4 ms·

There are lots of malls but realistically only one app store per Android or iPhone.

a4isms 4y ago
Not as long as those platforms have web browsers that haven't been crippled in some way. If I can buy the tee shirt I'm wearing from ebbetts.com on my iPad, there is more than one store I can shop at on my iPad, it's just that the one Apple provides is marvellously convenient. Ironically, Apple is also in the payments business these days, and again they make it marvellously convenient to "Buy with Apple Pay" in a web browser. But they don't force anyone to offer Apple Pay on a web site, if vendors choose to do so, that's just market forces at work. p.s. And it's an awesome tee shirt! https://www.ebbets.com/collections/negro-leagues/products/montreal-black-panthers-1936-t-shirt https://www.ebbets.com/collections/negro-leagues/products/mo...
lolinder 4y ago
There are lots of malls, but if we're talking about the kind that houses >100 business (rather than small strip malls), any given consumer has at most 1-2 that can be reached comfortably. Others are available, but require more work to get to, especially for people without a car. I strongly dislike Apple's and Google's business practices, but I think the analogy OP draws is fair: there are other ways of reaching your customers that require more work on your part and theirs. If it's still worth it to position yourself in the high-traffic mall, that's a valid business decision.
- colinmhayes 4y ago
  but malls compete with other retail options too. There might only be a couple mega malls available, but if they're too expensive people will go to the stores in the strip mall or on main street or what have you instead. If I want an app on my iPhone there is only one choice.
- w-j-w 4y ago
- vel0city 4y ago
  > there are other ways of reaching your customers that require more work on your part and theirs. Which, if in the case of iOS, it's throw away thousands of dollars of computing equipment and previous software licenses so they can buy your $1 app offered on a competing app store.
  - lolinder 4y ago
    Or offer a web app, or a desktop app, or a custom device. I'm not saying I like Apple's game, but I don't think it's as obviously illegal as some do. Should it be? Probably. But it's not obvious to me that courts should rule against them with current laws.
    - vel0city 4y ago
      > Or offer a web app, or a desktop app, or a custom device. Only one of these is essentially not "throw away your iOS device and buy something else" for iOS users, and even then its still 100% controlled by Apple because the only real browser on iOS is Safari. So you're still pretty much in the same boat, but in a worse position trying to reach the large iOS market.

Not as long as those platforms have web browsers that haven't been crippled in some way. If I can buy the tee shirt I'm wearing from ebbetts.com on my iPad, there is more than one store I can shop at on my iPad, it's just that the one Apple provides is marvellously convenient. Ironically, Apple is also in the payments business these days, and again they make it marvellously convenient to "Buy with Apple Pay" in a web browser. But they don't force anyone to offer Apple Pay on a web site, if vendors choose to do so, that's just market forces at work. p.s. And it's an awesome tee shirt! https://www.ebbets.com/collections/negro-leagues/products/montreal-black-panthers-1936-t-shirt https://www.ebbets.com/collections/negro-leagues/products/mo...

lolinder 4y ago

There are lots of malls, but if we're talking about the kind that houses >100 business (rather than small strip malls), any given consumer has at most 1-2 that can be reached comfortably. Others are available, but require more work to get to, especially for people without a car. I strongly dislike Apple's and Google's business practices, but I think the analogy OP draws is fair: there are other ways of reaching your customers that require more work on your part and theirs. If it's still worth it to position yourself in the high-traffic mall, that's a valid business decision.

colinmhayes 4y ago
but malls compete with other retail options too. There might only be a couple mega malls available, but if they're too expensive people will go to the stores in the strip mall or on main street or what have you instead. If I want an app on my iPhone there is only one choice.
w-j-w 4y ago
vel0city 4y ago
> there are other ways of reaching your customers that require more work on your part and theirs. Which, if in the case of iOS, it's throw away thousands of dollars of computing equipment and previous software licenses so they can buy your $1 app offered on a competing app store.
- lolinder 4y ago
  Or offer a web app, or a desktop app, or a custom device. I'm not saying I like Apple's game, but I don't think it's as obviously illegal as some do. Should it be? Probably. But it's not obvious to me that courts should rule against them with current laws.
  - vel0city 4y ago
    > Or offer a web app, or a desktop app, or a custom device. Only one of these is essentially not "throw away your iOS device and buy something else" for iOS users, and even then its still 100% controlled by Apple because the only real browser on iOS is Safari. So you're still pretty much in the same boat, but in a worse position trying to reach the large iOS market.