Frequently news you need to know can’t be found in mainstream media because of the overload of bigger issues. Right now, the war on Ukraine smothers all other stories, as expected; however, other things are going on in our country that can have an affect on all of us. One of them is the tech giants are rolling over our small app developers and squeezing them out of the marketplace, thus increasing their hold over how the public can use apps.
Any app developer must submit their apps to Apple for review where guidelines are vague and ambiguous. If accepted, they pay a $99 annual fee and agree to use Apple’s payment system, as well as a $30 fee on each in-app purchase. This means app developers will have to charge you more to make a profit and you, the consumer, pay more for Apple payment processing.
We are all consumers, even if we don’t make on-line (in-app) purchases, price increases affect everyone.
There is a bill in the House called the Open App Markets Act, which is a measure supported by both parties that allows app developers to use other payment platforms other than Apple and Google. This act promotes competition, reins in the monopolistic policies of big tech. It would be good to contact your congress person and ask them to give serious attention to the Open App Markets Act. If we are to keep prices from soaring, something must be done and this is one way to do it.
Sincerely,
Evan James
Cave Creek
P.S. It’s good to see that the Cave Creek Rodeo Days is back!
