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Comment by spamalot159 | Hacker News Reader

Maybe iOS users are less price sensitive than Android users and therefore this might be the perfect way to test out the business model.

It would be hilarious if they actually started making more money because Apple forced their hand.

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Since the payments would have to be made through the App Store platform (unless Facebook forced the user to subscribe through a web browser) Apple would most likely be profiting though.

30%. Either way Apple wins.

"would have to be made through the app store platform" not necessarily. Netflix operates through the app store and doesn't sell subscriptions on the App Store as a big FU to the 30% gouge...

Could Facebook make it happen and profitable in a way to get around Apples rules? I think so... I think Apple would change the rules shortly after though...

Yes, that's why I mentioned Facebook forcing users to subscribe through a web browser as that would be out of Apple's control.

AFAIK the rule is that users can subscribe to a service/product outside of an app and use their account's status on the app, but if the user wants to subscribe from within the app they need to go through the App Store subscription service.

I wonder if Apple's motives were mainly this all along. It's a brilliantly capitalistic move if it was. Either way, props to Apple for fighting against zuck. To me, it seems like he's taken way too many liberties with people's data all under the guise of disruption and making the world a better place.

I have a rough enough idea of how much image hosting costs. If they want to charge more than a dollar per month I will write a competitor.

I'd pay $12 per year for ad free Facebook.

Unfortunately it seems like they make a lot more money per US user than that now:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/251328/facebooks-average...

($53 per US user)

I’d pay $12 a year for a Facebook free internet.

If you are seriously considering paying for the poison that is Facebook, might I recommend you delete your Facebook account instead, and give your money to someone that needs it?

You know that you can blackhole all facebook domains and enjoy facebook-free internet today?

Maybe OP is suggesting everyone pay $12 to take down Facebook? The method needs articulating as everyone on earth paying US$12 wouldn’t get close to buying them out and shutting them down.

Facebook annual revenue is ~$47/daily-active-user . The number for US users is comparable.

Notably, however, a competitor need not target the same level of profitability.

Now, whether asking users to pay for a social network at all is a viable business model, is another question.

Do check out Drew DeVault's blogpost back when he ran an image host[0]

0: https://drewdevault.com/2014/10/10/The-profitability-of-onli...

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