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I've been bearish on the Open App Markets bill because I just can't see a hyper-efficient, trillion-dollar company being defeated by our dysfunctional, infighti

I've been bearish on the Open App Markets bill because I just can't see a hyper-efficient, trillion-dollar company being defeated by our dysfunctional, infighting-plagued congress, but the more stories like this that reach senators and representatives, the less of a moonshot such legislation becomes.

qzw 5y ago
There are some players with fairly deep pockets on the other side as well. Nobody on the scale of Apple or Google, perhaps, but not mom-n-pop shops either. Plus if I were Microsoft or Amazon, I would be salivating at the chance to run an alternate store on iOS and Android, so there could be some dark money flowing through K Street lobbyists for all we know.
- GekkePrutser 5y ago
  Of course Amazon kinda already does that on Android with Fire OS. It surprised me they never teamed up with phone manufacturers. Not that Fire OS or its store is very good but they have the infrastructure.
  - qzw 5y ago
    Imagine if they could operate an Amazon (or MS) app store on an equal footing with Apple and Google themselves. And then they can pitch to app makers a 5-10% commission instead of 30%. I bet they'd get a lot of takers and maybe some popular apps would even be "Exclusively from the Amazon (or MS) Store." That would cause Apple and Google some serious discomfort.
    - GekkePrutser 5y ago
      That's exactly what epic is doing on the game side. But will they keep those conditions once they get big? I really doubt it.
wsc981 5y ago
I think a Steam managed AppStore on iOS would be great. I don't particularly like the Steam app with it's web based interface, but it's much more responsive than Apple's native app and features like wish lists, content discovery queues and such are really great and help apps and games reach a larger audience.
- GekkePrutser 5y ago
  Or GOG, even better. They really have some great ideas like integrating the different platforms, and they're really great for protecting their customers, not allowing DRM etc. If I can get the same game on Steam and GOG I will always pick the latter.

qzw 5y ago

There are some players with fairly deep pockets on the other side as well. Nobody on the scale of Apple or Google, perhaps, but not mom-n-pop shops either. Plus if I were Microsoft or Amazon, I would be salivating at the chance to run an alternate store on iOS and Android, so there could be some dark money flowing through K Street lobbyists for all we know.

GekkePrutser 5y ago
Of course Amazon kinda already does that on Android with Fire OS. It surprised me they never teamed up with phone manufacturers. Not that Fire OS or its store is very good but they have the infrastructure.
- qzw 5y ago
  Imagine if they could operate an Amazon (or MS) app store on an equal footing with Apple and Google themselves. And then they can pitch to app makers a 5-10% commission instead of 30%. I bet they'd get a lot of takers and maybe some popular apps would even be "Exclusively from the Amazon (or MS) Store." That would cause Apple and Google some serious discomfort.
  - GekkePrutser 5y ago
    That's exactly what epic is doing on the game side. But will they keep those conditions once they get big? I really doubt it.

wsc981 5y ago

I think a Steam managed AppStore on iOS would be great. I don't particularly like the Steam app with it's web based interface, but it's much more responsive than Apple's native app and features like wish lists, content discovery queues and such are really great and help apps and games reach a larger audience.

GekkePrutser 5y ago
Or GOG, even better. They really have some great ideas like integrating the different platforms, and they're really great for protecting their customers, not allowing DRM etc. If I can get the same game on Steam and GOG I will always pick the latter.