate. > It's not incredibly difficult to operate a trusted digital app sales ecosystem How do you ensure the trust of the millions of apps that are constantly updating?
pwinnski 7y ago
Amazon Appstore exists[0]. It also takes a 30% cut. As a comment above[1] highlights, it is more expensive than it might seem to operate the ecosystem. It always seems like one should be able to reproduce a popular service in a weekend, but the details (and scale) are tricky. [0] https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1002999431 https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1002999431 [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20093819 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20093819
- banachtarski 7y ago
  Right Google Apple and Amazon all take exactly %30. Seems like a fair competitive market. /s
  - pwinnski 7y ago
    I remember life before the iOS App Store. Mechanisms for delivering software on MacOS usually took a much larger cut than 30%. Heck, when Apple announced 30%, Amazon had to scramble and switch from keeping 70% to matching Apple's 30%. Amazon still keeps 70% if you price your ebook under $3, in fact, while Apple does not. Your comment implies price-fixing, but history demonstrates competition, and Apple lowered the costs for everyone.