European publishers feel 'betrayed' by Apple's iOS app subscriptions

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  • Reply 141 of 163
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


    Apparently you still didn't get the memo about the App Store being based on revenue sharing, not fee for services.



    Apparently you are the only person with this memo.
  • Reply 142 of 163
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,860member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    I see. So apparently the argument is this: because Apple forces it developers to distribution through the App Store ( rather than, as with the Android market via the store, Web, or any way you want really) then every single subsequent transaction undertaken by that application to generate revenue - even if it uses it's own servers, distributes it's own content, handles it's own encodings and streaming, charges it's own credit card transactions, it still "owes" Apple money as some sort of rent for being on the system in the first place.



    Not only does Apple not see the people who buy the device as owners, apparently it sees it's developers as serfs subject to a land tax for renting space on the land. This isnt about the ( genuine) costs that Apple has in the original distribution, it is feudalism on revenue earned afterwards.



    It sees the developers as business partners with whom it has reciprocal contractual obligations. If Apple simply turns a blind eye to out-of-app purchases, more and more developers will game the system like Amazon is doing: Give out a free "shell" app so Apple makes nothing on the "sale", then, sell the actual content of the app in the alley so Apple doesn't get any of that either. Amazon, and anyone following the same model, is freeloading on the App Store and making big profits in the process.
  • Reply 143 of 163
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,860member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    Apparently you are the only person with this memo.



    That's odd, it was quoted in your post above.
  • Reply 144 of 163
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


    That's odd, it was quoted in your post above.



    No, I quoted what you were saying, and worked out the implications.



    lets try a specific example.



    NBC own content. They pay for a TV programs. They hire directors. They hire actors. They product all this content and sell it on TV ( sell the advertising) and on the website. Also an advertising model.



    Now they want to produce an app for the app store. For paid content. Well, Flash doesnt work ( I wonder if this is the reason) so they spend money on encoding everything for Apple live streaming. They have a credit card system. They host and stream the content. All in all they reckon that each program ( or season) bought on their app garners 30% margin.



    Apple say that they need to add the IAP button. Apple wants the 30%.



    Now you say that Apple "deserves" this money. I say NBC own the content, Apple deserves nothing and frankly, Apple should be glad that NBC are on the iPad and have paid developers to make the device more useful.



    Enforce this rule and NBC will be on HoneyComb, and most definitely not on iOS.



    By God Google must be falling about laughing at this major major cockup. If Apple do subsequently reduce the tax from 30% it will still not necessarily placate the content owners. Apple have proven they can read the guidelines as they want, any time they want.



    Game over. Android has won.
  • Reply 145 of 163
    penchantedpenchanted Posts: 1,070member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    I see. So apparently the argument is this: because Apple forces it developers to distribution through the App Store ( rather than, as with the Android market via the store, Web, or any way you want really) then every single subsequent transaction undertaken by that application to generate revenue - even if it uses it's own servers, distributes it's own content, handles it's own encodings and streaming, charges it's own credit card transactions, it still "owes" Apple money as some sort of rent for being on the system in the first place.



    Why do you keep misstating this issue? Apple has made it abundantly clear that you can distribute however you like but you must also allow Apple a shot at the sale with an in-app purchase option. Please stop trying to make it sound like Apple has removed the other options.
  • Reply 146 of 163
    blah64blah64 Posts: 993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


    There's no difference. Apple actually allows them to sell stuff out the back door. All they are saying is that they have to give customers the option of paying at the register too. Sounds pretty reasonable of Apple to let Amazon, et al. cheat them out of some revenue, as long as they make it possible that Apple won't be cheated out of all of it.



    You're wasting your breath. asdasd is just being obstinate and not paying any attention to what you're saying, nor did he even attempt to address the points I brought up.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    Somethings gotto give. Apple will probably give. If not the iPad is 5% this time next year.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    Android at 95% next year. iOS at 5%. No content providers touching it with a barge pole.



    We will see. Quoted here for truth. When next year rolls around we can all laugh at your preposterous prediction. 5% huh? And written/quoted twice, so you can't claim a typo. I can't wait for your backpedaling to start on this one. Maybe if you start now...
  • Reply 147 of 163
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,860member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    ... Now you say that Apple "deserves" this money. I say NBC own the content, Apple deserves nothing and frankly, Apple should be glad that NBC are on the iPad and have paid developers to make the device more useful. ...



    I didn't say anything about "deserves", I said that, when you signed the developer agreement, these are the terms agreed to. You're arguing that you should be able to get all of the benefits of being a developer without fulfilling any of your obligations. Which position is rational?
  • Reply 148 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    Not only does Apple not see the people who buy the device as owners, apparently it sees it's developers as serfs subject to a land tax for renting space on the land. This isnt about the ( genuine) costs that Apple has in the original distribution, it is feudalism on revenue earned afterwards.



    Android at 95% next year. iOS at 5%. No content providers touching it with a barge pole.



    Since the App store and Mac App store charge a similar percentage, I think the following article is interesting.



    http://www.pixelmator.com/weblog/201...mac-app-store/



    The story is about serfs who reduced the price on their product, and ended up grossing $1 million in 20 days.



    As for 30% being too high, I know of people that have given 100% of the sales to a seller. The reason? They understand the Lifetime Value of their Customer.



    So, we'll see if it's worthwhile for content providers to share 30% of a large number, vs. keeping all of a small number. The ease of purchasing has me buying many items that I wouldn't have if I had to go online. My children have also purchased apps that I know wouldn't have been purchased had the ordering system been elsewhere.
  • Reply 149 of 163
    newbeenewbee Posts: 2,055member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    Apple is not distributing anything in in-App purchasing. Read the manual.



    Money Quote



    You may choose one of the following ways to deliver digital item to users:

    ?\tProvide the content within your app binary and enable it when the user makes a

    purchase.

    ?\tDownload the content from your servers for use by your app when the user makes a

    purchase.




    As long as you like money quotes ... here's one from the same manual.



    Subscriptions and subscription renewals to content or services can be offered to customers for

    purchase.

    You can offer customers the opportunity to renew their content or service subscriptions using

    In App Purchase
    .....
  • Reply 150 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    At the launch of The Daily today Murdoch said that the cost was 30% to Apple for the subscription model and he expected that to last for this year. So it will for everybody.



    I just watched the launch video for The Daily and no one mentioned any revenue sharing amount. I have also searched for this information and can find nothing said by either Apple or News Corp. There are plenty of articles out there asserting 30% based on the current App Store split.



    So, I ask again, can you post a link to an authoritative article that spells out the revenue share for subscriptions?



    My best guess is that the subscription revenue share will be part of the announcement that Eddy Cue alluded to occur within a couple of weeks.
  • Reply 151 of 163
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    Apple is not distributing anything in in-App purchasing. Read the manual.



    Money Quote



    You may choose one of the following ways to deliver digital item to users:

    ?\tProvide the content within your app binary and enable it when the user makes a

    purchase.

    ?\tDownload the content from your servers for use by your app when the user makes a

    purchase.




    The first case is providing the in app purchase from Apple servers since the unlocked content/capability is part of the app that is delivered from iTunes.



    The switch to unlock that content is also from Apple servers since the App has to know the transaction went through.



    So much for a money quote.
  • Reply 152 of 163
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Blah64 View Post


    You're wasting your breath. asdasd is just being obstinate and not paying any attention to what you're saying, nor did he even attempt to address the points I brought up.



    We will see. Quoted here for truth. When next year rolls around we can all laugh at your preposterous prediction. 5% huh? And written/quoted twice, so you can't claim a typo. I can't wait for your backpedaling to start on this one. Maybe if you start now...



    The guy's a troll and I'm starting to think he's just one of the hoarded ids the usual trolls had saved up. Thus far all he's done is spread FUD.
  • Reply 153 of 163
    blah64blah64 Posts: 993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nht View Post


    The guy's a troll and I'm starting to think he's just one of the hoarded ids the usual trolls had saved up. Thus far all he's done is spread FUD.



    Agreed. Guess it's time to mosey along to the next topic...
  • Reply 154 of 163
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,860member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nht View Post


    The guy's a troll and I'm starting to think he's just one of the hoarded ids the usual trolls had saved up. Thus far all he's done is spread FUD.



    He claimed in an earlier thread's discussion of this topic that he had an app rejected for attempting to game the system and avoid his contractual obligations. So, he may just be an enraged developer who thought he had found a way around the revenue sharing system and is mad because he got caught. Nothing pisses people off like getting caught cheating.
  • Reply 155 of 163
    penchantedpenchanted Posts: 1,070member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nht View Post


    The guy's a troll and I'm starting to think he's just one of the hoarded ids the usual trolls had saved up. Thus far all he's done is spread FUD.



    He still has not responded to my call to prove the following outright lie:

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    At the launch of The Daily today Murdoch said that the cost was 30% to Apple for the subscription model and he expected that to last for this year. So it will for everybody.



  • Reply 156 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


    No, it's like taking on a partner in your store and agreeing to split the revenue with him. What you are suggesting is that it's ok to sell stuff out the back door and not give him the agreed to percentage of those sales, because you didn't ring them up at the register.



    How is it like taking on a partner, if you take on a partner you split the profit. Apple still takes 30% even if there is no profit. And how is it out the back door, you pay Apple to distribute your app and they also get 30% of what it sells for. After that its nothing to do with Apple. It would be like saying when I buy something from Amazon on my Mac, running Windows, using Google Chrome they've sold it to me through the back door as Apple, Microsoft and Google all haven't recieved 30% of what I paid.



    This does make me wonder though, if Apple has a case for charging 30% of anything an app sells, shouldn't the carrier also be able to charge 30% for anythough bought through there network. After all they actually have a direct cost related to the puchase and currently there getting nothing.
  • Reply 157 of 163
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    The idiocy continues. I cant be assed with multi-quotes.



    1) Calling someone a troll is not an argument but an ad hominem. Apparanty I joined years ago and started torlling on this one topic. I was saving up my IDs.

    2) I have never denied the back door option except to point to it as a farce. As I pointed out it depends on the UI. I mentioned this numerous times. Lets quote me.



    Quote:

    Well it is either that or take an Apple tax which wipes out your margins. Agreed that [2 buttons] is a bad UI model, but so is any combination of 2 buttons. If there is one button and that is IAP, then content providers have no business model.



    Apple are not going to allow two buttons with different prices as no-one will hit the higher priced button so theu would get 30%. With one button it would have to be IAP. If someone has an argument against that, please make it.



    3) Murdoch said the subscription model was 30% for the Daily at the Q&A after the Daily was released. Not in the presentation.

    4) The IAP guide clearly states that no content is served by Apple. There is no other way to spin that.

    5) Great that Pixelamtor is doing well but it is bog all to do with this argument. Can you people read? Pixelmator is not being charged for content but the initial delivery through the app store. No-one is denying that Apple should get a percentage for anybody who uses their store for delivery. In the case of in-app content where companies can do their own delivery ( and have to per the IAP guidelines) Apple has no business taking a cut.
  • Reply 158 of 163
    penchantedpenchanted Posts: 1,070member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    3) Murdoch said the subscription model was 30% for the Daily at the Q&A after the Daily was released. Not in the presentation.



    I watched the complete video of the launch available at The Daily site:

    http://www.thedaily.com/launch



    This video included the Q&A session and ended with them leaving (well, getting up out of their chairs). No mention was made of the 30% Apple share.



    I also have searched to find any article that reported that either Apple or NewsCorp mentioned the 30% share. I can't find any. All I can find is people assuming the 30% share based on the previous cut.



    You have stated that the 30% share was mentioned during the launch. Can you please point us to anything that authoritatively corroborates your claim?
  • Reply 159 of 163
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    Yeah, why not.



    http://paidcontent.org/article/419-m...he-daily-take/





    EDIT: to be fair that wasn't Q&A but a subsequent business interview on Fox.
  • Reply 160 of 163
    penchantedpenchanted Posts: 1,070member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by asdasd View Post


    Yeah, why not.



    http://paidcontent.org/article/419-m...he-daily-take/





    EDIT: to be fair that wasn't Q&A but a subsequent business interview on Fox.



    Thanks for the link - not sure how I missed it. So 30% it is for now. As a publisher, it might still be possible for NewsCorp to make some money. During the Q&A, Murdoch said that The Daily operation costs under 500k per week (before any advertising or subscriptions). Still it seems too much to me. And then there is this which does not bode well:

    http://paidcontent.org/article/419-t...a-big-problem/



    The people who are really being squeezed by any in-app purchase share is other retailers who are themselves only getting a cut of of the retail price.
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