| But isn't this constant idea that Apple and other OS providers should add more features to their platforms ultimately counterproductive? If, as a developer, I knew I only had a couple of years at best before Apple replicates my app, would there be any incentive for me to create the app and pay Apple the $99 yearly fee? The Apple App Store is a lot like a shopping mall with Apple as the landlord. Imagine you rented a spot from Apple in the mall to sell your products. Then, Apple, afraid of being left behind, starts creating the same exact shop next to you, selling the exact same products cheaper since it owns the mall. This would cause you to lose customers and eventually close down. If this trend continues, there could come a point where every app is replicated by Apple. These app owners would go out of business, and the App Store would become nothing but a catalog of Apple apps and other apps created by Microsoft, Facebook, and the like. Is that good for the indie developers at the end ? I can foresee a world where the indie software developer doesn't exist because the platform owners are essentially offering their products for free. How about the customer ? As Apple isn't obligated to provide anything good in terms of software, just a free alternative that's baked into the OS, would that even matter in the end? |
That “couple of years” could be enough incentive.
> As Apple isn't obligated to provide anything good in terms of software, just a free alternative that's baked into the OS, would that even matter in the end?
Nobody is obligated to provide anything good, but as long as there’s competition, the market will force suppliers to provide good enough stuff for the price they ask.