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In terms of market share, I'd say it's akin to a regional monopoly. But that's not entirely what I meant. In my view, phones are general purpose computers. A
by benrbray 6y ago
In terms of market share, I'd say it's akin to a regional monopoly. But that's not entirely what I meant.
In my view, phones are general purpose computers. Apple also takes this view, which is the reason they have opened up a software marketplace on their devices.
Just like with Amazon, there are thousands of companies whose revenue depends almost exclusively on their ability to compete in the marketplace set up by Apple. In this scenario, both Apple and Amazon are notorious for abusing their control of the marketplace to disadvantage third-party sellers in favor of first-party products / hardware / software.
If a phone is NOT a general purpose computer, then Apple should disband the app store and only allow first-party apps to run. If a phone IS a general purpose computer, then Apple has an obligation to treat participants in the marketplace fairly, either by relaxing the app review process, or by allowing third-party marketplaces. They cannot have it both ways.
Legally speaking, Apple may not need to change anything. However, I'm talking about how things SHOULD be, not how they ARE.
- valuearb 6y agoOpening up the platform ruins it. The walled garden is exactly why iPhones are so popular and iOS developers so successful.
- _qulr 6y agoiOS developers are not successful in general. The top 1% of App Store developers make the vast majority of the App Store revenue. Apple doesn't seem to care, because they get their 30% regardless of how the other 70% of the revenue is distributed.
- valuearb 6y agoiOS App Developers make around $35B a year. I don’t directly get paid much by it anymore because I shut down my App company. But I have made a very good contracting rate and very high salaries for iOS development directly because of that $35B. Your own app company doesn’t have to be a winner, when the winners need a massive number of developers and have such a fountain of cash to pay them with.
- _qulr 6y ago> Your own app company doesn’t have to be a winner, when the winners need a massive number of developers and have such a fountain of cash to pay them with. I agree that the walled garden tends to create a few huge winners among App Store developers, and mostly losers among the other App Store developers. I don't think this situation is healthy, even if the few winners need a lot of engineers.
- scarface74 6y agoIf it is caused by the App Store, why do we see the same distribution in every single vertical where there is a platform?
- _qulr 6y agoWe don't. For example, Mac software before the Mac app store had a much better distribution.
- scarface74 6y agoI’ve been around the Mac market off an on since the 90s. You had a few small software vendors that could make a living but not really. But you see the same distribution in music, books, podcasts, etc.
- scarface74 6y agoThe same is true for musicians, book publishers, and developers on every single platform.
- breakfastduck 6y agoI disagree. The iPhone is a niche in terms of computing access. I wouldn’t want it to be first party apps only. The App Store being only open to apples approval is what makes the platform what it is. In an ideal world we’d be able to side load apps natively, but it’s not a dealbreaker for me - I can always jailbreak. App Stores on phones should be held to different standards to those on PCs, I feel.