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Apple’s biggest critics are big mad about the new 27 percent App Store tax
(www.theverge.com)
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this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2024
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This is about purchases of virtual goods made by users of the app either directly in the app (30% combined commission and payment processing fees), or who click a link in the app to make the purchase using an external payment provider (27% commission). In all cases, these are sales originating from within the app.
I’m not sure if there have been any changes in the last few years (I doubt it), but developers paid Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony a 15% “licensing” fee for physical media games sold for their consoles. That has been the basic business model for all consoles for decades.
But the latter example is about an application not developed by Apple processing payments with mechanisms also not made by apple. In what world is it fair to be forced to give Apple another 27% when they didn't contribute shit beyond what you've already paid for.
What next? Paying Microsoft 27% for releasing a paid for app on Windows?
I'm not sure if you're aware, but games consoles are a completely different market with completely different laws and standards governing them. Game consoles are not general purpose devices. They are closed platforms where you gotta sign lengthy NDAs and pay thousands just to get yourself a fucking dev kit.
Comparing the smartphone market to the games console market just proves you know fuck all about either.
iPhones are a closed platform. Ditto for iPad and Apple Vision Pro. They are essentially an app console. They have never been sold to consumers or presented to developers as anything else. For what it’s worth, almost all of the in-app revenue at the center of this discussion is gaming revenue. Everything else is a rounding error.
Not like consoles, they are not. Anyone can develop for them, the only barrier is a small license fee and a Mac. Nintendo, Sony and MS will straight up not sell you an SDK if you are not an established gaming or educational organisation.
They have been sold as general purpose devices that, like I said, anyone can develop for. Again, they are nothing like consoles.
Spotify would disagree.