I don't think the 30% has ever been an issue. The exclusivity is. Doubly so as A...

YooLi · on June 13, 2011

"I don't think the 30% has ever been an issue."

Seriously? The 30% on apps, the 30% on in-app purchases, 30% on subscriptions, etc., each caused an uproar when they were announced.

jonknee · on June 13, 2011

Not because of the percentage, but because of the exclusivity. 30% on in-app purchases/subscriptions was only a big deal because Apple required that you use it and match the lowest price anywhere else. (They since backed down on this, but they can change their minds again.)

Stormbringer · on June 14, 2011

30% on apps caused an uproar because it was so much cheaper than the other alternatives.

Not to come across as an Apple apologist, but seriously, it wasn't even that frickin' long ago... even in internet time.

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it, repeatedly, in online forums, but in a badly twisted and inaccurate version.

avgarrison · on June 13, 2011

What do you mean by the exclusivity? How do you mean it can destroy your business if caught on the wrong side?

jonknee · on June 13, 2011

You can't distribute an iOS app outside of the App Store (outside of the enterprise). So Apple's 30% fee is essentially a tax on iOS apps--there's not a way around it.

Apple can destroy your business by changing a rule that makes your app ineligible for the App Store (or at least unprofitable, most recently seen in the whole in-app fiasco). There's not a way to distribute outside of Apple, so if Apple doesn't want to distribute your app then you have no business.