| I agree about the over reach part. I am not an Apple apologist at all and agree with others that when device growth stalls (it will) and then services growth stalls (it will) Apple when then really start its ads push and a further push into getting it's 30% tribute on all app purchases. But, This isn't yet a stretch into all ad spend - I do think Apple will go there too eventually. In practice Apple is saying paying to boost an organic post is in effect an "in app purchase". They are correct. The purchase happens in the Facebook "blue" app. I actually haven't seen or done it with a boosted post but that is what Apple is saying. You post something via the Facebook "blue" app...get a notice that it's been seen by a few people, so pay a bit to get it seen by more and all of that is done via that one app....so an "in app purchse". Regular ads are done with the Ads Manager app....a separate app from the Facebook "blue" app. So, ads themselves are not yet subject to this 30% bounty. Again I haven't done it on the app but in the web ads manager you can boost a post from there too so likely you can in the Ads Manager app...not sure though. If you can then you avoid the 30%. I suspect most if not all small businesses, etc have no idea what Ads Manager is or are not very familiar with it. I have a particular disdain for the app store generally so I don't like this at all. But, you can see where Apple has been and will go...force everything to an app instead of mobile web browser (by nerfing webkit on iOS) than force 30% tribute on "purchases". I have no idea how this escapes any anti trust scrutiny, especially compared to what M$FT did with IE back in the day and got dinged for it. |
I just don't see how this is something other than a simplified way of buying an ad, like in the Ads Manager. Sure, there are influencers and wannabe-influencers who pay to boost their posts for clout or something, that doesn't change the fact that this has a real business application. And for that use, it seems like Apple is modifying the status quo by taking something that used to not be an IAP (buying an ad) and deciding that you can't have a new way of buying one without using the IAP system. Maybe it was actually about whether it's all in one app or not rather than the nature of the purchase. But I don't think that describes the status quo of how these rules work, wouldn't the logical extreme be that you should be able to buy Kindle books in the Amazon Shopping app?