the controversy over the "apple tax" resurfaces as the two giants continue to compete
2024-09-04
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original title: "apple tax" controversy re-emerges, the game between the two giants continues
guangzhou daily news (all-media reporters zhang lu and wen jing) the "dispute" between wechat and apple has fermented again. recently, there have been rumors that wechat may not support iphone16, and once the iphone is upgraded to ios 18.2, users will not be able to use wechat. the reporter learned from an informed source that the news is untrue. behind the "dispute" is apple's desire to "block" the payment loopholes in wechat mini-games to prevent developers from directing users to external payment systems. if the ability of developers and users to bypass the apple application platform is not cancelled, wechat updates will be refused in the future. as of now, the matter has not been concluded.
this also means that the game between apple and tencent, which represent powerful channels and gaming giants respectively, is still going on.
the battle between apple and tencent continues
on september 3, the reporter called apple's official customer service, who responded, "we have not received any definite news yet."
earlier, there were reports that apple has increased pressure on tencent and bytedance, hoping to "plug" the payment loopholes for small games and prevent developers from directing users to external payment systems. in tencent's second quarter 2024 earnings call, tencent management responded that tencent is currently discussing with apple and hopes to achieve a positive win-win result for all three parties. the management said: "i think there are some misunderstandings about the nature of the current situation, that is, we are not currently commercializing small games on ios through in-app purchases (bypassing payments)."
it is understood that on the same day, a technical consultant for apple china responded to the above rumors that third-party comments about whether ios systems or apple devices can still use wechat, including whether wechat can continue to be listed and downloaded in the apple app store, need to be communicated and discussed between apple and tencent to determine the subsequent situation.
china's "apple tax" is still the highest
behind the rumor is actually a dispute between apple and tencent over the "apple tax". the "apple tax" refers to the commission that apple charges for digital content consumption of all apps on the app store. currently, china is still the country with the highest commission rate for apple's in-app transactions in the world - the "apple tax" rate that apple charges to standard enterprises and small and medium-sized developers in the chinese market is 30% and 15% respectively.
"apple provides developers with application platforms, payment systems, security and other services. it is reasonable to charge a certain fee, but the current 30% commission rate is too high," said guo tao, an angel investor and senior artificial intelligence expert, in an interview with reporters.
according to statistics from sensor tower, a third-party data statistics agency, in 2023, the "apple tax" will generate approximately $22.34 billion (rmb 160.8 billion) in revenue worldwide, and in china alone, this figure will exceed rmb 40 billion. in addition, in china, apple does not allow out-of-app transactions or third-party payments, while in the eu, the united states, south korea and other regions, these are allowed.
how to balance the relationship between developers and distributors? "apple should give developers more autonomy and allow them to provide multiple payment methods within the app for users to choose from, rather than forcing them to use the apple payment system," said guo tao.
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apple was fined for monopolistic behavior
in fact, apple has already faced similar controversies around the world. in march 2019, streaming music service provider spotify filed an antitrust complaint against apple, criticizing apple for charging a 30% "apple tax" on its app store digital services, which hindered the development of its business.
in march this year, the european commission announced a fine of 1.84 billion euros (about 14.4 billion yuan) on apple inc. on the grounds that apple had engaged in monopolistic behavior in the streaming music business, violating eu antitrust laws.
source: guangzhou daily
