If apple does end up having that variety of completely push model, they will end up alienating their most evangelical userbase - something they may potentially

If apple does end up having that variety of completely push model, they will end up alienating their most evangelical userbase - something they may potentially not particularly care about by the point at which they'd make a decision of that ilk - however, if they do, said evangelists will jump ship, fast, and the next iteration of creation and growth will start once more. Monopolies only exist when they're protected by law - take, for instance, Fannie Mae and friends - in a capitalist society, however, in the absence of such foul concepts as lobbying, monopolies don't exist, and can't, as typical monopolistic behaviour is ultimately self-destructive, as it merely encourages consumers to seek alternate service or product providers. In terms of having to pay a fee to apple - they provide the platform, they provide the consumers, they provide the tools - and for that, you pay a fee. The alternative is self-publishing, which is, and always will be, possible, but it doesn't come with a built-in consumer base, and therein lies the rub.