Again, Apple must be forced to do the right thing

In a major Declaring this week, Apple was forced to stop taxing appliaries of application at huge costs just for the privilege of creating applications on its platform. After years of delay tactics and scenario (and, the said judge, “lie downright” in court), Apple must allow application developers to offer integrated purchases via stores outside the App Store, in the United States, Apple will appeal from the decision, but it is required to respect it.

It is not the radical rules instituted by the European Union, which found that the platform was a “goalkeeper” and must therefore allow third-party application stores, to breeding applications, at TAP processors and alternative payment, etc. These regulations, which Apple fought against teeth and nails (and turned out to be partially even now), resulted in a version of iOS that many think better than that we have in the United States

They are not isolated instances. Apple has always fought all possible efforts to allow users to obtain applications on iPhone or iPad, or to pay them, using something other than apple treatment and payments treatment. Apple tells us that the main reason is security and simplicity, but it also happens that you need a big cut (30%, but Apple was supported in various programs and politicians to reduce some of some developers somewhat). Consequently, Apple is currently being prosecuted by the federal government for antitrust violations.

Out of control over control

In the 1980s, Apple began as a disjointed upstay, emphasizing lower costs and more freedom for users and developers, in contrast with IBM, who wanted to control and limit you. Now Apple seems to be considered as a holistic ecosystem, an increasing network of devices and services manufactured by and for Apple's benefit. Since it allows other developers to access “their” platform, it is magnanimous to do so. Access to the iPhone is a gift Apple … or at least, it is the attitude that he seems to transmit.

Apple uses more persuasive language than that, of course. He tells how much he “invests” in developer tools and the App Store and how developers' costs are forced to pay are a necessary cost.

The fact is that Apple is no longer a small business against the big IBM and microsofts of the world. It is one of the most precious in the world business and the most influential of technology. He has several billion customers. Apple now East The IBM of the 80s, the Microsoft of the 90s … and it does not seem to recognize it.

Consider all the ways in which Apple always prevents anyone from making a smartwatch that can do what the Apple Watch does on the iPhone. Apple gives its own special privilege watch, and even its own applications and services on the watch are exclusive. Earlier this year, the original creator of the SmartWatch Pebble announced a new modernized version and highlighted all the ways that Apple prevents any other intelligent watch from also working with the iPhone as an Apple Watch. This is not a short list.

Pebble

Most Apple's problems could be avoided if they were not so greedy for possession and control of all access to the iPhone and iPad for each developer. Apple considers the distribution of applications as a critical source of income, in addition to its advanced margins on equipment. Instead, it should display the development and distribution of applications as a cost center. It should be a business that loses money, such as advertising, because it strengthens demand for Apple products.

Apple’s complaint for its obsession with controlling all distributions and payment of applications is always limited to security and confidentiality, but which sounds hollow when the company will sell you a pleasure to sell you a Mac – an open platform which allows direct web download of applications, other application stores like Steam and open payments. And yet, Mac users do not suffer from existential confidentiality or security risk, and moreover, either Android users (which are far more numerous than iPhone users, on a global scale).

In addition, the EU forcing of softened rules on the distribution of applications, payments, browsers and default applications has not led to the title after the head of the EU iPhone users who are hacked, scammed and cyber-state. It's very good. Everything is fine. We could all have it in this way, on a global scale, and all that he would do is to cause a nominal drop in Apple's income – it's still most precious company in the world This just made a profit of more than $ 27 billion per quarter of reduction mainly for sales and equipment services.

There are two ways to make the best product or service, whether it are headphones, applications, applications or anything else: one is to offer a better experience at a better price so that customers choose you, the other is Prevent others to be able to produce an experience or a price that can beat yours. Apple makes both, but seems to promote the latter as much as the first.

Does Apple know what people want more?

I'm starting to think that Apple's leadership no longer knows what people want. Too many material lines are stuck in an endless cycle of “the same thing as last year but just a little better”. The large push iPhone this year will be a super thin model (call it “iPhone 17 Air” if you want), which will of course limit the space for advanced cameras and larger batteries. When you ask people what they want on an iPhone, almost everyone says a cheaper price, a longer battery life and a better camera (with less photo processing). It is essentially the opposite of the place where Apple is heading.

How is Apple Intelligence so bad? What leaders in Apple said, “Yes, it's great, people will love it. Let's build our Full marketing campaign Around? How is Siri only NOW Get the attention he needs, when it's a public joke for years? Why does Apple continue to try to court the players in the Mac when he does not clearly understand what players want or need and are not willing to invest to deliver it? Why can't Apple make a decent mouse? Why is there six Different iPads? Why does the company make devices to wear on your head (Vision Pro and Airpods Max) which weighs twice what they should? No one has tried these things? Is it just an absolute obsession to do everything in metal?

David Price / Foundry

I mean, look at this new instant website, Apple has just launched a few days ago. Who is it? Why is it so bad? You cannot look for it, you cannot control the scrolling, you cannot find interesting information on any of these celebrities … Why does that exist and why does it have its own sub-domain on Apple.com?

I want to be able to download applications and application stores on my iPhone as I do on my Mac. I want to be able to pay things using Apple's payment methods if I choose, or another method if I prefer. I want developers who use Apple payments to pay costs of around 5%, comparable to Stripe or Square (approximately 3-4%), plus one percent or two to pay for Apple App Store maintenance. This would excite the developers to make the iPhone / iPad their first choice, as it was back in the first years of the iPhone. I want equipment manufacturers to be able to make devices that make all Apple devices, fast pair and instant passage to sending images, so that they can compete in quality, price and new innovative capacities.

I would take advantage of all these things. You would benefit from all these things. Application developers and equipment manufacturers of all kinds would benefit from these things. Apple is surely aware of all these concepts … None of this is new or new, a large part of it on the Mac and the competing platforms. But Apple would be nominally less money, and it starts to feel like Apple really cares about these days.

Apple must change its business culture from top to bottom. There is an omnipresent atmosphere that “we know what is best, you are lucky to be here”, and it must start to adopt a more customer -oriented approach and centered on the user. It seems that the company acts as if we (users and developers) need it, when it should act as if it needed us.