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Comment by shizzy0 | Hacker News Reader

Here's a potential solution to this mess. We treat app store placement like it's a free resource right now since it doesn't take up any physical space. However, it does increase its users cognitive load. All apps that have ever been produced sit on the app store unless their creators explicitly choose to take them down. That's like a department store that houses every invention ever made no matter how antiquated or outdated. Apple could introduce a "property tax". If you want to take up shelf space, you've got to pay a yearly tax or make way for other apps that will more productively use that space.

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This is an interesting thought, but history has already shown the outcome. Shelf space dominated by the big players and defacto price fixing.

A better approach would be for a few very high quality niche apps to get together an open their own app store. They sell only though their store and price the apps appropriately. Thus starting boutique markets. Could happen now with Android but currently not Apple.

Without needing to support sideloading, Apple could let users group apps on the store into their own collections, which other users could browse. They could even let the users theme them, somewhat like Apple's own decorated collections -- and give the "curator" a user ends up purchasing from a small cut (5-10%) of the sale price.

In other words, replicate the well-trodden player-vendor system from MMOs.

No ... a couple quick examples. Kids don't go to Walmart looking for the Abercrombie & Fitch department. They want the fantasy built around the brand and that means their own stores. Stihl when the dealer route because they wanted to differentiate their higher quality and provide a more personal customer relationship than Walmart would allow.

Gotta get Apple out of that lock-in in order to support true boutique shops.

I guess that depends on whether you see the App Store as a single shop, a department store, or a mall. There might not be Abercrombie & Fitch departments in Walmart, but there are certainly Apple-store-themed electronics sub-departments within Best Buy.

You got it. I think the sub-departments is exactly the wrong model. Completely separate stores with completely separate and unique identities. Apps not also sold in the app store. Boutique shops selling and supporting a very narrow vertical.

Apple already has this tax. It's the yearly developer renewal fee.

That isn't per app though

You're confusing profitability with productivity, and potentially killing lots and lots of very useful apps that are distributed for reasons other than profit.

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