[Orphis]

Do you really think the hardware costs THAT much too?

Users are already paying a premium for the privilege of buying an iOS device. And Apple knows that usually it will add some pressure on friends and family to have devices in the same family. Everything related to the app store is already paid for, the bandwidth is cheap, maintaining the service is cheap enough and covered by the device premium AND the developer subscription.

Whether the apps are free or paid for (with a big cut for Apple), the company is already making money. The tax on top of everything is just a way to make a lot of money and favor Apple services when compared to competitors in the same segment.