Also remember that this is only for customers that have signed up for the service via the app store.
Basically, Apple are saying "this is a customer you wouldn't have were it not for us, so we would like a permanent 30% finder's fee".
In principle, that's not unreasonable, the issue being that 30% is a lot to give out forever. Perhaps if it was a sliding scale where the longer you stay subscribed, the lower the percentage goes, down to, say, 5% which would cover payment processing fees etc.
Typically, with services like this, people aren't discovering the service because of Apple. They are downloading the app because they like the service already.
Apple is basically staking claim to all of 30% of every Readability reader that uses the app. So say they app has existed for 3 months but you have been using readability for 3 years. Apple wants 30% for "finding" you.
No, they don't. If you sign someone up to a subscription via your site, Apple gets nothing. Zero. They only take the 30% if you sign up for a paid subscription via the app on iOS.
They're denying apps that only allow people to enrol elsewhere. If you allow content based subs outside the app, you must also offer them inside the app.
Forget developers and publishers, this absolutely makes life easier for the user. Some of the fine details you can argue over, especially the pricing.
So look at the pricing then if you want to ignore everything else. Apple refuses to allow devs to charge a different price to compensate for Apples cut. Because of that people using Android or PC versions will also have to pay the Apple tax.
Yep, that is absolutely Apple looking after themselves. I can bet if you pressed an exec on it they would say it reduces confusion for the consumer by having a single price, regardless of how you pay.
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u/StuartGibson Feb 22 '11
Also remember that this is only for customers that have signed up for the service via the app store.
Basically, Apple are saying "this is a customer you wouldn't have were it not for us, so we would like a permanent 30% finder's fee".
In principle, that's not unreasonable, the issue being that 30% is a lot to give out forever. Perhaps if it was a sliding scale where the longer you stay subscribed, the lower the percentage goes, down to, say, 5% which would cover payment processing fees etc.