Ben Wood, CMO of industry analysis firm CSS Insights, said he expects “an avalanche of app stores” for Apple’s iPhone and iPad in the near future.
Apple’s rivals are positioning themselves as the go-to alternative to its dominant App Store as the iPhone maker prepares to allow others on its devices in the European Union.
“There’s an emerging ‘coalition of the willing’, and all of them have a vested interest in no longer having to pay what they see as a tax to Apple,” Wood told Reuters…
Rivals are plotting to bring frustrated developers over to their stores, promising lower commission fees and the potential for exclusivity deals with popular apps.
“Competition is a good way to improve services,” said Paulo Trezentos, CEO of Portugal’s Aptoide, which takes a 15% to 25% cut of in-app purchases.
Deals for exclusive content could drive competition in app stores in the same way as it has in the “streaming wars” between Netflix and challengers like Disney+ and Amazon Prime, Trezentos said, adding: “Netflix has content that HBO doesn’t have… App stores can be like that.”
MacDailyNews Take: And Apple’s App Store will continue to dominate wherever third-party app stores are available.
Those who want safety, security, and privacy will stick to Apple’s App Store, but a single point of control is always a danger, especially when it comes to capricious censorship (see: pre-Musk Twitter, Apple’s App Store in China, etc.).
iPhone and iPad users must, like Mac users, have the ability to install third-party apps; even if they never do, for it will keep Apple honest. The ability to ban an app loses all power when it’s simply available in another App Store.
These moves, including removing the mandate to use WebKit, Apple’s Safari browsing engine, in third-party browsers… will greatly reduce, if not eliminate, the threat of anti-trust actions against Apple for the foreseeable future.
Also, expect Gatekeeper to come to iOS and iPadOS from macOS. – MacDailyNews, December 13, 2022
Adding the ability to access third-party app stores for iPhone and iPad also removes a selling point for Android phones and tablets, a crucial selling point for some, that is likely to result in further acceleration of Android to iPhone upgraders. So, third-party app stores for iPhone and iPad won’t hurt Apple too much. In fact, it might even benefit Apple. – MacDailyNews, December 14, 2022
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Shop The Apple Store at Amazon.
Maybe der Muskenfuhrer Will open a store
As a company like Anker functions just fine along the side of Apple’s ecosystem, my guess it there will be (a few) stores with similar ethos, quality and trustworthiness.
Software inhabiting a device puts the need of trust in a hyper realm, though. There’s a high 90% likelihood most will chose to download at the App Store, for that reason.
I’ve thought for yrs if Apple made security their #1 offering–assuming all other aspects remained unchanged–their business would remain robust for years and years. Being able to offer robust security is a moat around the moat….the moat of all moats.
AppleShonknyc will soon complain of too much choice. Sadly he doesn’t suffer from too many brain cells, but not enough.
Nope, but I may invoke the “unfair prominence” given to the Apple App Store. It worked against MS with Internet Explorer and they weren’t nearly as bad. They never forbad an application.
Worth a shot. Got itSizzlebutt?
Bring on multiple app stores. May the best store win.
“…when it comes to capricious censorship (see: pre-Musk Twitter…)”
Pretty sure, it applies to post-Musk Twitter as well.
For example… https://www.thedailybeast.com/elon-musk-suspends-insiders-linette-lopez-another-reporter-who-pissed-him-off