App Store chief says Apple aimed to level playing field for developers

When the App Store launched in 2008 with 500 apps, Apple executives viewed it as an experiment in offering a compellingly low commission rate to attract developers, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing and top executive for the App Store said in an interview. — AFP

On July 29, Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook will face questions from US lawmakers about whether the iPhone maker's App Store practices give it unfair power over independent software developers.

Apple tightly controls the App Store, which forms the centrepiece of its US$46.3bil-per-year (RM196.64bil) services business. Developers have criticised Apple's commissions of between 15% and 30% on many App Store purchases, its prohibitions on courting customers for outside signs-ups, and what some developers see as an opaque and unpredictable app-vetting process.