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Apple Announces App Store Small Business Program

(www.apple.com)
830 points todsacerdoti | 1 comments | 18 Nov 20 11:04 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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nikivi ◴[18 Nov 20 11:13 UTC] No.25135478[source]▶
Same model as Unreal Engine. I wonder if this scaling model works out for most marketplaces or only specific ones.
replies(1): >>25135511 #
q3k ◴[18 Nov 20 11:18 UTC] No.25135511[source]▶
Except Unreal Engine actually delivers some value for their cut.
replies(2): >>25135558 #>>25135576 #
breakfastduck ◴[18 Nov 20 11:26 UTC] No.25135576[source]▶
The Apple software/hardware ecosystem delivers no value?
replies(2): >>25135597 #>>25135860 #
q3k ◴[18 Nov 20 11:28 UTC] No.25135597[source]▶
Why should developers also pay for this, when end users already do? Apple is double dipping like a world-class monopolist (see: ISPs who charge both peers and customers).
replies(1): >>25135619 #
lilyball ◴[18 Nov 20 11:31 UTC] No.25135619{3}[source]▶
Apple provides value to both end-users and developers. It does not seem unreasonable to charge them both. And if Apple did not charge developers, that would suggest they’d have to raise prices on end-users to make up the difference, which does not seem fair to the users.
replies(2): >>25135646 #>>25135746 #
saagarjha ◴[18 Nov 20 11:47 UTC] No.25135746{4}[source]▶
But developers provide value to Apple and users as well, and of course already "pay" by writing software for the platform.
replies(2): >>25135970 #>>25136622 #
breakfastduck ◴[18 Nov 20 12:23 UTC] No.25135970{5}[source]▶
Thats fair but kinda like saying a food product producer is already providing value to a store by producing goods but not paying the store any money to host their product.

It doesn't really make sense.

replies(2): >>25136778 #>>25136959 #
1. oblio ◴[18 Nov 20 14:17 UTC] No.25136959{6}[source]▶
Of course, as we all know, the cost of distributing 1 million digital goods is the same, and scales the same way, as distributing 1 million physical goods.

There is a moral imperative that copying of software, which costs almost 0, is taxed per unit, just like physical goods, where there is a storage cost, a transport cost, etc.

I'm being ironic, obviously. Apple's App Store profits show that they're basically just sharecropping developers. Their operating costs are minimal and the fact that they're allowed to charge per unit, like they're Walmart and have to stock actual shelves, is quite ridiculous.