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Apple and Google Face Growing Revolt Over App Store 'Tax' (bloomberg.com)
A backlash against the app stores of Apple and Google is gaining steam, with a growing number of companies saying the tech giants are collecting too high a tax for connecting consumers to developers' wares. From a report: Netflix and video game makers Epic Games and Valve are among companies that have recently tried to bypass the app stores or complained about the cost of the tolls Apple and Google charge. Grumbling about app store economics isn't new. But the number of complaints, combined with new ways of reaching users, regulatory scrutiny and competitive pressure are threatening to undermine what have become digital goldmines for Apple and Google. "It feels like something bubbling up here," said Ben Schachter, an analyst at Macquarie. "The dollars are just getting so big. They just don't want to be paying Apple and Google billions." Apple and Google launched their app stores in 2008, and they soon grew into powerful marketplaces that matched the creations of millions of independent developers with billions of smartphone users. In exchange, the companies take up to 30 percent of the money consumers pay developers.
3rd party app stores since they're clearly abusing the monopoly they have on app distribution for iOS.
Apple doesn't have a monopoly, so there is no place the DOJ gets to intervene. iOS is just a closed platform like the WiiU, Xbox, Playstation 4, or Nintendo Switch. Just like those other platforms Nobody is allowed to build applications for those platforms without a contract with Apple --- If you don't think Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony require developers contract with them to develop on their platforms and share a big cut of revenue from sales and any subscriptions for the right to distribute anything on those platforms, then i'm sure you'd be sorely mistaken. You can become an Apple developer for a fee and have the ability to use a device you personally own for development purposes, but you have to agree to and follow Apple's rules to play in their ball court, and that includes your app has to follow strict guidelines and can only ever be sold through the App store --- any cost necessary to purchase your app will be collected using the approved APIs, and Apple takes whatever cut they were able to get you to agree to.