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Apple provides value to both end-users and developers. It does not seem unreasonable to charge them both. And if Apple did not charge developers, that would sug

Apple provides value to both end-users and developers. It does not seem unreasonable to charge them both. And if Apple did not charge developers, that would suggest they’d have to raise prices on end-users to make up the difference, which does not seem fair to the users.

q3k 6y ago
If that is the case, are we going to see device price hikes after this cut decrease? Apple can afford to not make 15%/30% off of developers. They are just greedy for short-term profit, as any publicly traded company is. The only reason this cut happened is because they started getting threatened with lawsuits, so they had to slightly slow down their free money printer.
- breakfastduck 6y ago
  Just because they can afford not to take it doesn't mean it's free
saagarjha 6y ago
But developers provide value to Apple and users as well, and of course already "pay" by writing software for the platform.
- breakfastduck 6y ago
  Thats fair but kinda like saying a food product producer is already providing value to a store by producing goods but not paying the store any money to host their product. It doesn't really make sense.
  - syshum 6y ago
    I am not sure what you said makes any sense... The food product producer is not selling to me directly, they sell to the store, who then sells to me. Apple is not selling me the app, they are very clear about this, my relationship is with the App Developer, they are just a "payment processor" So comparing the App Store to traditional retail store is no where near a proper analogy
    - breakfastduck 6y ago
      It is more like a market than a store. I buy from the stall / seller rather than the Market, but Market stalls still pay rent to the market to set up shop.
  - oblio 6y ago
    Of course, as we all know, the cost of distributing 1 million digital goods is the same, and scales the same way, as distributing 1 million physical goods. There is a moral imperative that copying of software, which costs almost 0, is taxed per unit, just like physical goods, where there is a storage cost, a transport cost, etc. I'm being ironic, obviously. Apple's App Store profits show that they're basically just sharecropping developers. Their operating costs are minimal and the fact that they're allowed to charge per unit, like they're Walmart and have to stock actual shelves, is quite ridiculous.
- whywhywhywhy 6y ago
  To Apple developers are disposable, if you don’t want to make software in their garden someone else will clone your app there. They seem themselves as the ones providing value to you. It won’t be long till they make more changes to make sure they get that value out of you on the desktop too.

q3k 6y ago

If that is the case, are we going to see device price hikes after this cut decrease? Apple can afford to not make 15%/30% off of developers. They are just greedy for short-term profit, as any publicly traded company is. The only reason this cut happened is because they started getting threatened with lawsuits, so they had to slightly slow down their free money printer.

breakfastduck 6y ago
Just because they can afford not to take it doesn't mean it's free

saagarjha 6y ago

But developers provide value to Apple and users as well, and of course already "pay" by writing software for the platform.

breakfastduck 6y ago
Thats fair but kinda like saying a food product producer is already providing value to a store by producing goods but not paying the store any money to host their product. It doesn't really make sense.
- syshum 6y ago
  I am not sure what you said makes any sense... The food product producer is not selling to me directly, they sell to the store, who then sells to me. Apple is not selling me the app, they are very clear about this, my relationship is with the App Developer, they are just a "payment processor" So comparing the App Store to traditional retail store is no where near a proper analogy
  - breakfastduck 6y ago
    It is more like a market than a store. I buy from the stall / seller rather than the Market, but Market stalls still pay rent to the market to set up shop.
- oblio 6y ago
  Of course, as we all know, the cost of distributing 1 million digital goods is the same, and scales the same way, as distributing 1 million physical goods. There is a moral imperative that copying of software, which costs almost 0, is taxed per unit, just like physical goods, where there is a storage cost, a transport cost, etc. I'm being ironic, obviously. Apple's App Store profits show that they're basically just sharecropping developers. Their operating costs are minimal and the fact that they're allowed to charge per unit, like they're Walmart and have to stock actual shelves, is quite ridiculous.
whywhywhywhy 6y ago
To Apple developers are disposable, if you don’t want to make software in their garden someone else will clone your app there. They seem themselves as the ones providing value to you. It won’t be long till they make more changes to make sure they get that value out of you on the desktop too.