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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Xbox president Sarah Bond has criticised Apple‘s decision to charge a fee for iOS apps released outside of the App Store.

A new EU law called the Digital Markets Act goes into effect in March, and states that Apple now has to allow developers to create and offer new apps (including new stores) without using the App Store.

In response, Apple has changed its terms further to ensure it still earns money on non-App Store apps.

This includes a controversial demand that if an app is downloaded more than a million times a year, the developer must pay Apple €0.50 for every download over a million, meaning developers will owe Apple €500,000 / $542,000 for every million downloads after the first million.

The decision was criticised on X by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, who stated: “Under the false pretense of compliance and concessions, [Apple has] put forward a new plan that is a complete and total farce.”

Ek stated his belief that Apple’s terms were created to make developers stay within the App Store infrastructure, alleging that its new €0.50 fee is “extortion, plain and simple”.

Ek’s tweet was then quoted by Xbox president Bond, who gave her backing to the Spofity boss’s statement.

“We believe constructive conversations drive change and progress towards open platforms and greater competition,” she wrote on X.

“Apple’s new policy is a step in the wrong direction. We hope they listen to feedback on their proposed plan and work towards a more inclusive future for all.”

Xbox president says Apple’s third-party app store fees are ‘a step in the wrong direction’ | VGC

Sarah Bond has joined Spotify’s CEO in criticising the iPhone maker’s new policy…

www.videogameschronicle.com

 

[Mownoc]

Not in this article but from another sites article about the same matter: "Apple will also take 17 percent of all apps sold outside of its App Store, with the commission reduced from before."

Apple are still going to get a 17% cut for Apps not even sold on their store? Lol...

 

[Bernoulli]

And IPAD is another story, EU won't accept this

 

[John Wick]

I bet they wouldn't be saying that if they had a store half as successful as Apple's.

 

[ReBurn]

I have a question for the folks who believe that the reason for Apple's walled garden is to keep you safe and secure.

Do you still believe that utter nonsense?

 

[Bernoulli]

I have a question for the folks who believe that the reason for Apple's walled garden is to keep you safe and secure.

Do you still believe that utter nonsense?

Just check reddit or Apples news sites
They believe every Privacy and Security BS they tell them
And they are blind when Mac has this

 

[ReBurn]

Just check reddit or Apples news sites
They believe every Privacy and Security BS they tell them
And they are blind when Mac has this

Yep. Apple has an app certification and notarization process that allows Mac apps to be signed by the developer and they can be distributed from anywhere. There are some strings attached, such as having to provide a copy of your signed code for security scanning and notarization, but the ridiculous fees aren't there. If Apple finds malware in the binary they revoke the cert and the app stops running. The could use this model for third party apps on iOS without the fees, but it was never about security of iOS.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Ah yes, the world's #1 and #2 most valuable companies fighting each other

 

[Dr_Ifto]

Seems they found a loophole in the law that now needs to be closed

 

[Topher]

Kind of weird for the head of a closed platform to be talking about "making progress towards open platforms".

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Kind of weird for the head of a closed platform to be talking about "making progress towards open platforms".

Virtue signalling.

 

[LordCBH]

Aka “we deserve free access to their customers.”

 

[RoboFu]

Just check reddit or Apples news sites
They believe every Privacy and Security BS they tell them
And they are blind when Mac has this

That literally says all apps must pass a review by apple and be assigned a a signed cert.

 

[Bernoulli]

That literally says all apps must pass a review by apple and be assigned a a signed cert.

Not really you just get a notification saying that this app is not verified

 

[NoLootBoxDev]

Apple when they got the bad news (changes):

Then:

 

[ProtoByte]

Walled gardens are not a bad thing, and ecosystems have a right to be closed if the producer so decides.

 

[Topher]

Not really you just get a notification saying that this app is not verified

When I had a Mac that was just a setting that could be turned off. Is that still the case?

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

make you own smartphone and your own app store...oh wait. well, it sucks to be the richest company in the world i guess.

 

[Clear]

Platform storefronts don't matter when you're in the business of services and subscriptions. Because the operator of the service always gets to set their own prices, make their own deals, and most importantly take their cut of the revenue.

Their position has fuck all to do with anything other than strengthening their business by weakening their competition. The sheer disingenuousness is gross.

 

[Crispy Gamer]

The entitlement from these companies complaining is breathtaking just go create a damn competitor nobody wants to compete anymore it's all about the easy profits and with apples userbase the profits could be astronomical but getting governments to change laws to weaken apple's profits and pump up yours is something I'll never be able to get behind.

 

[Gojiira]

Xbox calling Apple ‘Bad’ is just hilariously terrible…Get your own fucking ship in order before criticising others you fucking hacks ffs…

 

[CoreyFlawless]

Hot damn. If it goes then and this is fine. Imagine Microsoft does that with windows. Everytime this store gets downloaded or whatever. In time you have to pay us

 

[JackMcGunns]

I bet they wouldn't be saying that if they had a store half as successful as Apple's.

Am I doing it right?

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Kind of weird for the head of a closed platform to be talking about "making progress towards open platforms".

Not when you consider the direction Xbox seems to be going.

I'm not sure Xbox will always be a closed platform in the future.

 

[MarkMe2525]

A little misleading, as this Xbox rep is one of many calling out efforts by Apple to skirt new regulations imposed in a large market the sell in. Apple's policy amounts to extortion.

 

[mayham2199]

It's insane to me that these companies honestly think they should have access to all of Apple's customers (an ecosystem they built from the ground up) and they should not have to give apple anything for it.

 

[Bernoulli]

It's insane to me that these companies honestly think they should have access to all of Apple's customers (an ecosystem they built from the ground up) and they should not have to give apple anything for it.

Remove steam and all store from windows and lock everyone to the microsoft store

 

[Ozriel]

It's insane to me that these companies honestly think they should have access to all of Apple's customers (an ecosystem they built from the ground up) and they should not have to give apple anything for it.

You also think Windows and MacOS should be locked down to only Apps approved by Microsoft and Apple, eh?

 

[NomenNescio]

.

 

[mayham2199]

Remove steam and all store from windows and lock everyone to the microsoft store

You also think Windows and MacOS should be locked down to only Apps approved by Microsoft and Apple, eh?

Yes I think if you build something from the ground up and build up a customer base. You should do what you want with it. Now MS and Windows might be considered a monopoly so I'm not sure it would be allowed. Having someone come in and say you now must open up this thing you created to anyone else who wants in is not right. Can I just walk into Walmart and start selling my stuff as well?

 

[Ozriel]

Yes I think if you build something from the ground up and build up a customer base. Having someone come in and say you now must open up this thing you created to anyone else who wants in. Can I just walk into Walmart and start selling my stuff as well?

Apple’s touting iOS and iPad OS as general purpose computing devices like the Mac. Historically, every single platform of that nature has been open for users to install their own apps. You certainly wouldn’t be this cavalier about things if Windows or Mac were locked down

Seeing people endorse anti-consumer viewpoints is quite the weird thing.

 

[systemr123]

Yes I think if you build something from the ground up and build up a customer base. You should do what you want with it. Now MS and Windows might be considered a monopoly so I'm not sure it would be allowed. Having someone come in and say you now must open up this thing you created to anyone else who wants in is not right. Can I just walk into Walmart and start selling my stuff as well?

No, but you can open a store next door and sell whatever you want without Walmart requiring your money

 

[Bernoulli]

Apple’s touting iOS and iPad OS as general purpose computing devices like the Mac. Historically, every single platform of that nature has been open for users to install their own apps. You certainly wouldn’t be this cavalier about things if Windows or Mac were locked down

Seeing people endorse anti-consumer viewpoints is quite the weird thing.

they only reason i can think of is he is an Apple stock holder and he is scared of losing revenue from the app store

 

[mayham2199]

No, but you can open a store next door and sell whatever you want without Walmart requiring your money

Yes and MS can go back to making their own phones and they can put as many stores on it as they want.

 

[systemr123]

Yes and MS can go back to making their own phones and they can put as many stores on it as they want.

They certainly could, one thing doesn’t necessarily make the other thing impossible

 

[mayham2199]

They certainly could, one thing doesn’t necessarily make the other thing impossible

Sure and it's not impossible for laws to be passed requiring Walmart to allow anyone to go in and sell their stuff as well.

 

[systemr123]

Sure and it's not impossible for laws to be passed requiring Walmart to allow anyone to go in and sell their stuff as well.

But your analogy doesn’t make sense. They don’t want Apple to be forced to sell other stuff from their own store. They just barely say everyone should be able to have their own store. I don’t get where you get it from that Apple has to sell other people’s stuff from their own store, because that’s not the idea at all

 

[mayham2199]

But your analogy doesn’t make sense. They don’t want Apple to be forced to sell other stuff from their own store. They just barely say everyone should be able to have their own store. I don’t get where you get it from that Apple has to sell other people’s stuff from their own store, because that’s not the idea at all

It's on their property. So then I can go onto the Walmart parking lot and start selling my stuff? I'm not in their store I'm outside.

 

[Banjo64]

Xbox president says Apple’s third-party app store fees are ‘a step in the wrong direction’ | VGC

Sarah Bond has joined Spotify’s CEO in criticising the iPhone maker’s new policy…

www.videogameschronicle.com

M$ really complaining about conduct when they acted appallingly during the ABK saga - pipe down.

 

[FingerBang]

As a software developer I can't even start to express how angry the people who defend Apple's shitty policies make me.

You are gaining nothing. Your safety is not compromised if I want to install apps that don't go through the store. What you're doing is holding things back since Apple is only interested in maximizing their profit. They aren't doing shit to protect you, they're just protecting their money and that's why they're stagnating and the only new product they've released in 10 years is a XR headset.

It's not a matter of not wanting to pay them their cut, it's how they force you to use their tools, their programming language, their browser, even though it's far behind in features and it's all there just for control. You have no fucking idea and keep defending them because you made a goddamn phone your identity.

Turn your brain on.

 

[systemr123]

It's on their property. So then I can go onto the Walmart parking lot and start selling my stuff? I'm not in their store I'm outside.

But it’s not on their property, that’s the whole point, now they make it their own property saying to the new store next door, if you sell a thousand Pokemon cards, which we don’t sell, we need your money. It’s absolutely gross business tactics and the EU should definitely not agree with this bull.

 

[Banjo64]

I have a question for the folks who believe that the reason for Apple's walled garden is to keep you safe and secure.

Do you still believe that utter nonsense?

I don’t care what their motivation is, I just know that the end result is great compared to Android.

 

[FingerBang]

I don’t care what their motivation is, I just know that the end result is great compared to Android.

Explain how

 

[Ozriel]

I don’t care what their motivation is, I just know that the end result is great compared to Android.

Alternative stores on iOS and iPadOS still won’t make it look anything like Android. Certainly MacOS doesn’t look like Windows despite allowing you install apps from other sources.

 

[Banjo64]

Explain how

My flagship Android phones have all had random issues (getting insanely hot for no reason, basic apps like Chrome crashing daily, performance gradually worsening over time etc)

No such issue with my iPhones.

 

[FoxMcChief]

So if a new small app blows up and gets a million downloads, then gets another million downloads, they then owe Apple $500k? Just for being on the store?

 

[FingerBang]

My flagship Android phones have all had random issues (getting insanely hot for no reason, basic apps like Chrome crashing daily, performance gradually worsening over time etc)

No such issue with my iPhones.

Yes, me too in 2012. None of that in the last few years with my Samsung flagship. Not a single crash in years, no overheating even with a cover. But again, even if that was the case, how's being able to install apps outside of the store do that?

Apple's strength is having fixed hardware since they make both the software and the hardware. That won't change if I can install Chrome and not skinned Safari and not have to pay Apple to develop and distribute apps.

 

[Shin-Ra]

It’s easy to say when you don’t have a valuable closed platform of your own any more.

 

[Ozriel]

My flagship Android phones have all had random issues (getting insanely hot for no reason, basic apps like Chrome crashing daily, performance gradually worsening over time etc)

No such issue with my iPhones.

I see. So once Apple allows alternative app stores, someone is going to come up to you and force you at gunpoint to install them?

Chrome is a pre-installed, core app, so it’s surprising you’re bringing this up as an example of issues an open platform can face.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Aka “we deserve free access to their customers.”

What it all boils down to.

We want access to the large customer base you built, to sell our products - without giving you a cut.

Imagine doing this is a big box store. Hey Walmart, we want your shelf space to sell our products and you get nothing.