6 ms·
Sometimes I think the 30% was supposed to be 3% originally, and no one noticed the decimal was in the wrong place when they shipped it, and then people paid it
by davidmurdoch 8mo ago
Sometimes I think the 30% was supposed to be 3% originally, and no one noticed the decimal was in the wrong place when they shipped it, and then people paid it anyway, so they kept it.
30% is just so unreasonable that it would be totally understandable if someone would believe this.
- deadbabe 8mo ago[flagged]
- bjord 8mo agothis is sarcasm, right?
- CivBase 8mo agoPlease explain.
- HumblyTossed 8mo agoHow does one even come about creating a thought like this?
- derekdahmer 8mo agoSteam, the Kindle Store and iTunes all had similar sales cuts since before the app store launched in 2008. It’s egregious now but at the time it wasn’t crazy because software developers often made way less than that when going through traditional publishing routes. Plus everyone was just happy to be making money off the new platform.
- Topgamer7 8mo agoNah, they probably used pre-existing marketplaces like steam as an example of what "they could get away with"
- trimbo 8mo agoIn 2008, the app store was launching, and physical software was still sold at Targets, Walmarts and other large retailers. A 30% margin was roughly what retailers would make off of physical software sales. By setting the App Store to be the same, Apple was signaling to retailers that they were not trying to undercut their margin, and keep a healthy relationship with them.
- bigyabai 8mo agoIt was 2008; "big box" software was largely seen as obsolete to the vast majority of developers. Marketing was done online, and the benefit of investing in retail had stopped outweighing the consequences. Online updates quickly became the norm, and service features supplanted point-of-sale business model (much like Apple's double-dip into microtransaction profits). Apple chose 30% because they knew they weren't a retailer. You can hunt for a cheaper Diablo II copy online or at Wal-Mart, but not on iPhone.
- danpalmer 8mo agoI think console games were the exception to this. It took until recently with the PS5 to get a diskless console model. Apple see the iPhone as a game console, not that anyone else thinks of it in that way.
- trimbo 8mo ago> It was 2008; "big box" software was largely seen as obsolete to the vast majority of developers. Well, I'm just reporting it as I understood their decision in the moment. I was working on The Sims at that time, and I assure you, retailers still mattered to us bigly.
- bigyabai 8mo agoAnd what you quoted is my opinion as a consumer. Blizzard got it working in 1996, Valve figured it out in 2003 - the industry was moving on. EA was an outlier, and by the time they capitulated and started Origin it was so bad that people regret signing up for the service. GoG didn't have this issue, Valve didn't have that issue, EA did.
- legacynl 8mo ago"sometimes I make up false stories to make me feel better about my favorite company :D"
- davidmurdoch 8mo agoI don't even own any apple products.
- legacynl 8mo agostill making up stories though
- davidmurdoch 8mo agoYes, and? Making up a story was literally the point of my comment.