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| Apple defends the App Store policy |
Apple has researched and found that the Apple App Store fees and practices are basically the same as fees and practices in other digital markets (including Google App Store and Amazon App Store), while adhering to the App Store Guidelines.
For years, developers have been claiming that Apple has been involved in non-competitive behavior, and complaints focused on reducing sales of Apple's digital products by 30%.
The complaint also spoke of non-competitive business practices, such as requiring developers to use Apple's payment system for digital purchases.
Apple (from the Analytics team) submitted the search report at Apple's request and made some arguments in defense of the App Store.
The author of the study wrote: "Like other app stores and digital video game markets, the digital market most similar to the Apple App Store calculates a total commission of about 30%."
The study sponsored by Apple has four main findings:
Most app stores charge 30% commission on digital products.
Retailers, travel reservation services, and other markets can charge over 30% for their services.
Software distribution through application stores is cheaper than software distribution through retail stores.
In app stores and other digital markets, users often have to use integrated payment mechanisms to prevent sellers from re-directing buyers to complete transactions elsewhere.
The App Store is one of Apple's most important services and is the only way to install apps on corporate devices.
Although Apple has not directly announced the amount of service revenue directly from the App Store, services are growing rapidly, with sales reaching $ 46 billion in 2019.
Service revenue was 18% of the company's revenue in 2019. With iPhone sales down, investors see services as a business growth engine.
The developers criticized Apple's ability to use data from the App Store to design competitive applications or features.
Criticism also extends to the vague review process, which can lead to removal of the app from the platform for reasons that programmers consider simple or unfair.