ProtonMail vs Apple

[Jim Lambert]

BrianM wrote:
> One thing that seems to be missing in this discussion is the point of view of the ?client?, the one who downloads the app and pays for it

True. 
In the U.S. the laws against monopoly (the Sherman Act of 1890, the Clayton Act of 1914 and the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914) are there to promote competition amongst companies for the benefit of consumers.   Or our end users.

Do Apple's actions and policies monopolistically harm consumers? Consumer behavior itself argues against that. Quite the contrary, consumers are willing to pay a premium for Apple products and services. 

Andre notes that Apple exercises a monopoly WITHIN the iOS system. But that is a misnomer. Apple has a proprietary system not a monopolistic one. And they strictly control it. It's simply not true that "there is nothing iOS users can do about that." Yes, there is. Consumers who don't want to buy into Apple’s closed system are free to buy elsewhere. Consumers can choose Android or any other alternative products. No one is forcing consumers to buy and use Apple products, which is what would happen if Apple had an actual monopoly. In fact, some consumers prefer Apple's strict proprietary control and are willing to pay mucho dinero for it. 

Now look at it from the developers' point of view. Apple makes us jump through many more hoops than Android developers do. Apple constantly changes these hoops which can seem inexplicably capricious. But is it? Or is it a constant effort to assure safe computing for their consumers?

There seems to be an assumption that the 30% cut Apple takes is outrageous. But what does a developer get for that Apple %? If you think you can replace what Apple offers for less money, then just sell your app on Android and rake in the extra bucks. What's stopping you?

The reality is that the vast majority of smartphone apps make little or no money, regardless of OS. 
So is it painful to surrender 30% of nothing? ;)

But back to the purpose of this list, aren't we lucky to have LiveCode, a development platform that gives us the power to develop for whatever platforms make sense for us?

Jim Lambert