“Apple is the most respected company in the world, in the eyes of money managers consulted for a poll published this month by Barron’s, the influential American financial magazine,” Ian Burrell writes for The Independent. “In terms of wealth, it long ago surpassed Microsoft and last month topped PetroChina to become the second most valuable company on earth, trailing only Exxon Mobil. Meanwhile, a survey of young Britons, Project Chatter, revealed last week that the Apple brand was more familiar to them than any other.”
“And yet never has the business which Steve Jobs has nurtured over the past 35 years had so many enemies – and not just the other technology giants who envy its success,” Burrell writes. “Last week in Barcelona, mobile phone operators lined up to slate Apple for its ‘walled garden’ approach, which requires them to provide the infrastructure for its increasingly luxurious apps without receiving any revenue in return. Then in Berlin, publishers came forward to say how much they liked Google’s new One Pass system for charging users for internet access to their content, while others complained about the Apple offering, which was unveiled by Mr Jobs – who’s still overseeing the company despite being on medical leave – the day before and demands 30 per cent of all subscriptions sold through its App Store.”
Burrell writes, “The big question is whether this discontent – also prevalent among app developers – will filter down to the millions of people who have until now had a love affair with the unrivalled aesthetics and sheer functionality of Apple’s products; the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad.”
Read more in the full article – Think Before You Click™ – here.
MacDailyNews Take: If all you have is one random dumb pipe complaining about nothing and “publishers” (such as The Independent) whining, then you’re pretty hard pressed for “discontent.” Instead of trying out some weak yellow journalism that will accomplish nothing beyond tarnishing your reputation, you ought to get out and look around a bit, Ian. Maybe you’ll find something meaningful to scribble about next time.
Make no mistake: Anytime you see one of these articles about publishers complaining about Apple’s App Store subscription rules, remember the source: A pathetic, bleating publisher who’d rather use Apple’s marketing power, delivery methods, and the rest of Apple’s broad, vibrant platform on the cheap or, better yet, for free. Your business model has changed, content producers, either get used to it or die – preferably silently.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Joe M.” for the heads up.]