Mark Zuckerberg is juggling plenty of problems within Meta, such as tumbling share prices amid Meta's shaky start to its metaverse commitment. Then there is Facebook reaching its peak and heading down the other side, but also the network's typical misdeeds with user data. In recent months, Zuckerberg has decided to go on the attack, and this time Apple is in his sights.
In fact, Zuckerberg was taking the side of fellow controversial CEO, Elon Musk. Last week, new Twitter chief Musk criticized Apple's App Store fees. On iOS, Apple forces app developers to pay between 15 to 30 percent for in-app purchases.
Twitter is rolling out a verification system that will cost users $8 per month, while Twitter Blue is also a paid service. These count as in-app purchases, which means for every transaction done on Twitter via iOS, the company must pay 15-30% to Apple.
It is the same for Meta and its companies like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. Speaking at The New York Times DealBook summit this week, Zuckerberg took Musk's side and slammed Apple.
“Apple has sort of singled themselves out as the only company that is trying to control unilaterally what apps get on a device.
I don't think that's a sustainable or good place to be.”
“There is a conflict of interest there and it makes them not just a kind of governor that is looking out for the best of, of people's interests. I think they also have a lot of their own strategic interests, which makes it very challenging.”
Better Approach
Zuckerberg says Google has a much more agreeable way of dealing with app developers.
“They've always made it so you can sideload and have other app stores and work directly with phone manufacturers. That's also been our commitment in how we built up our VR and what we plan to do with our AR headsets.”
While Zuckerberg has been lashing out more recently – including saying WhatsApp is better than iMessage – this is one area where he has a point. Most developers hate Apple's policies, including long-time critic Microsoft. Even so, the App Store is still the place all those dev's want to be, so Apple will continue to milk it for as long as possible.
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