Apple’s new app store subscriptions has a whole lot of controversy around it. Ok that may be being nice. There are many who just hate it with a passion. There have been official statements from Rhapsody saying it would not comply with the new regulations. Sony indirectly said something about it by launching their own service. Unofficially Slaker said some mean things on IRC about Apple. But it was on IRC, we can’t be sure if it was really from them. What is the big deal? The new policy requires any company offering subscription services to offer the same service, at the same price (or less) through Apple. You know Kindle, Netflix, Slacker, Sony pretty much any subscription service.
Apple takes 30 percent off the top every month. That is where the issue comes in. People can understand the one time 30 if you sale something. We will call it a tax but to take 30% off every month is a rip off. What if you don’t want to use the iTunes service and use your own? Apple says there will be none of that. It no longer allows apps to have links to external sites where purchases can be made.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that antitrust enforcers in the US are having a preliminary look into the new arrangement. This could lead to a more formal investigation into if the policy violates antitrust laws. No one at Apple, the FTC, or the Justice Department would comment on these events.