3 ms·
It bugs me how this is an argument in "app store is not a monopoly". App stores (both Google and Apple) have a huge profit margin which is based on abusing it's
by rubber_duck 6y ago
It bugs me how this is an argument in "app store is not a monopoly". App stores (both Google and Apple) have a huge profit margin which is based on abusing it's position and they are milking the fact that creating competition would cost billions of dollars - this is exactly the situation where a pure market situation ends up being sub-optimal and hurting the consumers.
Consider what would happen if Mastercard and Visa proclaimed that you can no longer accept cash if you want to accept their services ! And then someone would say "but Mastercard is not a monopoly neither is Visa". At one point they even managed to make it illegal to transfer the transaction fees to user visibly as surcharge - but you are still allowed to have a "cash only discount" - Apple and Google are effectively killing this option by preventing third party payment systems and people are saying "they aren't a monopoly".
Fixing this should be pretty straightforward and should apply to all digital app stores :
a) force equal access to these stores (anyone who can legally apply must be able to, irregardless of their relation with store owner, eg. Epic vs Apple, there should be some provisions about what kind of content is not acceptable - but this should be defined on platform basis and enforced consistently, otherwise it should grant you basis for damages suit)
b) force app stores to accept all payment forms in-app (that comply to payment processing standards) - people here claim that app store payment provides them with security, convenience, etc. and I agree - but if I was given the option at a 25% markup (other payment providers aren't free either) I go for other option every time. At 10% over standard payment provider it's a different story - and that's still an insanely profitable spot for them. Point is - consumers decide what benefits them.
c) force app store reviews to follow specific guidelines: time limit on feedback, require explicit feedback of rule violations when you get denied access - to allow appeals through courts if the review process gets abused
- nicky0 6y agoOr just make a web app instead.
- matchbok 6y agoCredit card companies.... already have those rules. No store can just offer a cheaper cash price. It’s in the agreements.
- zucker42 6y agoI've seen many gas stations offer cheaper cash prices. Here's an article which claims credit card surcharges are disallowed but cash discounts are not. https://www.cardfellow.com/blog/cash-discount-eliminate-processing-fees/ https://www.cardfellow.com/blog/cash-discount-eliminate-proc...
- ac29 6y agoCredit card surcharges have been allowed in many states for a number of years now: https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/merchants/surcharging-faq-by-merchants.pdf https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/merchants/surcharging...
- kalleboo 6y agoThey had those rules, but the rules have been outlawed in many places because... they are shitty and anti-consumer
- rubber_duck 6y agoYes they can, it was ruled anti competitive a long time ago - this is why you can often find cash only discount. The only place CC won is that you usually can't surcharge the price, instead you must call it a discount for cash, etc.
- Hamuko 6y agoIs cash even cheaper? I don't think a single store here would prefer you to pay in cash and that sentiment has only grown stronger this year.
- rubber_duck 6y agoDepends on the kind of business, arround here it's quite common (cash/debit vs CC)
- redwall_hp 6y agoPeople have a habit of looking through the wrong end of a telescope when it comes to anti-trust stuff. From a consumer perspective, as someone who already has a phone in-hand and a bunch of vendor lock-in going on, does Apple not have unilateral control over the software market that user has access to? Saying "Android exists" is kind of like saying "you don't have to deal with Standard Oil or the railroads...you can just use coal instead and haul it by ship." Fat lot of good that does you when you have a bunch of oil-burning machinery you've invested in.
- jariel 6y agoThe mobile market is de-facto an oligarchy. Android and iOS control everything really. It would be like only having two national airlines. Sure, there are others, but they only do little routes here and there and if you want to go NYC/LA non-stop among many other routes, you have 'no choice'. It's a new and developing market, and generally it would be nice to let things play out, but, there probably has to be anti-trust action of some kind. In particular, it's not quite right to think of them as 'devices' or 'os's' - it's about 'all the other stuff' i.e. mapping, search etc..