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There is no reason Apple and Google couldn’t set up an App Store Certification framework which would allow trusted third parties to operate their own app stores
by numair 5y ago
There is no reason Apple and Google couldn’t set up an App Store Certification framework which would allow trusted third parties to operate their own app stores that were regularly audited and liable for breaches of security.
In fact, this would be far better than the current approach, where these business units are largely unaccountable and hidden behind layers of corporate complexity (which eventually leads to dysfunction, which eventually leads to slower growth). Apple and Google could then spin off their own in-house app stores into independent units, which might even unlock more value for shareholders as these businesses would be likely to be valued at a much higher multiple than the parent.
This would be a way to get regulators and shareholders to work together to achieve the same end result. JPMorgan, Goldman et al would go nuts over the fees for the “AppStore spin out IPO.” Now that I think about it, that would probably be the biggest IPO since Alibaba, or whatever the last “biggest IPO” was.
- edrxty 5y agoBy implying a mandate for auditing and liability, there's no reason to use any terms other than the terms they already attach to the existing app stores. It would just be more of the same policies, just enforced even more arbitrarily as people shop around for which store will erroneously publish their app if the main Apple/Google one doesn't Apple isn't going to magically endorse the "Code execution, Piracy, and Porn App Showroom".
- sfifs 5y agoGoogle already does this to a certain extent by allowing other app stores and will I think very likely move towards certifying other payment frameworks as app store payments is not a significant revenue stream for them - they'll probably negotiate this as part of an antitrust deal with prosecutors Apple OTOH seems to depend on this for 15-20% of annual revenue and this is going to be much more difficult for them
- paxys 5y agoFunny thing is, both companies do exactly this to operate in China. The government does not allow companies to run their own app stores, so Apple and Google (and others who have similar kinds of online stores) have to hand over all operations – including app submission, storage, approvals, install etc. to another local government-approved company completely outside their control. They do all this willingly because they have to, and you don't hear a peep about it from them as they fight other governments worldwide who are trying to enforce even the slightest amount of control of their own.
- Gaelan 5y agoCitation needed?