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If anyone from Apple marketing/leadership is out there... as a tech savvy but plain jane iPhone user - I really do just want a bubble wrapped, walled garden iPh

If anyone from Apple marketing/leadership is out there... as a tech savvy but plain jane iPhone user - I really do just want a bubble wrapped, walled garden iPhone experience where everything just works and I don't have to read every scary sounding "iPhone has been hacked" click bait article in breathless suspense only to read the fine print to find the end user in question was dabbling in some sketchy third party app. I feel the same. However, Apple has been playing with fire with their 30% cut and people have been warning for years that this would be a likely outcome in non-US regions. Now the outcome is worse for both Apple and users who prefer the security of the iOS ecosystem. I really think that Apple could have/could still head this off by introducing a separately branded edgier "dev" phone for people who want to live on the cutting edge. That ship has sailed. The new EU regulations require that both phones have side loading.

faizmokh 3y ago
FWIW you can apply for Apple Small Business Program to reduce it to 15% cut. https://developer.apple.com/app-store/small-business-program/ https://developer.apple.com/app-store/small-business-program...
- microtonal 3y ago
  I know, but I am still paying the 30% for every app I purchase that is not from a small business.
  - sbuk 3y ago
    You're not paying the 30%; the vendor is paying 15-30%. Prices wouldn't drop by 30% if Apple removed the requirement, and I'd suggest that it's extremely naive to argue otherwise.
    - kelnos 3y ago
      I think it's more complicated than that. Yes, sellers price at whatever they believe the market can bear. But certainly some do push (past?) that envelope because of that 30%. Without as much pressure on their final take, at least some sellers wouldn't feel pressured to price quite so high. Some may have to pad their pricing (and accept the fact of fewer buyers) simply because they can't make their business work otherwise. Also consider, though, that we have nothing to compare to. Since app developers can't sell outside the App Store, we have no way of knowing what they'd do if they weren't subject to that 30% cut. But for that comparison: consider food delivery apps. Restaurants have to pay similar portions of their take to the food delivery services. And many restaurants do inflate their menu prices on the food delivery apps. So clearly there's some elasticity in "what the market will bear", since they charge different prices for in-person or to-go dining vs. food bought through a third-party delivery service. There's no reason why this should be any different for apps sold on the App Store.

faizmokh 3y ago

FWIW you can apply for Apple Small Business Program to reduce it to 15% cut. https://developer.apple.com/app-store/small-business-program/ https://developer.apple.com/app-store/small-business-program...

microtonal 3y ago
I know, but I am still paying the 30% for every app I purchase that is not from a small business.
- sbuk 3y ago
  You're not paying the 30%; the vendor is paying 15-30%. Prices wouldn't drop by 30% if Apple removed the requirement, and I'd suggest that it's extremely naive to argue otherwise.
  - kelnos 3y ago
    I think it's more complicated than that. Yes, sellers price at whatever they believe the market can bear. But certainly some do push (past?) that envelope because of that 30%. Without as much pressure on their final take, at least some sellers wouldn't feel pressured to price quite so high. Some may have to pad their pricing (and accept the fact of fewer buyers) simply because they can't make their business work otherwise. Also consider, though, that we have nothing to compare to. Since app developers can't sell outside the App Store, we have no way of knowing what they'd do if they weren't subject to that 30% cut. But for that comparison: consider food delivery apps. Restaurants have to pay similar portions of their take to the food delivery services. And many restaurants do inflate their menu prices on the food delivery apps. So clearly there's some elasticity in "what the market will bear", since they charge different prices for in-person or to-go dining vs. food bought through a third-party delivery service. There's no reason why this should be any different for apps sold on the App Store.