Apple to Developers: Heads I win, tails you lose (part 2)

I&#x27;m surprised that so many developers are siding with Apple in this regard. If other stores and payment options were allowed I genuinely believe that:<p>- Apple&#x27;s own fees would be reduced relatively quickly<p>- Technological savvy users will be able to discern which external sites are safe and get even lower prices when available<p>- Very few companies will be able to afford not being on the App Store (especially if Apple lowers their fees further)<p>- Apple will still make it hard _enough_ to use secondary stores that grandmas will not end up with iPads full of malware

It’s like they want regulators to get involved. The arrogance is insane.

Guys - Epic lost the lawsuit. That&#x27;s why nothing changed.<p>Why does this feel exactly like the 2020 election, where one side lost but keeps complaining that everyone is acting like they lost.

I don’t understand this issue too well to feel one or another. I just want all of my purchases and subscriptions to remain tied to my Apple ID and cancelable from my place.<p>It makes life so much easier and saves money because it’s very hard to forget about subscriptions I no longer use when they’re all listed in one place. Also if I want to refund a purchase for whatever reason I can deal directly with Apple instead of the developer.<p>All things considered Apples tight grip on the App Store works for me.

You may not like the judge&#x27;s decision, but at this stage, all the appeals are over.<p>The judge ruled that Apple is entitled to take a cut of transactions, regardless of who acts as your payment processor.<p>&gt; as discussed in the findings of facts, IAP is the method by which Apple collects its licensing fee from developers for the use of Apple’s intellectual property. Even in the absence of IAP, Apple could still charge a commission on developers. It would simply be more difficult for Apple to collect that commission.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;stratechery.com&#x2F;2021&#x2F;the-apple-v-epic-decision&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;stratechery.com&#x2F;2021&#x2F;the-apple-v-epic-decision&#x2F;</a><p>The judge did hint that Epic screwed up by arguing that Apple should not get a cut of transactions at all, instead of arguing that 30% was too high.

This is an example of the incredible arrogance of companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Facebook. They have the ability to pour an enormous amount of money into lawyers and lobbying so that even companies like Epic or countries like the Netherlands have little chance of controlling misbehavior. Even the IRS is having a hard time getting Microsoft to pay their 28 BILLION dollar tax bill.<p>It should be clear that this is not a developer issue. These companies have complete contempt for their customers. It is not the developer who pays Apple, it is you.<p>At some point, customers will find a way to return that contempt.

Adjacent topic, my prediction over the next 18 months that public perception of Apple will start to shift into the next wave - similar to what happened to Microsoft in the early 2000s. Seems the winds are aligning but again- a half thought out gut view.

I have a lot of conflicting thoughts but I will point out that the Apple ecosystem has to a large degree resisted the enshittification that has consumed others.<p>It is <i>strongly</i> more consumer friendly than alternatives. I pay my money, I receive a software or service. I use apps that are largely free of intrusive ads, scams or tracking.<p>As a consumer I will (and do) take this deal every day of the week.<p>I logged in to Windows for the first time in a while, the other day, and felt <i>violated</i> by the amount of ads, marketing and promotional content the OS itself was throwing in my face.<p>I see similar things when I watch friends use their Android phones.<p>No thank you.

In other news, all sorts of companies aren&#x27;t working on Vision Pro apps.

Since when did we as an industry start championing rentseeking that adds no value?<p>Yes, the App Store is valuable. No, generic payment processing rails aren’t. Even the 1-3% charged by CC companies is bullshit. Apple, of course, charges 10x this.<p>The only reason they get away with it is because they have leveraged cryptography to stifle competition. If other app stores were possible on iOS, Facebook and Epic and Netflix would collaborate to create one in a heartbeat and billions of people would stop having to pay higher prices to inflate Apple’s stock value.