[jayfuerstenberg]

There is no monopoly.

Apple created this ecosystem and if we don't like it we can develop for any of the Android flavors and even Windows Phone.

The costs of the iOS and Mac developer programs are to keep Apple from losing money while they do all the heavy lifting for us developers.

Thanks to Apple I don't have to process credit card transactions, set up an app download system, handle refunds nor calculate the taxes to pay to the government.

For 30% of the revenue I'd consider that fair. I make so much more from sales that $99 + 30% is nothing if it lets me concentrate on what I love: developing apps!

I also used to develop J2ME games for a Japanese content aggregator back in 2005 and they took 69% of my earnings for providing the same services Apple does. I'm not being "robbed".

I'm curious, what's with the sense of entitlement? Do you really expect companies to offer these services for free? If not, what would be your idea of a fair price?

[uribs]

Android has none of those monopolies by comparison (although Google Play still appropriates 30%, but at least it's not mandatory to use it)

Developer programs are supposed to be a loss offset by the higher amount of sales of your devices due to having more apps thanks to the developer programs.

Paypal, Stripe, 2checkout etc. process transactions for 2-5.5% fees, not 30% (of course 2-5.5% is also extortionate, but that's mostly due to the VISA/MasterCard duopoly, also very evil, and the horrible idea of credit card chargebacks).

Bandwidth is 0.10$/GB, so it would be another 1% at most for most apps, and doubling and rounding would make 15% the very maximum acceptable cut, with 5-10% a more reasonable one.

But of course most developers are themselves complicit in exploiting the userbase with obscenely pay-to-win games, trivial apps that are $1-2, in-app purchases and more, so they are basically content to share their loot with Apple in exchange for Apple's approval of their dubious practices and protection against their users' attempts to not pay.

[jayfuerstenberg]

I'm sorry but who are you to dictate to Apple how it should be running its business? Apple doesn't do loss leaders like some other companies.

While other companies are offering free services (not really free - you and your data are the product) Apple sells products/services at a profit.

If you consider that evil then all I can suggest is that you don't give Apple any of your money. "Vote with your wallet" as they say.

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Those payment services you listed only provide the payment end of things.

They don't make a giant store that helps users find you in the first place.

In case you didn't know, 63% of sales are derived from discovery within app stores ( http://www.businessinsider.com/search-is-the-biggest-driver-... ).

People who otherwise wouldn't have learned about my apps if I went solo and used paypal DO discover them because of Apple.

In other words we make more money in the end because of the ecosystem Apple has created for us developers.

Have you ever actually developed and marketed your own apps? This should be obvious to you if you have.