I had posted a question to HN earlier to try to wrap my head around how the app store model worked/was legal. I definitely did not phrase it in the best way, and sincerely appreciate all of the feedback I received. Anyways, this is how I have finally come to wrap my head around the App Store model.<p>Smartphones are like a country. The platform, the ‘land’ you live in. The App Store is like the government of a country. If you want to build a business within any country, you must pay taxes to ensure that the infrastructure is maintained; you must pay a % fee to ensure that the country (smartphone) can continue to provide services to its people (users). A country can place limits on what you can and can’t do within its borders to ensure the greater good of all within the country, to protect its people and infrastructure. You can also move to a different country if you think the tax burden is too high; you may freely decide to build your apps for another smartphone.<p>I’m sure it’s been described this way already many times, but maybe this will help someone else understand it if they were having trouble.