Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

In order to meet the new rules of the EU's Digital Market Act, Apple plans to introduce a third-party app store on its platform. Apple's AppleInsider asked a number of developers what they thought about it, and some were very excited about it, but many were also nervous.

While Apple is still vehemently opposed to being forced into a third-party app store, it is preparing for the change. Apple's software and services engineers are believed to be preparing for the enactment of the Digital Market Act, which could require Apple to introduce third-party app stores by 2024.

Overall, developers seem to have at least accepted this shift. In some cases, people are very interested in what third-party app stores may bring. But among many developers who have been in the industry for a long time, they are more cautious.

Excited about the future Mykola Mykola Savin, chief product manager at Setapp, said: "We at Setapp are excited about the news that Apple is preparing to introduce a third-party app store on the iPhone, although this shift will only take place in the EU initially."

Setapp is an original subscription service for Mac applications, but it is always trying to include more iOS applications. Today, Setapp can be regarded as a third-party app store.

"Setapp is indeed a third-party app store on Mac that aims to benefit both users and developers," Savin continued. "for users, Setapp provides a different way to consume and manage applications, and through fixed subscription, you can access frequently used app collections."

Savin says there are more than 240 Mac applications on Setapp, but only 37 iOS apps, all of which are iOS versions of cross-platform Mac applications. "We are currently limited by Apple to add iOS-only apps to the platform. We are happy to act as an alternative to the Apple App Store because this is the desire of our users and iOS developers who apply to join Setapp," he said.

Just as Setapp sees the advantages of the separation of Mac and iOS applications, the developers behind Luna Display believe that the company has an opportunity to combine hardware and software. Luna Display allows Mac, iPad and PC users to share the screen of each device with other devices.

"I want to see iPad and iPhone open to third-party app stores! I firmly believe that competition creates more choices for consumers," said Matt Rouge, founder of Luna Display. "the current situation is that there are no competitors in the Apple App Store."

"now, if you sell a hardware product that is compatible with an app, you need to publish the app through the Apple App Store," he explained. This is inconvenient because without hardware, these applications can't run at all! In our service, for example, we have to build a special 'virtual' hardware model to get the application approved by Apple. So why do we have to release apps through the Apple App Store? Wouldn't it be better if you could download it directly from our website? "

It will also allow companies like Luna Display to keep older versions of apps, which is "impossible" through the Apple App Store, Mr. Luger said. In addition to his own company, Luger believes that if there is an app store with a much lower 30% commission than Apple, it may stimulate more innovation.

"what kind of new apps might emerge? what if there are beta apps or experimental features that are not allowed to be released in the Apple App Store? can we experiment and innovate faster? can we introduce new experimental features faster?"

Apple's current app store is good, of course, not everyone is interested in the arrival of a third-party app store. Teams of developers like Omni Group, who remember the high cost of selling CD-ROM software through retail stores, ultimately don't expect much change in Apple's ecosystem.

"it's hard to say what impact the Digital Markets Act will have in general, but I don't expect it to have much impact on our specific software releases," said Greg Titus, Omni Group's chief technology officer. Omni's productivity app perfectly reflects the purpose of the Apple App Store. Overall, we are very satisfied with the support Apple has given us and the way we sell our apps through its app store. "

James Thomson (James Thomson), the developer of the full-featured scientific calculator PCalc, further predicts that users will continue to use Apple's app store. "personally, I don't think it makes much sense for us to introduce a third-party app store," he said. "when we sell PCalc directly on the Mac App Store and on our own website, we see more than 80 per cent of people choose to buy through the Apple App Store."

Thomson continued: "although there is a lot of extra paperwork to do, it doesn't make much sense to sell through other app stores, and I really don't see much point in doing so in the future. Of course, we won't do anything that might conflict with app review, and different types of apps will have different considerations, but I don't think we'll move to other app stores, even if they are available."

Pose a threat to Apple's business? Third-party app stores will benefit some companies and may not have much impact on others. But the question is, will it have an impact on customers or Apple?

"in terms of revenue and security, I don't think third-party app stores pose a threat to Apple's business," said Setapp's Savin. "We can take a look at Android. Side loading doesn't have much impact on Google Play. Moreover, Mac computers have long allowed side-loading applications."

He continued: "We learned from Setapp's recent Mac app report that for most Mac users, the Apple App Store is still the most popular and trusted way to find and get the latest apps. I think the situation for iOS users is similar, and the introduction of a third-party app store will not change much."

Thomson's PCalc has been on the market for more than 30 years, and it is sold in Apple App Store on platforms ranging from iOS to Apple TV 4K. Thomson is more worried about the threat to developers. "my main concern is that if Apple does open side loading in a wider way, it will lead to a proliferation of pirated apps on iOS, as we see on Mac today," he said.

As a result, some developers are excited about Apple's introduction of a third-party app store, while others are cautious. However, everyone agrees that the shift is still in its early stages.

Ken Case, chief executive of Omni, said: "I have more questions about how the Digital Markets Act might affect Apple's platform. This may make the application distribution process on iOS more like MacOS, but how similar it is remains to be seen."

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