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I don't mind paying "The Apple Tax" on the typical 1-10 dollar one-off paid apps we had basically since 2008 or something, but if I'm going to do a recurring pa
by dep_b 5y ago
I don't mind paying "The Apple Tax" on the typical 1-10 dollar one-off paid apps we had basically since 2008 or something, but if I'm going to do a recurring payment for something like Adobe Photoshop I might or might not be interested in using the App Store. For one I absolutely fucking hate everything surrounding subscriptions and Adobe and paying through Apple might save me a ton of hassle. But other companies might be able to offer a discount in a way that Apple cannot or doesn't want to, like cheaper upgrades for existing users.
- mcintyre1994 5y agoAlso no SAAS company outside of the app store is paying anywhere near 30% to their payments provider, so for something big ticket like that I'd expect them to charge a lot less if you're not buying through the App Store.
- dep_b 5y agoWhile StoreKit is one of the worst API’s in iOS to work with, it’s still cheaper to implement (and usually better) than what a lot of companies use or built themselves.
- cvwright 5y agoI can confirm this. I’ve been implementing App Store subscriptions this week and last. The StoreKit (1.0) piece is easily the worst thing I’ve had to deal with in building the whole app. But I’d still rather do this than try to build the whole payment infrastructure on my own. Here’s to hoping the new API they announced this year will be much nicer.
- AniseAbyss 5y agoI personally dislike middleman parasites and thought the internet would allow people to directly do business with creators. But then I have to admit the convenience of a single store. I think Apple wants avoid a Trivalgo or Booking.com situation were people search for hotels but book a room directly on the hotel's own website for less.
- dep_b 5y agoI really can’t find a lot of places that are cheaper when booking through their own site, or even want to negotiate a deal on the phone. Apparently booking.com has them quite scared for breaking their “no lower price elsewhere” clause.
- wayneftw 5y agoI don’t think the store is very convenient. Every time I search for something, the first item I get is something else. Usually the opposite of what I want. Sometimes the first few items that I get are something else. Also it’s slow on some of my devices for some reason.