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There are a ton of competing app stores, the fact that you can't access them on an iPhone means nothing. Apple made a platform, they have every right to set the

There are a ton of competing app stores, the fact that you can't access them on an iPhone means nothing. Apple made a platform, they have every right to set the rules. Don't like it go somewhere else there are plenty of other choices.

kevingadd 6y ago
"Apple made a platform, they have every right to set the rules. Don't like it go somewhere else there are plenty of other choices." is not necessarily sound reasoning here. US telecoms were broken up as a monopoly even though they made the platform and had every right to set the rules. "go somewhere else" implies buying a new phone, potentially under contract, and smartphones aren't cheap.
- jaegerpicker 6y ago
  US Telecoms were broken up also because they offered little choice to the customer. Ma bell owned the vast majority of them and owned the lines making it hard to impossible to offer other services. Apple isn't even the most popular smart phone. Nothing forces you to use Apple.
  - etimberg 6y ago
    Nothing forces you to use Apple, but you are forced to use Apple's app store.
    - jaegerpicker 6y ago
      In what way? If I don't want to use or develop for the app store ... I just don't, I build for Google Play or the Web. Nothing forces me to use Apple Hardware and if I want to use Apple Hardware I have to agree to the terms.
      - etimberg 6y ago
        If you are a user of an iPhone you cannot get an app from elsewhere. If I develop an app and sell if for $4.99 on the app store (price based on projections of downloads, how much apple takes, etc needed to make my money back). However I could offer the same app for $3.99 on an appstore that took a more reasonable percentage cut and get more downloads since lots of users are price sensitive. From this perspective, it looks like a textbook case where prices are higher for consumers due to the lack of competition. Even if one builds for the web, apple only allows a single browser engine which is their own. They unilaterally can decide what to implement and what features to add or remove.

kevingadd 6y ago

"Apple made a platform, they have every right to set the rules. Don't like it go somewhere else there are plenty of other choices." is not necessarily sound reasoning here. US telecoms were broken up as a monopoly even though they made the platform and had every right to set the rules. "go somewhere else" implies buying a new phone, potentially under contract, and smartphones aren't cheap.

jaegerpicker 6y ago
US Telecoms were broken up also because they offered little choice to the customer. Ma bell owned the vast majority of them and owned the lines making it hard to impossible to offer other services. Apple isn't even the most popular smart phone. Nothing forces you to use Apple.
- etimberg 6y ago
  Nothing forces you to use Apple, but you are forced to use Apple's app store.
  - jaegerpicker 6y ago
    In what way? If I don't want to use or develop for the app store ... I just don't, I build for Google Play or the Web. Nothing forces me to use Apple Hardware and if I want to use Apple Hardware I have to agree to the terms.
    - etimberg 6y ago
      If you are a user of an iPhone you cannot get an app from elsewhere. If I develop an app and sell if for $4.99 on the app store (price based on projections of downloads, how much apple takes, etc needed to make my money back). However I could offer the same app for $3.99 on an appstore that took a more reasonable percentage cut and get more downloads since lots of users are price sensitive. From this perspective, it looks like a textbook case where prices are higher for consumers due to the lack of competition. Even if one builds for the web, apple only allows a single browser engine which is their own. They unilaterally can decide what to implement and what features to add or remove.