Amazon caves to Apple, drops Kindle's in-app button

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Elimentals

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http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218629/Amazon_caves_to_Apple_drops_Kindle_s_in_app_button

Amazon today bowed to Apple's newest App Store rules, and removed a link in its iPhone and iPad Kindle apps that took customers directly to its online store.

The move was required to comply with new rules designed to block developers from evading the 30% cut that Apple takes from in-app purchases.

In February, Apple CEO Steve Jobs laid down the law.

"Our philosophy is simple -- when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30% share," said Jobs in a statement released Feb. 15. "When the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100% and Apple earns nothing."

At the time, Apple said publishers and content sellers would have to remove any links within their apps to outside-the-App Store purchasing options.

Last month, Apple relaxed part of the new rules, allowing developers to price their wares differently on the App Store and their own Web sites. However, the ban on all in-app links to external sales sites still held.

Some content sellers, including Rhapsody, had called Apple's demand for a 30% piece of the revenue pie "economically untenable" and said it would break their business models.

"[Adding] Apple's 30% will exceed the revenue on our product," said Jon Irwin, Rhapsody's president, in an interview shortly after Apple unveiled the new App Store rules last February. "It's not a matter of making less money, it would be zero profit."

Rhapsody updated its iPhone app last week to, among other things, remove the in-app subscribing link.

iPhone and iPad users who update their Amazon Kindle apps to today's version 2.8 can still purchase books from their devices, but must open Safari and manually steer to Amazon.com to do so.

To retain the Kindle Store button in the Kindle apps, users will have to decline today's update, as well as all future updates.

On Monday, Google also complied with Apple's new rules when it re-released Google Books -- which had been yanked from the App Store -- minus an in-app purchasing button.
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Also of interest is http://jimlynch.com/2011/07/25/apple-greed-and-the-amazon-kindle-app/
 
Evil is an exaggeration. This is greedy, not evil. Apple putting its own interests ahead of those of its users.
 
JStrike said:
No, it's not. That's all.
Greed is good. It pushes us forward
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Bull****

Competition leads to innovation and progress, all greed does is leads to exploitation.
Ask the Child labor camps.

(I am not saying Apple use Child labor just that child labor is one of the exploits that come from greed)
 
Jola said:
To Android ...
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Huh? Android is just a mobile operating system. Who cares about an operating system?
You chose a phone as an integrated widget. Hardware, software and services combined. The OS is just a part of the whole
 
Elimentals said:
Bull****

Competition leads to innovation and progress, all greed does is leads to exploitation.
Ask the Child labor camps.

(I am not saying Apple use Child labor just that child labor is one of the exploits that come from greed)
Click to expand...

You say that as if I should agree with you that child labour is bad. I don't
But I wont get into that discussion :-)
 
JStrike said:
You say that as if I should agree with you that child labour is bad. I don't
But I wont get into that discussion :-)
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That is why I said "camps"
The labour part can be discussed, the camp part, where they kidnap and sell children solely for the purpose to use as cheap labour is a different issue :)
 
Elimentals said:
That is why I said "camps"
The labour part can be discussed, the camp part, where they kidnap and sell children solely for the purpose to use as cheap labour is a different issue :)
Click to expand...
Ah yes, I do agree with you then :-)
 
Jola said:
Exactly, and I have that with Android, I can buy a book out of the Kindle App - You can't do that on iOS, so it creates inconvenience !
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My point was why mention android? Android is just a silly operating system used by certain vendors.
You have a phone e.g a samsung something. The user experience of the widget is the hardware, the os, the apps, the service, etc.
I'm not saying your phone doesn't create a better experience than an iPhone. I am just questioning why you would bring up Android
 
Apple is profit greedy. That is what their investors demand and expect. Apple is not a non-profit NGO. You guys must grow up. Apple's business model is clear and has always been clear. If you hate it you need not develop/publish for it. Amazon would have pulled their app completely if it wasn't worth having it on the AppStore ... but they didn't. Why not? Because the Apple ecosystem is still too good to let go despite the strict rules. Apple deserves the money they earn. If/When it tips the other way people/companies will walk away so it is not a game in which Apple can do whatever they want. There is a balance and they know exactly where the tiping point is.

I'm a Kindle user. I see no problem here. I can still buy from Amazon in the browser which I prefer to use anyway. I send my books to five different devices (incl. a proper Kindle which I highly recommend as your first choice reading device) so working through a browser is not a pain.
 
Elimentals said:
Bull****

Competition leads to innovation and progress, all greed does is leads to exploitation.
Ask the Child labor camps.

(I am not saying Apple use Child labor just that child labor is one of the exploits that come from greed)
Click to expand...

Quit picking on kids!
They make great takkies, my Nikes that the Indonesian kids made have lasted 8 years already.
 
I dont think anyone is surprised.

Push the developers away Apple :D You go Jobsie!
 
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