- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
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I really don’t wish to come across as a dick, but why are people so up in arms about a €1.50 annual fee for the PAL store? I mean, sure, there’s a principle and the rest of the world are getting Delta for free, but it’s €1.50. A year.
And that charge is only to cover Apple’s bullshit.
I agree. If anything this is going to put pressure on the EU DMA to crack down on Apple. Apple is using their position to effect competition in Europe and this is the result. Free elsewhere and costs money in the EU.
Seems like the complaint isn’t so much about the fee, it’s about the fact that Europeans have to use AltStore for this app, even though the AppStore has finally opened itself up to game emulation.
“Apple’s bullshit” wouldn’t be an issue if they just released it on the AppStore and forego the AltStore all together. The CTF does not apply if they distribute exclusively on the AppStore. CTF is only applicable if the developer chooses to opt in to the new business agreement and distribute their app outside of the AppStore.
Since they’ve already demonstrated the App qualifies for distribution in the AppStore, as shown with the rest of the worlds’ listing, there’s no reason for them to disable it in the EU and push it on to the AltStore. The only reason they needed it on the AltStore is because they know people won’t care enough to jump through any scare screens to install the AltStore if all they’ve got to offer is some clipboard management app that very few people care about. So, instead, they bicker about the CTF and try to convince people the fee is for “Apple bullshit”, when the act of putting it on AltStore actually ends up costs them and everyone else more. The cynics amongst us might even say this is in the end helping to line Apple’s pockets so the developer here is actually an Apple shill… hmmm maybe that’s a bit too far?
He’s most likely just leveraging Delta as a way to force EU people into the AltStore and this makes it yet another greedy person. We had the Apple tax, now we’ve the Riley Testut tax for Europeans. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
You’re probably partially right, he made the Altstore specifically for his emulator and since Apple doesn’t like people using other app stores they changed their own rules last second to allow them in, as there’s basically no downside of doing so.
The Altstore has plans to open up to other apps as well, but why not put your own apps on it, especially if they are the only ones currently available.
The “Riley Tax” as you called it is mostly just an Apple tax though and to pay for infrastructure. I don’t see him getting rich from that.
I believe everyone should read this: https://developer.apple.com/support/core-technology-fee/
The Core Technology Fee (CTF) is an element of the new business terms in the European Union (EU) (…) Developers can choose to remain on the App Store’s current business terms or adopt the new business terms for iOS apps in the EU. Developers can choose to remain on the App Store’s current business terms or adopt the new business terms for iOS apps in the EU.
The “Riley Tax” as you called it is mostly just an Apple tax though and to pay for infrastructure. I don’t see him getting rich from that.
I’m not saying he wants to profit from this (“greedy”), it’s all about pushing people into the AltStore. I don’t even believe the AltStore pricing is sustainable unlike he says on the announcement… he’s most likely have to increase the price later on once he gets more Apps over there.
It looks a lot like he just wanted to release the AltStore and for that he was forced to accept the “new terms”. This in turn lead to the current situation where Europeans have to pay more. He could’ve still done it and proceeded to publish Delta on the EU App Stores and charge the fee there instead of pushing AltStore down people’s throats. OR he could’ve not accepted the terms all together and distributed Delta for free on EU Stores / without being charged the CTF (losing AltStore in the process).
Another thing he could’ve done was release the AltStore under a different developer account so the Delta account could use the old terms (no Apple Tax) and the AltStore one would use the new terms.
Look, I was even okay with paying 0,50€, 1€ or 10€ for the App but only if it was distributed through the App Store. It would take care of the potential > 1M download CTF fee and he would profit as well. No harm there. What he did instead was to gatekeep the app from the App Store in order to force people into the AltStore. Forcing people into the AltStore and a yearly fee is at least less than ideal.
It does seem an odd decision to make the app free on the App Store, but a subscription on AltStore. I’m not sure what Riley’s angle is supposed to be here. With the rule change around emulators Delta could have been released worldwide on the App Store.
Is the subscription on AltStore meant as a protest? The argument could be that Apple’s policies towards alternative app stores force them to be more expensive than the App Store. Although as it stands it puts AltStore in a bad light to average consumer, who isn’t following the political shenanigans and just sees AltStore as more expensive.
There’s also the issues of commercialising emulation in general. A lot of people feel the best way for emulation projects to be sustainable and stay “under the radar” is to avoid commercialisation as much as possible. It’s a touchy subject especially after the recent events with Yuzu.
The angle is very clear: he’s leveraging Delta as a way to force EU people into the AltStore and this makes it yet another greedy person.
I wonder why people downvote this… I mean, yes, it covers apple‘s taxes, but it would be doable via the App Store, which he clearly avoids.
I downvoted it because it’s blaming the wrong entity; the real bad actor here is Apple.
The AltStore should be free and it should be available globally, but neither are possible thanks to Apple’s anticompetitive shenanigans.
