Apple has always been very jealous of its App Store. The fact that it controls what is offered on it, that it controls where the store is available, and that it is the only store on iOS devices seems like too much control for some.
Thus, the United States Supreme Court has allowed a lawsuit against Apple and its App Store by monopoly, benefiting, among other things, from obtaining 30% of sales.
That 30% that Apple takes from the products and services sold in the App Store (Remember that you don't get anything from free apps and that in some circumstances, such as subscriptions of more than one year, this percentage is reduced) supposes an extra cost to developers which, normally, are passed on to end customers.
As the App Store is the only store for iOS systems and that Apple offers its own products in it (main complaint of another of Apple's active lawsuits, in this case at the initiative of Spotify in Europe) you can understand the approach that the App Store is a monopoly. Although Apple has responded with the following message:
«Today's decision means the plaintiffs can proceed with their case in district court.. We are confident that we will prevail when the facts are presented and that the App Store is not a monopoly by any metric.
We are proud to have created the most secure, reliable and secure platform for customers, and a great business opportunity for all developers around the world. Developers set the price they want to charge for their app and Apple has no role in that.. The vast majority of the apps on the App Store are free, and Apple gets nothing from them. The only instance in which Apple shares the revenue is if the developer decides to sell digital services through the App Store.
Developers can choose from a number of platforms to offer their softwarefrom other app stores to smart TVs and game consoles, and we work hard every day to make sure our store is the best, safest and most competitive in the world. "