It is literally just Apple because you can install apps outside the company store on other platforms.
The inability to install outside the store is what makes disallowing outside payment an issue.
The combination means that you can't sell to a customer without going through apple because they have used their control of the hardware to take the decision of whom to do business with from you in order to stand there with their hand out.
allowing sideloading instantly shreds user privacy because any sufficiently-large customer (f.ex facebook) will immediately demand their app be sideloaded to bypass app review, and given full permissions so they can scrape everything. Facebook for example has already gotten their hand slapped for doing exactly this using their developer credentials, and if it suddenly becomes viable to do this for the full user-base then it will happen immediately and without any recourse by users.
that is the true red-line from a user perspective. go on and have your spat about whether 30% is fair or not, but the app-review process is the keystone on which the permissions system rests, allowing sideloading is tantamount to allowing all major apps full-permissions overnight and essentially making the permissions system meaningless.
the only viable solution I can see that allows third-party app stores would be to require that Apple still review all apps on third-party app stores to enforce the requirements surrounding permissioning (i.e. having a valid reason to request the permissions you're requesting) and they would still need to charge for that.
"third party app stores without any review, but Apple still gets a cut" would be the worst of all possible outcomes.
> any sufficiently-large customer (f.ex facebook) will immediately demand their app be sideloaded to bypass app review, and given full permissions so they can scrape everything.
If Facebook is chomping at the bit to do this on iOS as soon as they can, then why haven't they done it on Android where they already can?
Its the users phone let them decide. Apple can strongly encourage users to stick to first party stores and require developers to agree to terms and conditions to access the sdk. Warn users who side load in as scary terms as you please.
Nobody who doesn't opt in for privacy shredding will have their privacy shredded.
> Its the users phone let them decide. ... Nobody who doesn't opt in for privacy shredding will have their privacy shredded.
If you don't opt-in to privacy shredding then you will be locked out of being able to use facebook, whatsapp, and other "network effect" things that you more or less don't have a choice about without cutting out communication with large parts of your social network, so this is not really a "free choice" at all.
Right now those companies don't have the leverage to lock out Apple users. This immediately gives them that leverage and they will use it, just like they already have tried (and gotten their hands slapped for).
App store review is the only thing standing between you and Facebook demanding full permissions for everything, and allowing third-party app stores or sideloading is a mortal blow to app store review.
I understand that you don't personally care but the Apple customer base does, a large number of them specifically choose that because Apple is using their leverage in favor of the customer here. You can get the experience you desire on the dominant smartphone platform (with 85% of the global smartphone marketshare), just leave us the freedom to choose this experience as well. You're arguing that we should be explicitly denied this because it's not convenient for Facebook.
It's entirely possible to simply delete Facebook if you don't like the copious amounts of data they are certainly collecting on you.
We don't need to sacrifice general purpose computing and user freedom on any platform so you can protect your false impression that your privacy is protected while actually giving it away cheap.
I believe Zuckerberg said it wwll years back when he called people who trusted him suckers.
The inability to install outside the store is what makes disallowing outside payment an issue.
The combination means that you can't sell to a customer without going through apple because they have used their control of the hardware to take the decision of whom to do business with from you in order to stand there with their hand out.