Apple Hires Outside Economists to Compare the App Store to Other ‘Digital Marketplaces’

Ian Sherr, reporting for CNet:

Ahead of an antitrust hearing on Capitol Hill next week, Apple is fighting back against the perception that its App Store charges onerous commission rates to developers. It hired economists from the firm Analysis Group, who said the tech giant’s fees were similar to competitors.

The research, published Wednesday, collected commission rates reported on or disclosed by app stores from Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and others. The company’s economists also studied ticket resale marketplaces, game stores and ride-hailing apps. Overall, the economists said the commissions charged were similar, though stores generally offered different features for consumers and developers.

Here is the Analysis Group’s PDF report.

You know you’re in trouble when part of your argument is “Hey, at least we’re better than Ticketmaster.”

★ Wednesday, 22 July 2020