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Comment by cryptonym | Hacker News Reader

That's a fair statement, you may like Apple payment even if it adds 30% to whatever you are buying. What is not fair is forcing everyone into this.

If I'm selling content, why couldn't I give customer the choice between:

- Paying the 30% Apple cut and benefiting from everything you like about this

- Buying directly, cheaper, without Apple cut (or maybe with a tiny cut if that make any sense, removing only 3pt is a joke)

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Because it's Apple's marketplace and Apple's customers.

They spent billions on hardware, software, R&D, marketing and operations.

Why would they give another business a free access to a billion of their customers?

You want to earn money of Apple's customers? Then pay Apple a revenue share of the money you get from their customers.

That's how pretty much any marketplace works in the world.

From your local Target to Salesforce/Shopify/PlayStation/Epic Store/Steam/etc.

I don't think that's equivalent. If you buy a Ford car, you aren't forced to buy tires from the Ford dealership. You're not a "Ford Customer" beholden to the Ford Motor Company when it comes to everything related to the car. If you buy a Dell desktop you aren't forced to buy all software through a Dell marketplace. I'm sure if these companies could, they would, and apple can and so they do. But is that the world we want? Sure, in a totally "free" market apple should be able to do want ever they want. But are we more interested in freedom for corporations or freedom for people? Would things be better for everyone if we used the power of government to prevent these anticompetitive practices? Why can't apple offer good reason for iPhone users to buy software through their marketplace and take the 30%, all the while allowing users to choose to download software outside of the marketplace?

This is rapidly changing with Tesla first. Outside the tires not much you're going to get after-market except from Tesla.

You always have the option to not buy a ford, or not buy an iPhone.

We have the option to make the laws such that this cute little rent-extracting business model you defend gets companies who follow it shut down for being criminal enterprises.

And you're convinced that this is good for us?

That's true and is not something most people are happy with. This model is being pushed on us by billionaires.

Apple does not create that kind of value; it hoodwinks buyers with a pretty interface and its cultish marketing. Like any hazing ritual or circumcision, the new apple user feels he put in a heavy cost to join what appears to him to be an elite class (but really a marketing trick). The new user is now complete and ready to defend his newly acquired identity in internet forum posts critical of it.

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