3 ms·

~This is a really bad idea in my opinion because the total cost of operating the App Store would be equally distributed amongst all apps, which hurts small deve

~This is a really bad idea in my opinion because the total cost of operating the App Store would be equally distributed amongst all apps, which hurts small developers and benefits big corporations disproportionately. An app like Facebook, which is downloaded billions of times, does cost Apple significantly more than a small indie app used by, say, thousands. You can't get around that. Having the small indie app paying for Facebook (indirectly) is a lot worse than the current system. Worse, Apple is unlikely to decrease its profit margin. This would mean small developers and big corps pay an equal share in the profits Apple is going to make.~ ~A better idea would be to have a free tier and take a percentage above that. The first $1000 are a lot more valuable to the creator than everything beyond that.~ edit: OP said per download, misread it. That makes sense.

nolok 5y ago
> the total cost of operating the App Store would be equally distributed amongst all apps No it would not, it would be distributed by usage. If you wonder "would that possibly work ?", welcome to the internet, it works that way. And it doesn't stop apple from offering special terms you can opt in for a flat 30% fee or entirely free if your app is entirely free (or ad supported) too.
austinkhale 5y ago
This is a strange take considering Facebook is distributed for free in the App Store with the current model. Apps paying the 30% tax _already_ subsidize Facebook’s distribution.
- charwalker 5y ago
  Does FB have in app purchases on iOS? If so, is 30% going to Apple as the processor?
  - lukeschlather 5y ago
    Facebook is completely ad-supported. I guess the hole in Apple's revenue model is that they don't charge 30% of ad sales (of course I think this demonstrates how absurd the whole idea of charging a % of subscription revenue is.)

nolok 5y ago

> the total cost of operating the App Store would be equally distributed amongst all apps No it would not, it would be distributed by usage. If you wonder "would that possibly work ?", welcome to the internet, it works that way. And it doesn't stop apple from offering special terms you can opt in for a flat 30% fee or entirely free if your app is entirely free (or ad supported) too.

austinkhale 5y ago

This is a strange take considering Facebook is distributed for free in the App Store with the current model. Apps paying the 30% tax _already_ subsidize Facebook’s distribution.

charwalker 5y ago
Does FB have in app purchases on iOS? If so, is 30% going to Apple as the processor?
- lukeschlather 5y ago
  Facebook is completely ad-supported. I guess the hole in Apple's revenue model is that they don't charge 30% of ad sales (of course I think this demonstrates how absurd the whole idea of charging a % of subscription revenue is.)